Compassion

Patti Ann Ancell
Volunteer, Nor-Lea Hospital District

Nominated by Tania Brito | RN I would like to nominate Mrs. Ancell for her endless compassion for our cancer patients. Mrs. Ancell took over our wig and prosthetic brassier program. She will measure our patients for wigs and brassiere prosthetics; once the wig or prosthetic brassier arrives she makes an appointment for the patient to come in and try on the product. One of our cancer patients was not able to come in and pick up her wig because she was too weak to travel to the cancer center. Mrs. Ancell knew the patient had a trip coming up and it was very important for the patient to have her wig, as this could be our patients last trip she can make with her loved ones, Mrs. Ancell took the time to drive to Artesia NM so the patient could try on the wig. The patient loved her wig, and she was very thankful to Mrs. Ancell. The second cancer patient had been waiting for her prosthetic brassier. The patient was not able to come to the cancer center to try it on due to a recent surgery. Mrs. Ancell drove to Hobbs NM to take the patient her prosthetic brassier. Mrs. Ancell takes the time to go buy one of our patients his favorite candy. (which is very hard to find) just to make his day at the cancer center more pleasant. These are just some of the things Mrs. Ancell does for our patients. She is always going above and beyond, and she does not expect anything in return. To me this is true compassion.

Compassion

Rosalie Gwaltney, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Nor-Lea Hospital District

Nominated by Shannon Allen | CRNA I am nominating Rosalie Gwaltney, CRNA for the Compassion Award. Rosalie has been providing anesthesia care to patients in rural New Mexico for decades and is a “stand out” in compassionate care for her patients. Rosalie provided anesthesia to my mother at Nor Lea and gave her an exceptional experience. She was very calming during times when patients are nervous, she spends time talking with each patient and their family, introduces herself, explain what to expect with anesthesia, and alleviates fear of the unknown. My Mom and Dad trusted Rosalie’s care and knew they were in good hands. My parents have full trust in the care they receive at Nor-Lea Hospital and Rosalie played a big part in their confidence in our team. Rosalie has been providing anesthesia for more than 50 years, much of that in rural New Mexico. She is passionate about her profession and delivers excellent care during every anesthetic. Patients remember Rosalie and the quiet, respectful care she gives while paying attention to every small detail in their care and ensuring safe outcomes for every patient, every time. She takes time with each patient, never rushing her care, giving full attention to her patients of all ages. Surgery is a fast-paced environment, but Rosalie spends time with every patient and never lets them feel like they are being rushed. Rosalie usually knows the patient’s full health history, profession, hobbies, and interests after talking with them in the preoperative setting and puts the patients at ease. As a colleague, I have learned many “tricks of the trade” from Rosalie during the many years we have worked together. She serves as an excellent mentor to other CRNAs and has played a large role in ensuring the success of the anesthesia team. She is respected and appreciated by her teammates. I want to nominate Rosalie for her mentorship in patient care and for setting an example of what compassionate care for others looks like. My parents were very happy with their experience at Nor-Lea and wanted Rosalie to be nominated to thank her for the compassionate care they received. Having an anesthesia provider you trust is important during surgery and helps ease the nervousness of a procedure. Thank you, Rosalie, for your compassionate care for my Mom and for your many years of service to rural New Mexico patients! I appreciate you, Shannon Allen.

Nominated by Patient Please, consider Rosalie for the Compassion Award because she took care of my wife, Mary, and provided anesthesia during her procedure at Nor Lea Hospital. Rosalie put us at ease when we spoke to her before the procedure. She did an in-depth health care history, explained the anesthesia, answered all our questions, and provided outstanding anesthesia care for my wife. She woke up feeling great and was very happy with Rosalie and Nor Lea Hospital. The entire team was excellent! It is the people who make your experience exceptional. And we appreciate the time Rosalie spent with us. Thank you, Rosalie, for the top-notch anesthesia care and for making us feel at ease during a stressful time. Your compassionate care is unmatched!

Compassion

Stacy Whitaker
MRI Technologist, Lovington Medical Clinic

Nominated by Alyssa Byrd | Radiology Manager
I was reached out to by Stacy with questions concerning an order on a patient that had come in for an MRI. The patient was here after 5:00 and Stacy wanted to make sure that the patient was taken care of even though it was after hours. Stacy made multiple calls to get it corrected and make sure that the patient received the care they needed. While this is just one example of Stacy going above and beyond for the patients, I could tell stories almost weekly of how Stacy lives up to the value of compassion. He always works to make sure the patients are taken care of, makes the patients feel comfortable, and shows a true attitude of compassion and concern for each patient he comes in contact with. I received the following two compliments from employees who have been in Stacy's care one way or another. These examples show just how Stacy goes above and beyond for his patients.

Nominated by Korbi Randolph | Phlebotomy Coordinator
In March 2024 my grandmother had a stroke. I took her to Nor-Lea Emergency Room where everyone was super kind to her and reassured her that they would do everything in their power for her. When it came time for her to get her MRI she had the worst anxiety. Dr. Carver gave her some medication to calm her nerves which helped some but Stacy is the one who really made her feel better. He kept reassuring her that it would be over in no time, that he was right there with her through every step, he kept her talking so she knew she wasn't alone. He was absolutely amazing to her. It’s been almost 6 months and she still remembers the care he provided to her that day.

Nominated by Daphne Garza | Certified Phlebotomist
On July 31, 2024, I went in for an MRI at the Nor Lea Hospital in Lovington. I had to travel from Hobbs to Lovington to have this done. With that being said, when we were going over the order Stacy noticed the order did not match the notes given by the doctor. Stacy being exceptional at his job and giving wonderful customer service, we worked together had the order changed and called his supervisor to make sure I wouldn’t be stuck with an outrageous bill. I am so happy we were able to resolve the issue in a timely manner, nor get pushed out the door until my issue was resolved. Most importantly I didn't have to make an extra trip, being the foot I drive with is the one being examined. If anyone knew the values of Nor Lea, it would definitely be Stacy! He is definitely one to go above and beyond!

Accountability

Crystal Dolan Delgado
Speech Therapist, Nor-Lea Hospital District

Nominated by Susan Reeves | Speech Therapist
Crystal Dolan-Delgado joined Nor Lea in June 2024, right out of graduate school. Her work ethic is exceptional as she rolls up her sleeves to do whatever it takes to take care of her patients and their families. She has inherited a tremendous caseload with minimal documentation time yet this week she gave up several hours in her weekly schedule to advocate for a patient who has purchased an augmentative communication system prior to her coming to Nor Lea. As often happens because it takes a long time to get these AAC systems funded, they come after their attending therapist is often in a different position and Crystal who has only had minimal experience with AAC prior to coming to Nor Lea, inherited several who are either about to get funded for AAC or just received their device right before she came. Often to take care of the patient’s needs with the devices, the family and the clinician are learning as the patient is learning about this specific AAC system. Crystal’s patient’s mother is challenged to work on computers at all, yet she now is in a position to learn how operate a system which is computerized for her cognitively and emotionally challenged son, so she can assist him in the home. This family here at Nor Lea only speaks Spanish and luckily Crystal speaks Spanish so when the device was not working the IT dept had to be contacted so she jumped in and made the call for the family. The AAC company did not have a trained IT person available who spoke Spanish, and they had to troubleshoot with the mother in order to hopefully fix the problem on the device. Crystal sat on the phone or was on standby to assist this mother several hours, in order to walk through the IT person’s suggestions as she became aware, this mother not only had a challenge ahead of her due to her lack of English but she also was not knowledgeable about computers and the speaking device who son was not attempting to use, is a computerized, speech generating device. Every suggestion the IT person was expecting this mother to walk through as he tried to troubleshoot over the honest was beyond her client’s mom’s ability so Crystal stayed on the phone with this mother and IT person or was at least on standby, while she rearranged her clients, etc. and when nothing was resolved for her patient and his mother, she took it upon herself to reschedule with the IT support personnel, giving away her only documentation time for the next day. Crystal demonstrates compassion for all her patients, and she does whatever it takes to make their load a bit easier even if it means she has to stay late or rework her schedule in order to get everything accomplished for her patients and for the speech dept. She is a new graduate. These skills most supervisors do not see in their clinical staff, if ever, until they have several years of experience. Crystal’s ability to take things in stride as she determines the best course of action is exceptional in multiple ways, but her driving force appears to be her compassion and service to others as she demonstrates her ability to truly care enough to go that extra mile.

Accountability

Olivia Camp
Executive Assistant to CEO, Nor-Lea Hospital District

Nominated by David Shaw | Chief Executive Officer, Administrator
I am nominating Olivia Camp for the value of Accountability due to her extraordinary efforts to support Nor-Lea’s efforts to recruit providers. She is required to book travel and develop a standard itinerary with the events that will take place on the visit. In addition to her requirements, she has done extraordinary things to ensure a good visit and to set us up for success in our interviews. On top of these requirements, these are the actions that Olivia has added to best accommodate each candidate as well as introduce the culture of Nor-Lea:
-  She asks for their favorite snacks/drinks. This is to add their favorite snacks to their gift bag for them to receive upon arrival.
- She asks for their dietary restrictions so that their interview lunch accommodates their dietary preferences, and we avoid embarrassment when a interviewee is vegetarian.
- A gift bag is made and delivered to their hotel room before their arrival. This includes a binder with Nor-Lea provider information, a couple gifts, and their favorite snacks. The gift bag also has a printed-out itinerary for them to review before their interview begins the next morning. This has been mentioned by many interviewees as a delight and gives them a view into our culture. Below are some examples where Olivia has gone above and beyond for individual candidates to elevate special circumstances or issues with travel for candidates.   

Candidate #1:
A few days before her arrival time, she emailed Olivia with concerns about weather affecting her flight and requested changes be made to her travels because of this. She also requested for her travels to accommodate her sister’s travels to Lovington. She wanted her flight to land around the same time as her sister’s. She also asked to add her sister’s name to her hotel room. She also requested that a checked bag be purchased for her flight. All these requests were met and added to her travels.

Candidate #2:
There were no cars available at the time of the candidate’s arrival at 1:30 PM. Because of this, arrangements were made for Nor-Lea’s shuttle service to pick him up and deliver him to his hotel. Once the car rental company had a vehicle ready, Olivia’s husband drove her to Hobbs to pick up his rental vehicle and drive it back to the candidate. The keys were delivered to his hotel room around 9 PM and she stayed and talked with him for about 15-20 minutes.

Candidate #3:
Hotel accommodations were made for candidate in Hobbs and a suite with a pull-out couch was reserved for her and her family. Instead of a gift bag, Olivia made a gift basket and shopped for her family’s favorite snacks. In the basket, gifts were also included for her children. Tickets to The Core were also provided, as well as a printout with instructions on how to access The Core. When delivering their gift basket to their hotel in Hobbs, the hotel informed Olivia that their suite would not be available for them. Olivia stayed and pressed them until she spoke with their hotel manager and was able to get them the room that was promised.

Candidate #4:
I was unavailable to take Deborah and her husband to the elementary school for a tour, so Olivia took them and completed the hand off for the tour.  

Candidate #5:
Paula flew in from Switzerland for her interview. International travel accommodations were researched and coordinated for her. Once she arrived in the States, she was on her last layover in Denver. The flight was continually being delayed and eventually cancelled. She called Olivia and was upset because her flight was cancelled, and she was extremely tired from the almost 20 hours of traveling she had done that day. Olivia quickly set up hotel reservations for her in Denver and found a shuttle for her to get there. Olivia called her and explained how to find the shuttle in the airport because she was lost in the airport. After she arrived at her hotel, Olivia came up to the hospital and changed all her Lovington reservations to the next day when she would arrive. Olivia also rearranged her itinerary and informed all the necessary people of the changes. Overall, it took about three hours of work in the evening to rearrange, reschedule, and redo her travels.

Candidate #6:
Candidate’s travels were changed to arrive to Lubbock, either by request or because of travel issues. His travels were completely rebooked and sent over to him. The Nor-Lea shuttle service picked him up in Lubbock and brought him to the hospital. Olivia waited at the rental company for about an hour and picked up his rental car and delivered it to the hospital for after his interview.  

Candidate #7:
Olivia reached out to candidate in August to coordinate her travels to Lovington for her interview. Her first request was to change her interview date. Her second request was to drive her own vehicle, and she asked to be reimbursed gas and milage, but gave two different locations that she would be driving from. These locations were ten hours apart. I asked her for the address she would be driving from, and the address provided was a highway on the mountains. It was not a real address. She then called me and asked what “cheap” restaurants there were in Lovington and informed me that she “didn’t get paid well” at her current job. So Olivia informed her of the restaurants in Lovington that she could go to. Olivia booked her a hotel room and sent her the confirmations. While I was out of town, I received another email from her requesting to pay for her service dog fee that the hotel would charge. Mr. Shaw then instructed me to cancel the interview.

Candidate #8:
The candidate flew in on Labor Day so there was no car rental companies open in Hobbs when he arrived. Because of this, Olivia scheduled transportation for him through a vendor in Hobbs. He messaged Olivia on Labor Day and let me know that he changed his flights, when it wasn’t necessary. Because he changed his flight, it caused him to arrive to Hobbs later than planned and Olivia had to rearrange his transportation reservation. The next morning, Olivia waited a while at the rental company and picked up his vehicle and delivered it to him in Lovington.

Candidate #9:
Candidate’s flight was scheduled to land in Hobbs the night before her interview. She missed her flight and took a private flight with someone she met at the airport and that person drove her from Albuquerque to Lovington. Because she didn’t land in Hobbs, she did not pick up her rental car. Olivia picked up her rental car for her and waited about an hour for it to be ready. After her car was dropped off at her hotel, I picked her up at the hotel and drove Olivia to my car at the hospital.