Find care now
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 or seek care at an emergency room.
(In the photo: Board member Leila Batties, left, who joined President John Sullivan, far right, congratulating SuperStars Idi Marah, Officer Derrick Anderson, Kenneth Moore, and Patti Peiera. Not pictured are Dwight Gholson, Liane Okada, and Officer Ben Dzkietey)
MedStar Washington Hospital Center has a long tradition of recognizing associates who take that extra step to care for our patients and for one another. We recently recognized several associates for their good work, and we want to share with our community and our entire MedStar family.
PATTI PEREIRA, Cardiovascular Lab Tech: Patti received more than one nomination for living our SPIRIT values. Her colleagues say she comes in on short notice on her day off when they are short-staffed. Physicians ask to work with her, especially in complex cases, and the nurses feel privileged when she is assigned to a case.
On one recent Friday, the lab had several call-ins. It was Patti's scheduled day off, but she was asked to come in and help for a few hours to help cover breaks. Without hesitation, Patti immediately jumped in, demonstrating Service, Teamwork, and Patient First values. She worked non-stop moving from one lab to the next, case to case, without taking a break. Because of her efforts, the lab completed all cases as scheduled, in a safe, patient-first manner. She truly is a SuperStar!
KENNETH MOORE, Materiel Management: Kenneth was nominated by one of our physicians. This doctor was by the elevators in the Physicians Office Building (POB) and noted that someone had spilled ice in front of the elevator doors. “I was trying to call housekeeping but could not find the number. I approached the first MWHC employee I saw and asked him if he knew the number. He told me the POB had its own housekeeping team,” the doctor wrote.
“When I explained the situation, Kenneth said he would take care of it. He had towels in his cart and mopped the floor and dried it. I thanked him and apologized for having recruited him.
“He smiled and told me he would not want anyone to fall. I wanted to commend Mr. Moore for his attitude and his dedication to our hospital.”
DWIGHT GHOLSON, Application Analyst, Information Systems: This nomination is a from patient care manager in our Endoscopy Department. She wrote: “We had an issue with a travel cart not downloading images after an emergent endoscopy case. I called our analyst, who was at an offsite meeting. He walked me through the steps to work with the online recovery specialist. He also called IS at the hospital and asked someone to meet me at the travel cart to facilitate any administrative changes. With his guidance, we recovered the file and it was determined the patient did not need to have a repeat procedure.
“The best part is that as I was finishing up with online tech support, Dwight walked on the unit. He had left his meeting early to help us. He really exemplified patient first.” And, teamwork!
LIANE OKADA, RN: This is a very special nomination that speaks to the importance of strong leadership and mentorship. Michael, a nurse on one of our units, writes: “When having to choose between offers from competitive hospitals like Johns Hopkins and INOVA Fairfax, Liane was the deciding factor for my decision for MWHC, because of her positive attitude, willingness to teach, and support those who want to learn.
“She put such patience, support, and effort put into me because she wants me to do well. I recall a recent situation when she was the charge nurse and resource nurse while having a patient and having me on her radar. She frequently followed up and helped me with my patients, had the unit flowing smoothly, and took admissions.
“She embodies the SPIRIT values and advocates for her patients. I have had my experiences working at another hospital and I can tell you this nurse is indispensable to MWHC.”
OFFICERS BEN DZIEKETEY and DERRICK ANDERSON: These two public safety officers are to be commended for their handling of a situation that that involved a patient who eloped from a unit and made her way to MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. These two officers caught up with the patient, sat on a bench with her and calmly talked with her, showing her photos and information on their cell phones to help calm her. After an hour sitting outside gaining her trust, they managed to safely to return her to her room.
IDI MARAH, Unit Clerk: During a recent night shift, the staff cared for a patient who was confused, sometimes combative, and an elopement risk. At one point, he had an episode of confusion and hostility. His nurse tried to bring him his medications, but the patient refused and started gathering his personal belongings to leave. Our unit clerk responded to the situation by going into the patient’s room, sitting down and using his language of caring to talk to the patient. After having the conversation, the patient calmed down and took his medication, and showed no further inclination to leave.
Idi put the patient first by going above and beyond his responsibilities to treat him with dignity and respect to diffuse the situation.
Thank you to all our MWHC SuperStars for your compassion, professionalism and patient-first behavior!
Know Someone Going Above and Beyond?
These are just some of the wonderful stories of our associates who are providing exemplary care to our patients. Do you have others to share? Email them to MWHC_Internal_Communications@MedStar.net.
