ALTON – Although Alton Memorial Hospital was unable to hold its annual Employee Awards Banquet in 2020, the hospital was still able to honor several of its top staff members during the recent Hospital Week.
Meredith Parker, manager of Clinical Services of the Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine, won the 2019 Leadership Award, as voted on by AMH senior leaders. The Leadership Award is given to a member of management who exemplifies AMH values and serves as a role model to his or her peers. Nominees must meet strict criteria, including accomplishing significant results for the organization, promoting continuous improvement and energizing others.
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“Meredith was the driving force in Alton Memorial being selected as a recipient of the Illinois Warm Hand Off Grant, one of only seven in the state,” said AMH President Dave Braasch. “Meredith has since developed the top Warm Hand Off program in the state. She and her team of Peer Recovery Specialists bring support, insight, encouragement and light to those people who need it most in a time of crisis.”
The Warm Hand Off program brings certified peer recovery specialists (CPRS) inside the hospitals, who then help shepherd those struggling with addictions into treatment programs before they can leave the building.
“Someone working with Meredith described her leadership as a tireless advocate for mental health and the well-being of others,” Braasch said. “In the words of Rosalynn Carter, ‘A leader takes people where they want to go, a great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to.’ That’s Meredith Parker.”
“I cannot tell you how proud and emotional I am to receive this honor,” Meredith said. “It is wonderful to be acknowledged for almost two years of hard work. Not only am I proud of being awarded the Warm Hand Off grant, but also the willingness of the AMH Emergency Department, led by Dr. Angela Holbrook and Lisa Jones from the AMH Family Care Pharmacy, to see the importance of this very special program and how it can positively impact this community. As of Sept. 25, 2020, the Warm Hand Off Program has seen 545 patients.
“The Warm Hand Off team, patient navigator and physician services coordinator have managed to become integral parts of the hospital staff. Each one of them brings something special to our team. They not only have their special skill sets that help connect with patients, but they also bring their personal stories of resilience and recovery. Each one of them reminds me each day why we do the work that we do.”
Renee Chartrand of the Nursing Float Pool won the 2019 Employee of the Year in a selection from the 12 Employees of the Month.
In nominating her for the award, her co-workers said that “Renee is an outstanding team player. She is always looking at the big picture as well as taking care of patients’ immediate needs. She goes above the call of duty by the compassion she shows on our unit when pulled to our floor. Renee will always put her patients first. She’s a great nurse and an even bigger asset to AMH.”
The Fall Team led by Lisa Blaes won the 2019 Virginia Ilch Excellence in Quality Team Award.
In 2017, the AMH Fall Team discovered a fall intervention program called T.I.P.S (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety). AMH implemented the T.I.P.S. sheet in February 2018. In the first year, AMH saw a 37 percent reduction in all inpatient falls and a 22 percent reduction in inpatient falls with injury. From 2016 through 2019, the hospital saw total inpatient falls reduced by 47 percent and inpatient falls with injury reduced by 56 percent.
Team members included Tammy Amizich, Mary Holmes, Jane King, Kaitlin Lodes, Joni McCormick, Lisa Pace, Jaci Sweetman and Anna Thuer
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