Volume 36
Transcription
Volume 36
A Gift to Serve I interviewed an executive for a position with us a few weeks ago. The position is important to how and how well we deliver our care, but is not directly involved with the care we deliver. I asked: "Why us? You have options. You could get a good job anywhere". The second sentence in her response was that she wanted to work with a Company that helped people. William A. Wright, our founder's father, passed away in April. He was 89 years old. Mr. Wright was a lot like so many we serve. He was born in Maryland in 1922. Like a lot of kids, "Bill" graduates from high school and begins college. A war breaks out - a world wide war waged on every continent but our own. Like so many others, Bill enlists. At the age of 21, five months after leaving home, Bill is flying B17s out of Plymouth, England, over targets in Germany and France. He is just a kid. Some would say, still almost a boy. Above is a photo of a 22 year old William Wright Jr., late father of Andrew Wright, founder of Addus HealthCare, Inc. He voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in December 1943 and flew B-17 Bombers in 32 missions over Germany during WWII. Pilots were only required to fly 25 missions, but he elected to remain for 7 more missions. He was awarded numerous medals for his distinguished service. other young men like him. Most did not come home. After the war, Bill returned home, like so many others, to pick up a life inMark Heaney terrupted. He marPresident & CEO ries his sweetheart, Geneva. He returns to school at night working during the day. He moves with his wife and two children to Dubuque where, 13 years after his starting, he finishes college. After college, Bill starts a business with a friend. The business is a good one and Bill leads a fulfilling life, like so many others, raising good children, volunteering in the community, getting in some fishing...working hard...making a contribution....citizens...building a nation. Like so many others. This is a newsletter for employees written by employees. Bill Wright was the father of our founder. You can understand if that makes him additionally special in our immediate world. But more than that, his passing affords us an important opportunity. It should serve to remind us of the sacrifices and contribuAt this time in the war over Europe, tions of the men and women we now bombers flew without fighter escort. serve. Contributions unselfishly and Crews were required to fly 25 missions. unknowingly offered, beginning in the These planes were basically flying gas cans loaded with bombs. Between enemy dawn of their youth, and continued through a lifetime of work and leadership fighters and ground fire, the odds of a and making. crew surviving their 25 missions were against them. Completing his 25 misThe privilege to come to know and to sions, but learning there are not enough serve this generation of greats is a conreplacement pilots, Bill volunteers and tinuation of their gift. Accept the gift as flies 7 more missions. thanks to them. Bill ended his time in the war training Let’s Look at Autonomy By Martha Holstein, Ph.D. We are very proud of the expansion and evolution of Addus’ Sales Force, and are excited about the opportunities they provide us. Throughout 2011, we invested in our sales structure with the additions of Brianne Zitko, Kevin Crawford who join Catharine Giles as Regional Sales Directors for the Midwest North, East and Midwest South regions, respectively. We also hired 10 new Account Executives: Mike Kallal, Tony Razik, Jon Stein, Cody Cetnarowski, Matt Fowler, Susan Gerding, Melissa Langdon, Steven Singh, Whitney Swift and Tiffinay Walker. With these additions, we now have 32 Account Executives, a number that will continue to grow throughout 2012. The commitment and determination of our sales team is Autonomy is generally upheld as the core value in home and community-based care and has become the hallmark of “personcentered care.” I am going to use my article this month to ask you to re-think the meaning of autonomy and then to ask you to consider the implications for practice of the meaning that I propose. Most commonly, our community-care programs define autonomy in this way—having clients make voluntary choices about services. We think in terms of self-direction and noninterference. We take autonomy as an end in itself. It is good because choice is good, and it moves our programs and services from the paternalism that once dominated them. This understanding of autonomy sees individuals as independent, looking out for their own interests. While clients can consider the social connections and relationships that often mean a great deal to them, we don’t usually ask how these relationships may be supported and protected. It doesn’t ask if independence, which our programs emphasize so much, is either unreachable or unappealing to our clients. What if the most important feature of their lives was their connectedness to others rather than their separation from them? What happens if this feature of our lives does not get the same respect that independence gets? Our programs also make other assumptions, for example, that everyone has an equal opportunity to be autonomous, unless there is a clear indication of cognitive impairment. It does not take into account how unequal power, past history, or frailty might undermine our ability to be fully autonomous, as the “independent man” image might suggest. evident in our improved results. Account Executive Starts of Care (SOCs) have steadily increased the last six months, with areas such as Chicagoland experiencing record highs. Our Account Executives live the Addus mission, vision and values. For them, selling our services is just as much about providing necessary care to those in need as it is about growing their books of business. Focusing on building our sales force is exciting because it means we are focusing on building our Company. Every new Account Executive we hire gets us closer to becoming the premier home care provider in the areas we serve. Never before has Addus been this focused, determined or wellpositioned to achieve growth. We are aiming higher, working harder and thinking bigger. To think about autonomy this way obliges anyone who provides care to give clients a menu of choices that professionals and policies define from which they can choose. In practice, it has meant informed consent, although the “informed” part is often neglected. It does not call upon us to do any more than that. What would happen, however, if we thought about autonomy differently? What if the purpose of autonomy was not simply self-direction but the preservation or re-creation of identity? What, for example, is important to our clients as they are now? For what do they feel responsible? We want to be our own person in spite of the losses that we may have experienced. (continued on next page) Volume 36 Newsletter Staff Editor: Becky Diacou Co-Editors: Paul Diamond, Andrea Darr Content: Darby Anderson, Becky Diacou, Paul Diamond, Mark Heaney, Martha Holstein, Julie Krizmanich, Wanda Kullas, Ryan Noth, Kerri Pendley, Tammy Spialek, Bev Strow, Joe Widmar We would like to hear news from our offices. If you have submissions for upcoming newsletters, please send to: bdiacou@addus.com What if the purpose of autonomy was to help our clients continue to “be themselves” as their physical and mental condition changes? What if the goal of autonomy in our community practices was human flourishing? Would we have new or different obligations to our clients? When we use the term “personcentered care”, what might it mean if we thought differently about the goal of autonomy? Let’s say that we wanted to assist our clients to live in ways that truly make their lives meaningful, might that require efforts to work toward changes in policy and practice that support By Kerri Pendley/Regional Director Adult Day Services What are Addus Evergreen Clubs? Addus Evergreen Clubs are adult day centers that provide social and health services in a community-based setting. The programs are utilized by adults 18 years of age and older who have physical or cognitive impairments and can benefit from supervised care in a safe place outside the home during the day. The programs also afford family caregivers respite from the demanding responsibilities of caregiving. What services are offered at the Evergreen Clubs? Therapeutic activities, including on-site physical, occupational and speech therapy Community outings Nursing services: medication administration, monthly vital signs, insulin monitoring/injections, basic wound care, nebulizer treatments, assistance for clients with feeding tube or colostomy Individual care planning Personal care assistance, including showers, and beautician/barber services Meals, including a light breakfast, catered lunch, afternoon snack Door-to-door transportation services Caregiver support groups Who can benefit from the Addus Evergreen Clubs? Anyone needing the social stimulation of a group setting, or anyone who requires health care supervision as a result of conditions such as: Alzheimer’s Autism Dementia Congestive Heart Failure COPD Developmental Disabilities Diabetes Mental Illness Multiple Sclerosis Parkinson’s Seizure Disorder Stroke Traumatic Brain Injury choices that enhance identity? The emphasis on independence may inadvertently separate them from these identity-confirming choices like asking for help when we need it. The critical question then for us is how this way of thinking about autonomy can and should influence the ways in which we personally and our public programs more broadly give care? This topic will be the subject of the next ethics article. In the meanwhile, I invite your thoughts. (Martha Holstein writes and trains for Addus on ethics.) What are the funding options for Addus Evergreen Clubs? Medicaid waiver Veterans administration Long term care insurance Private Pay When are the Addus Evergreen Clubs open? The centers are open Monday through Saturday and also offer holiday openings. Daily hours of operation vary center to center, but typically they are: Monday-Friday 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Where are the Addus Evergreen Clubs located? Addus currently operates five Evergreen Clubs in Illinois. Future plans for expansion into different states are being evaluated. Pictured are the Mt. Vernon, IL Addus Evergreen Club bus and drivers. Addus provides transportation service for seniors to and from their homes. Homewood, IL ADS celebrated “Community Appreciation Day.” The "Rich Township Seniors" a local senior singing group performed big band, swing music, and Barber Shop Quartet. from 32 referrals in 2010 and 21 referrals in 2009. Here is a breakdown of the referrals: In early February, the Home & Community Services Recruitment flier shown below was rolled-out to the branches to assist in the recruitment of Home Care Aides. This flier gives potential employees insight into Addus’ values, the importance we place on our employees, and reasons why people choose to work for Addus. We anticipate that this flier will be a valuable tool for recruiting top talent for the Addus team. It is available in English, Spanish and Russian! I am proud and excited to announce that our employee referral program, SHARE OUR PRIDE, was a smashing success last year! We had a total of 41 referrals for the year - a nice increase Registered Nurse Physical Therapist Occupational Therapist Speech Therapist Licensed Vocational Nurse Licensed Practical Nurse Medical Director Agency Director 24 5 4 2 1 1 1 3 Thanks to all the Agency Directors for promoting this program, and especially to all our employees who referred the new additions to the Addus team. Employees are the Company’s most important asset. As members of the Addus team, we take tremendous pride in providing our unique brand of home care and in doing even ordinary things extraordinarily well. Help us fill our current need for outstanding and committed nurses and therapists who share these values, and be rewarded for your efforts. Receive $1000 when you refer a nurse or therapist If the referred candidate is selected, the bonus will be paid in two installments: Half on the candidate’s start date Half on the candidate’s six month anniversary Contact your Agency/Branch Director For more information. Thank you for choosing to work at Addus. service – doing the right thing, the right way, consistent with our defined customer service principles and expectations. I think we would all agree that the key to success for any service organization is its ability to serve its customers well. Companies that pay close attention to service gain a competitive edge by doing a little more and a little better to make their customers feel important, special and valued. While several companies may offer the same services at comparable prices, it’s those that focus on both fundamental service principles as well ,as well as the “mint on the pillow” extras, that will ultimately win out. Service excellence and our transition to a service oriented culture are paramount to our success at Addus Healthcare, and primary components of our Addus Achieves vision. We recognize that consumers have many choices for home care and that we must distinguish ourselves from our competitors through the service we provide. We can and will be better than other home care companies, but doing so will require our commitment and focus, and our genuine desire to be the best and pursue excellence in everything we do. We will view service failures as an opportunity to learn and improve, and will develop practical, customized solutions to service delivery problems. We will recognize and reward great service, and celebrate our everyday heroes who exemplify our service principles and values in their daily work. Service excellence is about passion, energy, focus and commitment. It’s about doing things right and doing them well. It’s about keeping our promises, respecting and valuing our customers, and ex Through ongoing dialog and continu- ceeding their expectations. It’s about ous reinforcement, we will assimilate demonstrating pride in who we are and service excellence into our culture until it the services we provide, and our mission becomes part of us, permeating our think- to improve the health and well-being of ing and everything we do that affects our the consumers we serve. It’s how Addus customers’ experiences. Achieves. We will be energized, excited and engaged in our efforts to provide great Our journey in pursuit of service excellence will take us down a path of education, self-discovery, improvement and celebration. In monthly education sessions, our Agency Directors and administrative staff will review our service principles, along with the behaviors and expectations that drive them, and develop an understanding of what it takes to improve our service delivery systems. Wheaton, IL Home & Community Service Excellence meeting - seated left to right Julie Kalloway/Quality Assurance Coordinator, Gina Hernandez/Private Duty Coordinator, Kathy Burton, Agency Director/Wheaton, IL, Nina Mamalat/Service Coordinator, Darlene Whorline/ Service Coordinator, Shawn Harris/Care Manager, Ellen Ponall/Training Coordinator, Norma Suarez/Service Coordinator children, and to families with children placed in foster care to help promote family reunification. As a provider of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ (DCFS) Family Habilitation program, Addus Family Support Specialists work in the homes of DCFS families. Services focus on teaching improved skills to support the management of daily household tasks, including parenting, housekeeping, budgeting, meal planning, shopping, healthcare, hygiene and accessing community services. Services are provided to intact families (children not removed from their homes) to prevent placement of As a provider of the DCFS Visitation program, Addus employees provide transportation and supervised visitation between children who have been placed in foster care and their parents and/or siblings. The Charleston, IL branch collected clothing, personal hygiene items and toys for 115 children. They were distributed to low income DCFS families we serve. The children ranged in age from infants to 18 yrs old. Left to right is Bev Strow, Laura Smyser, Nathan Patrick, and Kristan Williams On February 29, an EF4 tornado tore through the town of Harrisburg, Ill., devastating buildings and taking seven lives. Hitting just 25 miles from Addus HealthCare branches of Marion Illinois Home Health, Home & Community Services and Adult Day Services, it affected 35 clients, who are all safe and accounted for. Kim Evans, Agency Director-Marion Home & Community Branch, checked on Addus’ high-risk clients and people at emergency shelters. Three clients’ homes sustained significant damage, but no one was injured. Two of the three were taken care of by their families while the third was assisted by EMS personnel and evacuated to an emergency shelter. to 170 mph, destroyed a strip mall as well as several homes in an adjacent subdivision and low-income housing complex. The hospital sustained significant damage and was deemed unsafe, transferring all patients to other area hospitals. The Golden Circle Adult Day Center and meal site also were leveled. One Home Health employee’s home was damaged by the storm, but no injuries were incurred. Addus HealthCare collected money to help with the disaster recovery, handdelivering a check for more than The tornado, which was 200 yards wide with winds up $1,600 to the Harrisburg Relief Fund at City Hall. Did you know that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of nearcrashes involve some form of driver distraction three seconds before the event? Using a cell phone is the most common distraction, followed by looking at external objects, reading, applying makeup and dialing a hand-held device. Accidents are costly to both employees and the Company, and typically result in lost time from work due to injuries; damage to the vehicles and/or property involved; and potential third party liability if another person is injured in the accident. Obviously, we want our employees to drive cautiously to avoid these events. Distractions reduce a driver’s reaction time to traffic signals, stop signs and slowing vehicles. Additionally, they impair judgment and prevent the driver from maintaining adequate following distances. Research shows that distracted drivers also tend to take curves at higher speeds, reduce their mirror usage and ineffectively manage their speed, oftentimes fluctuating between speeds that are too fast and too slow. It is important to adhere to the following safety guidelines when driving for Addus: Always wear your seatbelt when driving and insist your passengers do the same. Adjust your mirrors so that you can effectively see cars to the back and side of you. Plan out your route before you leave so you know where you are going. If using a GPS device, enter the address prior to leaving. Avoid distractions such as cell phone use (especially texting), eating, reading, changing radio stations, applying makeup, daydreaming or any other activity that causes you to take your hands off the steering wheel or your mind off driving. If you must use your cell phone while you are alone in the car, you are required to use a hands-free device. If you are transporting a client, cell phone usage is prohibited. Don’t just focus on the area right in front of you, look ahead for potential problems. Plan a way out that allows you enough time, space and visibility to stop or maneuver smoothly. When stopped in traffic, leave one car-length of space between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Count to three after the light turns green before pressing the pedal. Maintain a safe following distance. Never tailgate another vehicle. Give yourself enough time to get to your destination. Buckle up, be safe and enjoy the ride! The newest additions to the Support Center are the Telephony Scheduling Specialists, a team created to make scheduling changes, maximize service to our clients, report changes in client condition and ensure employee safety. Since the team has been in place, we’ve improved our customer service and response time, and have simplified the payroll process. The Specialists monitor real-time information from the GPS devices to create positive outcomes for the more than 1,200 clients and employees in our Illinois locations of Wheaton, Joliet, Kankakee, Chicago, Hillside, Niles, South Cook and Greenville, N.C. As we move forward with the Telephony rollout, we plan to provide all branches with Scheduling Specialists. Scheduling Specialists are pictured on the right. Please join me in welcoming them to Addus! Pictured standing from left to right are Sandra Kester, Hector Chavelas, Dana Krystal, Davena Moore, Viktoria Leschiner, Jessica Cuevas, Kathie Barthelemy, and Gary Redisi. Sitting are Israel Lope, Deborah Barton, and Denise DiazdeLeon. In the context of our industry and the economy in general, we had a positive year in 2011. Some of the highlights include: Serving more clients today than a year ago Clients choosing Addus to provide their personal care and other in-home care services increased again in 2011. This remains the best validation of the services we provide every day for clients and their families. Thanks to all the HCAs and PCAs for delivering care with kindness and compassion, for ensuring our clients’ satisfaction. Thanks to all the Service Coordinators and Supervisors who supported our caregivers every step of the way. A great team effort will make for an even better 2012. Maintaining high scores on client satisfaction Surveys Ninety-three percent of survey respondents scored our services as good or excellent. These results are consistent with surveys in years past, and are important barometers of our service quality, particularly as our branches grow. Our customer service improvements in 2012 will undoubtedly have a positive impact on these scores as well. Hiring new and highly effective leaders at many branches Some of the new faces to Addus include: Tulia Amison/ Agency Director Birmingham, AL; Jackie Tillery/Agency Director Montgomery, AL; Justin Colley/Agency Director Atlanta, GA., (NEW LOCATION); Linda Giorella/State Director New Jersey; Arnold Zimmermann/Agency Director Philadelphia, PA; Dawn Menya/Agency Director Central PA.; Mikilyn Schutt/Program Director Adult Day Center, Mt. Vernon, IL; Mary Jennings/Program Director Adult Day Center, Springfield, IL; Kim Steindl/Agency Director Springfield, IL; Cortland Young/Agency Director Indiana; Jason O'Higgins/Regional Director Business Development - Midwest North; Mark Robinson/Regional Director Business Development - Northwest; LaShanda Fowler-Nukunya/Agency Director Seattle, WA Making significant progress in the telephony rollout In addition to branches in Joliet, IL., Washington State and Riverside, CA, the Chicagoland area offices (South Cook, Wheaton, Gurnee, Hillside, Chicago and Niles) are all now fully implemented on this technology. This exciting project will continue to improve and advance in 2012. Defeating significant budget cuts to in-home programs in the state of Washington A great team effort among Addus, SEIU 775 and many of our competitors led to a defeat of the Governor’s proposal to cut our reimbursement by $1 per hour, thanks to an effective advocacy effort. To all of our Home Care Aides, Service Coordinators, Agency Directors and other team members across 19 states, thanks for all you do in serving our clients and their families, and for choosing to work at Addus HealthCare. Director. Betty is one of the original employees hired here more than eight years ago, and she has been an exemplary employee since the first day. She is friendly, dresses professionally, often brings food into the Angeline Jackson, Service Coordinator, office and has become the “House Charleston, S.C. #2710 Nominated by Dana Horton, RN, Charleston, Mother.” Straightforward and insistent that things be clean and orderly, Betty does not S.C. Angeline has many titles: CarePro wait to be told what to do; she gets to work Cheerleader, CarePro Prayer Warrior, CarePro Super Glue, CarePro Champion and now and is highly productive. When given a new client, she displays excellent customer service CarePro Employee of the Month. She enskills, calling to introduce herself and consures that her clients have everything they firming her scheduled time and the client’s need with the utmost professionaladdress. Once, she had a longtime client ism. Angeline thoroughly communicates CarePro’s services and exhaustively searches who no longer wished to live. Though scared, she supported him and transitioned for cost-effective ways to get our name out to the public. She is a wonderful example of him to assisted living and hospice. She even spent her personal time at his bedside. It’s the Face of CarePro. another example of her commitment and pride in care. Betty is our office’s best asset. Melvin Jones, Home Care Aide, Decatur Home & Community #3740 Nominated by Nora Watters Lorraine Trujillo, Staffing & Rose Knapp, Service CoorCoordinator, Espanola, dinators N.M. #7350 For the past five years, Melvin Nominated by Teresa has cared for a married couValdez, Agency Director. ple with endearing dedicaLorraine is one of a kind, tion. When the wife had a dialysis appointalways striving to do her ment scheduled at 5:30 a.m., Melvin would best at everything. She is arrive at 4 a.m. to bathe, dress and feed her well-respected by her before leaving. Since she passed away, peers, referral sources and community. Melvin has been the husband’s main supLorraine meets all deadlines, helps her coport, keeping him focused on positive workers and pays extra attention to client things. The family expressed their appreciascheduling, even if it means working late. tion for Melvin in a letter that has been framed for him: “A special thanks to Melvin She has achieved the highest percentage of client coverage on average than the rest of Jones, our exceptional friend....loving and her peers this year. She is appreciated for her caring friend…humorous personality…We willingness to learn new things and take on were blessed to have Melvin come into our a challenge. Lorraine practices Addus Healthlives.” Care’s beliefs and values every day. Virginia Mercure, Home Care Aide, Espanola Elizabeth (Liz) Paxton, Home & Community #7350 Home Care Aide, Quincy, Nominated by Olivia Cordova, Staffing CoorIll. #3390 dinator. As of December, Virginia has been Nominated by Nancy Brinkemployed with Addus for 20 years. In that man, Agency Director. Liz time, she has been committed to her asmakes a real difference in signed clients, even while holding a full-time her clients’ lives. One client evening job. Virginia ensures the personal she cares for three days a care, nutritional needs and safety of her cliweek suffers from clinical ents. She never allows doctor’s appointdepression, but Liz’s happiments to be missed and always ensures cliness lifts her client’s spirit. ents get their prescriptions and necessary Because she takes time to chat between household items. Visiting them and calling cleaning rooms, the client feels Liz really them if they are alone, Virginia makes her clients feel loved, cared for, comfortable and cares about her. The client told her psychiatrist how important Liz was to her and says safe in their homes. she is like her sister. Not only does Liz make the apartment sparkle, she makes a real difBetty Lopez, Homemaker, Albuquerque ference in that client’s life. Home & Community #7360 Nominated by Stephenye Avery, Agency Alice Busch, Home Care Aide, Moline, Ill. #3340 Nominated by Mary L. Whitmarsh, Coordinator Payroll & Billing. Alice is a caring employee. Her client was going to have a medical procedure, and Alice knew the client would have difficulty taking the test and following instructions. On her own time, Alice went to the client’s doctor’s office to get all the instructions for the test preparation. She requested Respite Time so she could stay with the client and make sure that she followed all the directions. After the test, she took her home and made her lunch. Alice shows this kind of care for all of her clients. Erin Emery, Home Care Aide, Marion (Anna), Ill. #3180 Nominated by Ethan Parks, Scheduling Coordinator. Erin is hardworking and professional. As a Family Caregiver, she was contacted to help the Supervisor service a highrisk client, short term. Erin gladly assisted, making sure that her other clients were covered. Since then, she has continued to go out of her way to care for her clients, doing more than is required and expected of her, whether it be driving extreme distances or substituting a client on her day off. She makes sure that everyone she services has what they need. Erin is a great asset to this company. Allison Berman, Executive Assistant, Support Center #950 Nominated by Francine Winters, Director Financial Systems & Compliance The rollout of the Telephony application requires a tremendous volume of documentation, including thousands of letters to both employees and clients. The existing method involved a multistep process that was laborintensive. Allison revised the process to utilize mail merge functions in Excel to print names and addresses directly on the letters, which were then folded and stuffed into window envelopes. Her insight eliminated several steps, cutting costs and saving time. She also revised the process for creating the IVR Training cards, using the same system to print the cards directly so they no longer need to be handwritten. Awesome job, Allison! Celia Estep, Home Care Aide, Albuquerque, N.M. #7360 Nominated by Stephenye Avery, Agency Director. Celia has been a rock star since day one. The Adult Protective Service contract clientele can be difficult to serve, but Celia has done an outstanding job “deep cleaning” to get this contract back to baseline. Not only does she make things sparkle, but she ensures that our clients are never embarrassed or ashamed of their situation. One time she sent in a picture of a toilet she had cleaned, and the difference was amazing. She takes great pride in her work, and it shows with all the compliments from clients, some of whom wouldn’t allow any other caregiver in their home. We are so lucky to have her! Leonard Piotrzkowski, Licensed Vocational Nurse, Modesto, Calif. #7620 Nominated by Tara Rhyner, Office Support Staff. Leonard is always willing to go above and beyond what is asked of him to make sure patients get seen. He is flexible with his schedule, especially lastminute lab draws on patients, and always follows up with scheduling and case managers so they are aware of the patient’s status. Thanks, Leonard, for all your hard work. Marie Elaine Bottomley, Home Care Aide, Vancouver, Wash. #6120 Nominated by Tess Cannon, Agency Director. Elaine is a dedicated employee of Addus HealthCare. She is courteous, caring and professional – a true team player. Elaine provides optimal caregiving services to our clients. She is an asset to Addus, and we are fortunate to have her on our team. Thank you, Elaine, we appreciate all you do. Vernicka “Nikki” Carter, RN Case Manager, Wilmington, Del. #1050 Nominated by Candy Cain, RN, Agency Director. Nikki has been an excellent representative of the values and mission of Addus HealthCare. She strives to go above and beyond for all of her patients and, on several occasions, has gone out of her way to assist with after-hour admissions, visits and adjusting client schedules. This is no small accomplishment, especially since Nikki’s mother was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and Nikki has continued to see her clients and keep up with paperwork. She always has a smile on her face and clients have nothing but nice things to say about the care she provides. We are all very proud of Nikki and feel that she is a wonderful asset to our office. Mentor for new aides as part of our new Mentorship Program. Because of these things, the Philadelphia branch has nominated Diane for Direct Care Worker of the Year. Marilyn Yazzie, Service Coordinator, Albuquerque, N.M. #7360 Nominated by Stephenye Avery, Agency Director. Marilyn is a one-of-a-kind employee who always has a smile on her face. She is typically Kizzy Zanders & Keith Whitfield, Home Care the first to get to the phone and answers it Aides, Chicago, Ill. #3240 with a pleasant greeting, attending to the Nominated by Mark Miller, CellTrak Device needs of each client/employee. She takes reCommunications Manager. During the roll sponsibility for each call, whether it’s her cliout of the Telephony program for our Chicago ent/employee or someone else’s, and she locations, Kizzy and Keith acted as Addus communicates clearly and accurately with the cheerleaders. Kizzy assisted with both the office staff to resolve issues. Marilyn keeps a Western Ave. and Downtown locations, tak- positive, can-do attitude when left to run the ing her role seriously by assisting and training office alone. Caregivers feel appreciated and the aides personally, as well as acting as a supported. Clients feel respected and their supervisor when the crowds got unruly. Keith needs attended to. Marilyn is a team player, also showed extraordinary training skills, seek- the face of Addus and a great representative ing out the aides who were having the most of our company. difficulty with the device and walking them through step by step until they got it. His exNoreen Byrne, Physical Therapist, Chicago, Ill. cellent manner of teaching helped him guide #4241 at least two aides who would not have been Nominated by John M. Dicapo, DPT able to handle it without him. Both Kizzy and Noreen joined Addus in October 2011 and Keith deserve special mention as they defibecame a great addition to our team in less nitely went “Above and Beyond.” than a month. She is the therapist I would want my own mother to see. Her patient care is second to none, and we have received referDiane McCauley, Home rals for six new patients because of the posiCare Aide, Philadelphia, tive therapy experience patients have had with Pa. #2010 her. She always goes the extra mile for her Nominated by Jennifer patients and for Addus. Noreen led a fall preTreichler, Assistant vention screening at a new facility that Addus Agency Director. Diane, is providing for residents, from which we rean employee since 1989, ceived three compliments on her thoroughis reliable in every way: ness. Noreen is the go-to therapist for patients she’s on time, stays for who have special therapy needs, and she alher full shift, has impecca- ways impresses those she serves. ble attendance and provides excellent care. On days requested off, she ensures coverage for Sally Sutherland, CNA/Family her clients. Beyond that, Diane shows great Services Specialist, Coeur compassion for her clients and develops posid’Alene, Idaho #6320 Nomitive, nurturing relationships with them and nated by Kelly Marang/ their families. She is diligent about observing Veronica Wuolle, Agency changes in her clients and their surroundings, Director/Family Services notifying the client’s family and Addus staff of Manager anything different. Diane showed great comIn June, we were awarded mitment to her clients during Hurricane the contract for the Children Irene. Knowing one of her clients did not have and Family Services Program from the Departfamily nearby during the storm, Diane secured ment of Health and Welfare. In this program, permission to stay at the client’s house overwe monitor visitations between parents and night. She made sure the client had food and children who have been removed from their emergency provisions and, most important, home as well as provide parent-coaching sercompanionship and a sense of security. Diane vices and transportation. It requires the “Best is an active participant at our quarterly inof the Best Caregivers,” as they need to be service trainings. She was designated Emextremely professional, yet kind, caring and ployee of the Month and was selected to be a open-minded. Sally has proven herself to be for their quality home care provided for my mother, I would like to send my most heartfelt recognition to Cathy Moulton. She has been my mother’s longtime caregiver. Her skills and abilities make it possible for my mother to live in her home, where she feels most comfortable and secure. Cathy’s personal care and companionship makes it possible for her to maintain a full and active life outside as well as inside the home. Her care allows my mother to do what she enjoys most, which includes stepping out each day Char Spoon and Pam Bennett, Service Coor- to dine with friends and family, shopping, dinators, Carlinville, Ill. #3720 Nominated by participating in club activities, attending Greg Heck, Regional Director Southern Illimeetings and going for drives in the area. nois. Sharon McBride, Home Services Coun- Cathy seeks to please my mother and anticiselor of the Illinois Department of Human pates her needs and wants, and I am Services praised the outstanding services touched by her thoughtfulness. Last July, my given by Char and Pam in a letter. They had mother reached a milestone, celebrating initiated immediate services to assist a client her 90th birthday with friends and famwith daily living activities and intensive ily. The efforts of the Lewiston office and house cleaning. She was living in deplorable Cathy Moulton makes the past three conditions, facing eviction after failing the years a happy and special time and each Macoupin County Housing apartment inday a blessing. Thank you.” spection. After Addus provided services, the client’s next inspection by the County reJerrie Norton, LVN, Redding #7681 ceived high praises for the apartment’s imNominated by Marie Guthrie, RN, proved condition. Both Char and Pam made Agency Director. Jerrie has been with this stunning change in the apartment in Addus for more than eight years and one month. Appreciative of their outcould be nominated for this accomplishstanding services, Macoupin County Housment every month! She is incredibly ing wants to showcase the apartment to gifted, skilled in all clinical areas, reliable federal HUD representatives. Char and Pam and highly utilized by the case-managing practiced and demonstrated what “Addus nurses in dealing with complex paCAN Achieve”! tients. During December, Jerrie took on a high number of clients daily, including weekends and holidays, to allow our casemanaging nurses time off with their families. She agreed to go to all outlying areas Mark Coyle, Network and work many long days (sometimes into Administrator, Support Center, Palatine, Ill. #956 the evening hours) and was available to pick up unanticipated visits. Even with all those Nominated by Lucas long hours, she maintained excellent docuHannibal, Senior Finanmentation and timely submission. Above all, cial Analyst. Mark has Jerrie is always smiling and cheerful, and definitely earned recognever complains or belittles. She is well nition for his diligence worth the acclaim of one of Addus’ finwatching company est. The managers and clinicians of Addus’ costs, cell phones and Northern California triplets (Chico, Red Bluff wireless internet connections for our emand Redding) recognize Jerrie for her comployees. Because of his cost-control measures, Mark has made an unbelievable differ- mitment to the nursing profession, her clients and all of her coence to the company’s bottom line. In one workers. month, he shaved $7,000 off our Verizon bill. Over a year, this will save us approxiAngela Kilgore, Quality mately $84,000. Way to go, Mark! That’s Assurance Supervisor/ big! Float, Moline #3340 Nominated by Susan Cathy Moulton, Home Care Thompson, Agency DirecAide, Lewiston, Idaho #6330 tor. Angela is a longstandNominated by Client’s ing employee with Addus, Daughter. An excerpt from a serving as a QA Supervisor Lewiston client’s letter: “Although I express my grati- as well as a Float, in which she has a regular tude and appreciation to the schedule. She covers all call-offs for two counties, which can require her to drive entire Lewiston office staff one of the best caregivers, not only to Addus, but also to the Department of Health and Welfare. She has impressed more than just one Case Manager and is now being requested by Case Managers out of her area even though they have not met her. Her reputation has grown because of the superb job she has done with other families. Sally has represented herself and Addus well in a difficult program. Kudos, Sally! more than an hour to cover a client. She is available seven days a week and is willing to work any hour of the day. As a Supervisor, Angela is the go-to person. Sometimes her schedule may change two or three times a day, and she does not complain. She is a hard worker and very thorough. The only problem we have is that once a client has Angela for services, they do not want anyone else! Thank you, Angela, for doing a great job. Congratulations to Ryan Thompson, son Nic Scheibel/ Program Director Adult Day Services, Alton, IL was a lucky guy on February 4th when Keri said, “I Do.” We wish them many years of love and happiness together. of Susan Thompson/Agency DirectorHome & Community Services, Moline, IL for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boys Scouts of America on November 3, 2011. Only 5% of all Boy Scouts achieve this rank. It takes a lot of work and dedication and Ryan is showing he has the right stuff! While sight-seeing in Washington DC, Niko Diacou, grandson of Becky Diacou/ Director Administrative Services.- Support Center, exclaimed, “I want to live there, mommy and daddy.”Who knows it might be his future residence. Only Grandma knows! The Decatur, IL branch #4270 hosted a PotLuck Holiday Meal for the staff and Home Services Clients. It was a huge success and everyone enjoyed the food and visiting with the clients. For the clients who could not attend, the staff made to-go meals and delivered them. Awesome way to share the Holidays! Christine Alcorn/Agency Director- Home & Community Services, Joliet, IL is the proud owner of “Rumer” a Rottweiler mix that is her youngest Rescue Dog. Christine has been training Rumer since she was 6 months old to become a certified Rescue Dog with TDI Victoria Gonzalez/Reimbursement(Therapy Dogs International, a volunteer organization Support Center was thoroughly surdedicated to regulating, testing and registering therprised when her fiancé, Louis Ruiz, apy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose proposed on her last birthday. She was of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, schools, libraries, speechless???? Anyone who knows and other institutions. Therapy Dogs provide comfort, Victoria knows she always has somehappiness, and overall well-being as well as reduced stress.) Rumer will be devotthing to say! Best wishes for a happy ing the rest of her life to helping people. life together! August 2011 5 Years Woolstenhulme, E. May 2011 5 Years Akers, Gay F Andrews, Debbie Armstrong, Shaune Bim, Irina Bowman, Kimberly A Boyd, Tiesha M Bratti, Gloria L Bridges, Modesty Britton, Deborah Campanella, Dodie Carver, Heather L Clark, Djaris L Collins, Louise M Cortez, Emma Day, Lurleen A Dotson, Deline R Dugar, Michele R Dzivoronyuk, Galyna Ellis, Kelly J Ervin, Marcia J Ford, Ellen L Foster, Sudie Galicia, Yolanda Gallegos, Blanca Gneva Brown, Kay L Grodskaya, Svetlana Hawkins, Jacqueline Higgins, Holly D Holloman, Elinor L Inselman, Scharron L Irons, Angela R Jackson, Ada M Johnson, Johraidys Kemp, Mattie Kwasniewski, Annette Ledbetter, Helen P Mathis, Twyla B Mitchell, Kelvin R Newsom, Darci E Pendergrass, Mia S Popovich, Tatyana Prokhorenko, Khrystyna Prothro, Eric Quintal, Nicole Sangalang, Bonnie J Scott, Donna L Sutfin, Shirley M Swarn, Patricia Taylor, Annette Torres, Gregoria P Valdera, Herna Webb, Glynis Westfield, Patricia Williams, Mary A Williams, Melazina Williams, Startrecey D 10 Years Alexander, 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