Making a Difference: July 2016 highlights

Employees across UMHS continue to make a difference through their hard work and dedication. Recognizing the contributions employees make to UMHS helps our team to become more motivated, drives better teamwork, and gives each individual a sense that they are an integral part of achieving our organizational goals.

You may not always realize the impact you make during each customer interaction (both internal and external), but it’s a vital part of the relationship-building process that the UMHS team uses to engage with patients and each other. Here are a few examples of team members who made a difference last month:

Staff to Staff

Charles Laprell, Custodian II, Environmental Services

Chuck worked for more than two hours recently to remove all of the adhesive left on the walls in the EEG/EMG lab after the old hand sanitizers were uninstalled. The continual presence of the adhesive left on our walls did not meet his custodial standards. He went above and beyond to solve this problem. Chuck repeatedly gives us great service. No one gives our area the level of care and attention that he does. He is an indispensable member of our team and contributes to the CNL lab’s success daily. We really appreciate his contribution!

Ann Vencil, Administrative Assistant, MCIT

Ann makes a difference all the time, using her long-term experience and knowledge to support staff hiring, onboarding, orientation and management. She also helps with contractor relationships, access to items such as SharePoint and the network, and other complicated situations. I can always count on Ann for enthusiastic responses that include history, background, constraints and risks. She is the main point of contact and support in a number of specialty areas. She constantly answers questions and is the “go-to” person for most of her colleagues on so many topics. Thank you, Ann!

Jody Fisher, Administrative Specialist, Internal Medicine – Rheumatology

Jody has taught me so much about the university’s mission, collegiality and supporting each other, negotiating at work and sharing knowledge. She has become my teacher in so many ways. She encourages me to expand my horizons (she supported my application to the IT Leadership Program), taught me about learning styles and flexibility and she continues to nudge me to strive to expand my role and take on more leadership responsibilities. I’m so lucky to know and learn from her. Having a manager who supports employee development is very important – thank you for everything, Jody!

Patient/Family Member to Staff

Amy Stodgell, RN, Nursing – 8B2 Medicine Acute Care Unit

Our dad was in Amy’s care during his 13-day stay in the department. Unable to speak due to a tracheotomy, communication was a challenge for both the attending staff and family. Following two subsequent surgeries, his condition worsened with no sign of improvement. Amy stayed with him over a very long weekend and declared that she “wasn’t going to lose him.” She didn’t and thankfully neither did his family. It takes a special person to stay dedicated to a patient while obviously involved with so many others at the same time. We will always hold up Amy as someone who went the extra mile to make a life-sustaining difference for our father. Thank you for providing, nurturing, and maintaining such an excellent staff in Ann Arbor.

Dr. Colin Holtze, House Officer, Internal Medicine – Pulmonary

My husband received excellent care in CCMU; however, (Dr. Colin) was the one who made a big difference in his care. He was very perceptive in listening to our family’s input. We appreciate the many times you stood up and spoke to the rounding team, even in disagreements, about the course of treatment being planned. Those moments made the difference! We appreciated how you were the one team member who helped the continuity, communication and knowledge of my husband’s journey and health. When you spoke, it was impactful! Your knowledge and understanding of critical medicine practices and how they would help and/or negatively impact my husband were demonstrated many times during his stay. When you spoke, your colleagues listened. Quiet, confident Dr. Colin – we are forever grateful and wish you the best!

Alexis Lobdell, Patient Financial Counselor, Revenue Cycle

I’m a 19-year old student who is trying my best to figure out a plan for paying my very high medical bill. It has been a long, ongoing process for me and frustrating feeling like I’m not getting anywhere whenever I talk to someone. That is until today. I spoke to Alexis who most importantly LISTENED to what I had to say and asked me the right questions to help me resolve my situation. She was very understanding and made me feel important. I finally feel like I am going to have progress with this situation and it was refreshing to speak to someone who was so supportive, understanding and professional. I can tell Alexis loves her job with her optimistic attitude and friendly ways. Good job, Alexis!