Madi Shelton saw more than a patient with a blood clot in their lungs.
She saw a young parent who was a stroke survivor on a pureed diet who communicated by blinking their eyes and moving their head.
Shelton, senior healthcare tech in the Progressive Care Unit at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, worked with speech and language pathologist Brigitte Watters to advance the patient’s diet and secure an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device for the patient. All that was done even though the patient was being treated at Carle BroMenn for the blood clot, not for the symptoms of the stroke that occurred several months earlier.
“I saw a young person with children who had a normal life and then suffered a massive stroke and was now non-verbal but cognitively intact,” Shelton said. “We felt empathy and wanted to help restore some of their dignity.”
“At Carle Health, we treat the whole person,” Theresa Green, MSN, executive director of Carle Experience, said. “And we celebrate team members who recognize that the Carle Health commitment to service excellence starts with them.”
Through its Way to Be! program, Carle Health recognizes team members who demonstrate the healthcare system’s Values of Excellence, Integrity, Inclusivity, Compassion and Accountability, Each quarter, Carle Health honors Way to Be! winners who represent each Value, as well as Leader and Team winners, who embrace all the Values.
Shelton earned the latest quarterly Way to Be! award for Compassion.
Her story, and the experiences of all seven Carle Health quarterly Way to Be! winners, follow:
COMPASSION
Madi Shelton, senior healthcare tech in the Progressive Care Unit at Carle BroMenn
A patient was being treated at Carle BroMenn for a blood clot in their lungs but had a massive stroke several months before. She was on a pureed diet and communicated with blinks of her eyes and small movements of her head.
Shelton asked the patient if they wanted to advance their diet and the patient said yes. Shelton contacted Brigitte Watters, a speech and language pathologist, requesting a dysphagia consultation, even though it wasn’t required for this hospital stay.
A video swallow study was completed and the patient advanced to soft and bite-size foods. Watters also secured donation of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device for the patient. The patient was discharged to return to a skilled nursing facility with an improved diet and communication device.
“This kind of foresight, empathy and follow-through is exactly what makes Madi such an exceptional part of the care team,” Watters said.
TEAM
Carle BroMenn Mother Baby Unit
A Code Blue was called when a patient needed to be resuscitated in the Carle BroMenn Mother Baby Unit. Because of the team’s work, the mother was stabilized quickly and transferred to the intensive care unit.
“The entire time, they were thoughtful, collaborative, organized and just overall amazing,” Stephanie Fuller, supervisor for critical care services, nursing professional development and clinical education, said.
“We have a high-performing team,” Steph Kjeldgaard, clinical nurse manager of the Mother Baby Unit, said. “We practice all year long for obstetrical emergencies, so when it comes up for real, it reduces anxiety and ensures that the staff will perform.”
INCLUSIVITY
Jennifer Eller-Babcock, outpatient Transition to Practice program coach for the Greater Peoria Service Area
When you work for Carle Health, no one is invisible.
Jennifer Eller-Babcock noticed a patient in a wheelchair waiting alone in the corridor of the Carle Health Methodist Hospital Atrium as she was leaving for a lunch break. After lunch, she completed her rounds, then returned to the atrium and noticed the patient still waiting.
She asked the patient if there was anything she could do for him. He was waiting for a transportation service to return him to his long-term care facility, so Eller-Babcock bought the patient a sandwich and kept calling the facility and the transportation service until they picked up the patient.
“When you see something, do something,” she said. “Stand up for those who may not be able to do so for themselves.”
ACCOUNTABILITY
Genna Mensen, Certified Surgical First Assistant at Carle BroMenn
Mensen, Certified Surgical First Assistant at Carle BroMenn, makes sure that surgeons have the supplies and instrumentation needed for surgery and assists during and after procedures.
Recently, a patient who registered to be an organ donor died. The Operating Room staff needed to quickly get the patient on a heart-lung machine to get blood and oxygen circulating to organs throughout the body to keep them viable for donation.
The patient died as Mensen was completing her shift. But she stayed well beyond her scheduled time to get the patient on a heart-lung machine.
“We wanted to be able to harvest those organs to fulfill the patient’s wishes and to save lives,” she said. The patient donated a heart, a lung and two kidneys.
LEADER
Sonja Stalter, practice care manager for rural health clinics in Princeville, Chillicothe and Lacon
In rural health clinics, where patients may have fewer options for care and insurance coverage, Carle Health team members help patients make informed decisions.
Sonja Stalter, practice care manager for rural health clinics in Princeville, Chillicothe and Lacon, made sure a patient received care, then followed up and found out there was a delay in the claims process. She investigated, discovered who should be billed and the secondary insurer paid for the vaccine.
“The patient was happy to get this preventative vaccine” and that it was covered by insurance, Stalter said.
INTEGRITY
Takasha Norris, Certified Medical Assistant and Registered Medical Assistant with Convenient Care at Carle at The Riverfront
Norris, Certified Medical Assistant and Registered Medical Assistant (CMA/RMA) with Convenient Care at Carle at The Riverfront (CATR), has been leading in all the Carle Health Values as another CMA has been out for surgery.
An oversight that could impact patient care was discovered. Norris took responsibility, met with the patient and their family, corrected the error and took steps to make sure the same oversight didn’t happen again.
“That ultimately strengthened the patient’s rapport with Carle Health and reinforced our commitment to high ethical standards,” Shameika Dickerson, patient services representative at CATR, said.
“Takasha takes pride in the care she provides, and she is honest in her interactions with patients,” Ashley Lewis, BSN, RN, patient care manager at CATR, said.
EXCELLENCE
Amber Lipking, a buyer in the purchasing department
The purchasing department oversees purchasing systemwide for Carle Health.
Hannah Glass, pharmacy tech and administrative assistant in the inpatient pharmacy at Carle BroMenn, needed an item for pediatric crash carts and was having trouble ordering from the manufacturer.
She asked Amber Lipking, a buyer in the purchasing department, for assistance. Lipking not only helped Glass to place the order but followed up when the manufacturer sent a partial amount.
“It can seem like such a little thing but has a massive impact on patient care,” Glass said.
“In healthcare,” Lipking said, “no job is small.”
Join our team
Would you like to work for an organization that respects the whole person and commits to service excellence every day? If so, find it here.
She saw a young parent who was a stroke survivor on a pureed diet who communicated by blinking their eyes and moving their head.
Shelton, senior healthcare tech in the Progressive Care Unit at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, worked with speech and language pathologist Brigitte Watters to advance the patient’s diet and secure an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device for the patient. All that was done even though the patient was being treated at Carle BroMenn for the blood clot, not for the symptoms of the stroke that occurred several months earlier.
“I saw a young person with children who had a normal life and then suffered a massive stroke and was now non-verbal but cognitively intact,” Shelton said. “We felt empathy and wanted to help restore some of their dignity.”
“At Carle Health, we treat the whole person,” Theresa Green, MSN, executive director of Carle Experience, said. “And we celebrate team members who recognize that the Carle Health commitment to service excellence starts with them.”
Through its Way to Be! program, Carle Health recognizes team members who demonstrate the healthcare system’s Values of Excellence, Integrity, Inclusivity, Compassion and Accountability, Each quarter, Carle Health honors Way to Be! winners who represent each Value, as well as Leader and Team winners, who embrace all the Values.
Shelton earned the latest quarterly Way to Be! award for Compassion.
Her story, and the experiences of all seven Carle Health quarterly Way to Be! winners, follow:
COMPASSION
Madi Shelton, senior healthcare tech in the Progressive Care Unit at Carle BroMenn
A patient was being treated at Carle BroMenn for a blood clot in their lungs but had a massive stroke several months before. She was on a pureed diet and communicated with blinks of her eyes and small movements of her head.
Shelton asked the patient if they wanted to advance their diet and the patient said yes. Shelton contacted Brigitte Watters, a speech and language pathologist, requesting a dysphagia consultation, even though it wasn’t required for this hospital stay.
A video swallow study was completed and the patient advanced to soft and bite-size foods. Watters also secured donation of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device for the patient. The patient was discharged to return to a skilled nursing facility with an improved diet and communication device.
“This kind of foresight, empathy and follow-through is exactly what makes Madi such an exceptional part of the care team,” Watters said.
TEAM
Carle BroMenn Mother Baby Unit
A Code Blue was called when a patient needed to be resuscitated in the Carle BroMenn Mother Baby Unit. Because of the team’s work, the mother was stabilized quickly and transferred to the intensive care unit.
“The entire time, they were thoughtful, collaborative, organized and just overall amazing,” Stephanie Fuller, supervisor for critical care services, nursing professional development and clinical education, said.
“We have a high-performing team,” Steph Kjeldgaard, clinical nurse manager of the Mother Baby Unit, said. “We practice all year long for obstetrical emergencies, so when it comes up for real, it reduces anxiety and ensures that the staff will perform.”
INCLUSIVITY
Jennifer Eller-Babcock, outpatient Transition to Practice program coach for the Greater Peoria Service Area
When you work for Carle Health, no one is invisible.
Jennifer Eller-Babcock noticed a patient in a wheelchair waiting alone in the corridor of the Carle Health Methodist Hospital Atrium as she was leaving for a lunch break. After lunch, she completed her rounds, then returned to the atrium and noticed the patient still waiting.
She asked the patient if there was anything she could do for him. He was waiting for a transportation service to return him to his long-term care facility, so Eller-Babcock bought the patient a sandwich and kept calling the facility and the transportation service until they picked up the patient.
“When you see something, do something,” she said. “Stand up for those who may not be able to do so for themselves.”
ACCOUNTABILITY
Genna Mensen, Certified Surgical First Assistant at Carle BroMenn
Mensen, Certified Surgical First Assistant at Carle BroMenn, makes sure that surgeons have the supplies and instrumentation needed for surgery and assists during and after procedures.
Recently, a patient who registered to be an organ donor died. The Operating Room staff needed to quickly get the patient on a heart-lung machine to get blood and oxygen circulating to organs throughout the body to keep them viable for donation.
The patient died as Mensen was completing her shift. But she stayed well beyond her scheduled time to get the patient on a heart-lung machine.
“We wanted to be able to harvest those organs to fulfill the patient’s wishes and to save lives,” she said. The patient donated a heart, a lung and two kidneys.
LEADER
Sonja Stalter, practice care manager for rural health clinics in Princeville, Chillicothe and Lacon
In rural health clinics, where patients may have fewer options for care and insurance coverage, Carle Health team members help patients make informed decisions.
Sonja Stalter, practice care manager for rural health clinics in Princeville, Chillicothe and Lacon, made sure a patient received care, then followed up and found out there was a delay in the claims process. She investigated, discovered who should be billed and the secondary insurer paid for the vaccine.
“The patient was happy to get this preventative vaccine” and that it was covered by insurance, Stalter said.
INTEGRITY
Takasha Norris, Certified Medical Assistant and Registered Medical Assistant with Convenient Care at Carle at The Riverfront
Norris, Certified Medical Assistant and Registered Medical Assistant (CMA/RMA) with Convenient Care at Carle at The Riverfront (CATR), has been leading in all the Carle Health Values as another CMA has been out for surgery.
An oversight that could impact patient care was discovered. Norris took responsibility, met with the patient and their family, corrected the error and took steps to make sure the same oversight didn’t happen again.
“That ultimately strengthened the patient’s rapport with Carle Health and reinforced our commitment to high ethical standards,” Shameika Dickerson, patient services representative at CATR, said.
“Takasha takes pride in the care she provides, and she is honest in her interactions with patients,” Ashley Lewis, BSN, RN, patient care manager at CATR, said.
EXCELLENCE
Amber Lipking, a buyer in the purchasing department
The purchasing department oversees purchasing systemwide for Carle Health.
Hannah Glass, pharmacy tech and administrative assistant in the inpatient pharmacy at Carle BroMenn, needed an item for pediatric crash carts and was having trouble ordering from the manufacturer.
She asked Amber Lipking, a buyer in the purchasing department, for assistance. Lipking not only helped Glass to place the order but followed up when the manufacturer sent a partial amount.
“It can seem like such a little thing but has a massive impact on patient care,” Glass said.
“In healthcare,” Lipking said, “no job is small.”
Join our team
Would you like to work for an organization that respects the whole person and commits to service excellence every day? If so, find it here.
Categories: Culture of Quality
Tags: awards, BroMenn, convenient, Danville, donation, experience, health, Methodist, mother, operating, organ, pharmacy, progressive, purchasing, recognitions, rural, transition