Certified Nursing Assistant Names St. Barnabas' Employee of the Year
Gibsonia, Pa. - Jan. 30, 2007 - Lois "Fay" Young, a certified nursing assistant at St. Barnabas Nursing Home, has been named St. Barnabas Health System's 2006 Hoppy Award Winner. Young was nominated by her co-workers and selected for the honor, which is St. Barnabas' equivalent of an Employee of the Year, from among nearly 600 employees. She was presented with the award on Jan. 25 during the Health System's annual Employee Recognition Event by William V. Day, the president of St. Barnabas Health System.
Young has worked as a certified nursing assistant at St. Barnabas Nursing Home since 1985. In presenting the award, Day noted Young's positive attitude, her willingness to take on any task, and her commitment to her patients and their families. Certified nursing assistants are at the heart of patient care, assisting residents with activities of daily living, including grooming, toileting, bathing, dressing and transferring. CNAs also often form close emotional bonds with their patients and families, and Young is a prime example of that.
Young resides in Avonmore with her husband and their two sons. She says she was surprised to receive the award and noted that she nearly didn't attend the Employee Recognition Event because of the snowy weather. She said she relates well to patients and their families because she cared for her ill parents.
Young is the 23rd person to receive the Hoppy Award, which is inscribed with the words: "Recognized for outstanding loyalty and service to St. Barnabas Health System, fellow employees and the community." Day also gave Young a bouquet of roses. The Hoppy Award is named for the late Ralph L. Blessley (1918-1984), a 19-year employee of St. Barnabas Nursing Home.
Blessley was a former patient of St. Barnabas who was affectionately known as "Hoppy" because a bone disease had left him with one leg shorter than the other, causing him to have an unusual gait. Going beyond his duties as a maintenance worker, Hoppy raised plants, built a greenhouse and made little tables for patients. He raised $2,300 for St. Barnabas' annual fund-raising event by selling items he made. During his 19 years of employment, he missed less than 10 days' work.
Also during the program, 56 employees were recognized for reaching longevity milestones of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service during 2006. Serving as mistresses of ceremonies was Joyce Kirkbride, the 2003 Hoppy Award winner and secretary
for the St. Barnabas Communities. Speakers were St. Barnabas Nursing Home employees and former Hoppy Award winners Karen Trapp, a registered nurse assessment coordinator, and Mabel Arlene Miller, a housekeeper; Steve Glenn, the 2005 Hoppy Award winner and the maintenance supervisor at Valencia Woods/The Arbors at St. Barnabas; and Janice McKinney, the 1991 Hoppy Award winner and the assistant director of housekeeping at St. Barnabas Nursing Home.
About St. Barnabas, St. Barnabas Health System is the largest health care concern of its kind in Pennsylvania and offers service apart from the ordinary in a faith-based, non-denominational setting. Tracing its heritage back to 1900, the system serves approximately 900 inpatients and residents, plus 35,000 outpatients and home care clients. The health system is composed of the
St. Barnabas Communities, including The Village at St. Barnabas, The Washington Place at St. Barnabas and The Woodlands at St. Barnabas; St. Barnabas Clinical Services, including St. Barnabas Nursing Home, St. Barnabas Medical Center, Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas and The Arbors at St. Barnabas; the Kean Theatre; and St. Barnabas Charities, the fund-raising arm.
Contact:
Kathleen Brenneman
(724) 444-5530
kbrenneman@stbarnabashealthsystem.com
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