Here are the finalists in the 2016 Health Care Heroes Health Care Professional category.
Honors any health care providers other than physicians or nurses whose performance is considered exemplary by patients, peers and other health care providers.
Deonta Clark
TITLE: Patient transport
ORGANIZATION: New Hanover Regional Medical Center
WHAT THE NOMINATOR SAID: “Deonta stands out above the average patient transporter.
He arrives to the unit with a smile on his face, greeting all the staff with smiles and sometimes hugs.
When working with patients, he keeps them laughing so that they are not focused on the reason they are in the hospital. On the night shift, we frequently admitted patients who were upset and angry about waiting so long to be assigned to a room.
Deonta always brought the patients to their room with a smile, words of apology and always asked if there was anything he could do to make them more comfortable.
He always offered to help me settle patients in their rooms and wished us a good shift as he left the unit.
He’s a hero because he’s one of the first faces of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to greet patients and family, and he always makes them feel like NHRMC is a place that cares and supports each and every patient, family and staff member.”
-Cecilia Lacy, former co-worker
Mary Rudyk
TITLE: Physician
ORGANIZATION: Senior Health Center
WHAT THE NOMINATOR SAID: “Dr. Rudyk is a phenomenal physician that has played a significant role in Wilmington’s health care community since 1994 ... Her practice, Senior Health Center, is well known throughout the community and she is one of the few primary care physicians that still round on their patients at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
She also served as the chairman for the Department of Geriatrics at NHRMC from 2004 to 2006 and currently serves as the vice president for the Department of Medicine at NHRMC.
She regularly provides education to the community by speaking at events and sharing her expertise in health care.
Dr. Rudyk serves as Liberty’s Medical Director for Hospice, Palliative Care, Liberty Commons Rehabilitation Center, the Commons at Brightmore and Bradley Creek Healthcare … She is always available for questions that our clinicians may have about patients and their health care needs. Once she meets a patient she rarely forgets them or their medical history. I have seen her sit down with nurses in a rehabilitation facility and spend time explaining a condition to them or how to properly care for a difficult patient.”
-Blaire Lampros, Liberty Healthcare Group
Kelly Wells
TITLE: Certified registered nurse anesthetist
ORGANIZATION: New Hanover Regional Medical Center
WHAT THE NOMINATOR SAID: “Kelly has spearheaded an initiative to improve recycling and reprocessing within both the operating rooms and hospital network.
What began as a one person’s grassroots effort has now evolved into a full ‘green team’ effort within multiple departments including facilities, materials management and purchasing. Initial projects have included the conversion of reusable sharps containers within the entire network, a formalized recycling program within the Cape Fear Orthopedic Operating Room, elimination of red bio-hazard liners within anesthesia kits and the conversion to reusable surgical instrument trays within the operating rooms.
Most health care institutions have full time staff identified as sustainability coordinators, yet Kelly has taken on a similar role with New Hanover with no added compensation or reduction in time to her clinical duties. Kelly has scheduled meetings and done research on weekends, days off and lunch breaks so as not to interfere with the excellent care she provides her patients.”
-Will Woodcock
