The people you see on this wall are Heroes For nearly 60 years, the people of Kaiser Permanente have been heroes. They gave medical care to workers building the California Aqueduct and those constructing Liberty ships during WWII. It was difficult and unpopular work at the time. They went the extra mile not for glory, but because it was the right thing to do. Today that spirit lives on in our physicians, nurses, and staff in Central California. Some of our Everyday Heroes save lives. Others have provided kindness and generosity when it was needed most finding a lost sweater for a frightened patient, supporting a pregnant teenager in her battle with drug addiction, teaching new fathers how to take care of a baby. Still others are bringing relief to people suffering from migraine headaches. These are the acts of Everyday Heroes. If you tell them they are heroes, they will tell you what they did was not so much. If you ask the person who received their goodwill, they will tell you it made all the difference in the world.
Mike Spicer He is passionate and dedicated about making Kaiser Permanente Fresno a safe environment for members, employees, and the community. There s a good reason people are feeling safer and more secure around the Fresno Medical Center these days, and his name is Mike Spicer. Mike is Fresno s security services director. On the job for less than two years, he s already made significant changes in the nature and scope of security services around the medical center and offsite facilities. Mike has completely revamped our Security Department, says Meredith Murillo, public affairs representative. He s made the department much more visible and much more service-oriented. Under Mike s direction, the security staff seems to be everywhere at once on foot and on bikes to create a safer work environment. Mike himself routinely visits departments to assess their specific security needs. He works with the local police department and neighborhood watch programs to help keep the surrounding community just as safe as the campus. Along with safety, Mike s big push has been to make his security staff highly customer service-oriented, helping members get to appointments, providing directions, or assisting employees anything and everything to help. Truly thinking outside the box, Mike has created the role of security ambassador, a security officer assigned to greet and assist people, much like a concierge. Mike has created a whole new culture of service and safety, says Meredith. It s amazing the impact he s had on Kaiser Permanente Fresno in so short a time.
Ken Ellzey, MD His first priority is the patients and making sure they are well taken care of. Dr. Ken Ellzey has already seen 8 patients, answered 14 administrative questions, approved 3 agendas, and solved 4 staffing problems and that s just before lunch. Dr. Ellzey is a very busy man as a family practitioner in Clovis, chief of the department of adult medicine for the Fresno area, and physician lead for the Chronic Care Management program. Yet with all his responsibilities and long hours, Dr. Ellzey always seems to have time to spare for his staff and his patients. He s great at taking care of his staff and providing us with all the support we need, says his medical assistant, Cherie Heppler. And if a patient needs to be seen, he s the first to say slip him into my schedule. Somehow, Dr. Ellzey also found the time to help create the database program for PHASE, a program to identify, track, and treat patients at risk for heart attack and stroke that is saving lives in Fresno and throughout the Northern California region. He finds time for his community, too. He regularly participates in Neighbors in Health, sits on the advisory board for Fresno State University s College of Arts and Humanities, and occasionally steps in as the unofficial team doc for the Fresno Philharmonic where his wife is a flutist. Dr. Ellzey just never stops helping people, says Cherie. He s a remarkable administrator, physician, and human being!
Valerie Robertson She is the ultimate team player, always the first to volunteer to help in any situation. Physical therapist Valerie Robertson knows all the right moves to get her patients bending, reaching, and walking again after an illness or injury. But when it comes to stepping up, no one does a better job than Valerie herself. Valerie is highly skilled and versatile, able to treat both children and adults with a wide range of orthopedic and neurological challenges. Working at the Fresno Medical Center and Clovis medical offices, she goes out of her way for her patients and her colleagues. Valerie is the first to take on extra duties, although I don t know where she finds the energy, says Michele Shockley, physical therapy assistant. After all, she has 5 children at home! Yet, Valerie never misses a beat. She s always willing to fit a new patient into her schedule, even though she s totally booked, or help a colleague who s running behind. She conducts safety training, volunteers at health fairs, and organizes departmental activities to promote teamwork and improve morale. Valerie remains so current with the latest practices in physical therapy that she s a sought-after teacher for her colleagues and members and often provides ergonomic evaluations to other departments. When a new facility opened in Selma, she quickly volunteered to help organize and work in the physical therapy department, even though it was quite a trip from her home. She also organized the new PT department in Clovis. Valerie is very warm and genuinely caring about everyone, says Michele. She s dedicated to making life easier for people, and she does!
Louetta Barron Melendez She s incredibly innovative in her approach to recruiting. The competition for great nurses is fierce; thankfully, Fresno has a fearless heroine in its corner: Louetta Melendez, nurse recruiter. For the last few years, Louetta has been instrumental in helping Fresno build a strong and vibrant nursing staff at a time when nursing shortages pose a serious problem for American medicine. The numbers alone speak to her success. Because of her hard work and dedication, Fresno s nursing vacancy rate is now in the 4 percent range, down from 27 percent in 2000. But it s not just the numbers that interest her quality matters even more. We aim to hire top-notch nurses, says Louetta, who is quick to share the credit with the recruitment teams, and especially her recruitment coordinator. Our members deserve the best, so we make sure each new hire has the people skills to match their nursing skills. In addition to holding hiring events and nurse information sessions, Louetta brought the group interview concept to Fresno, a process in which the best nurses clearly emerge in a group interview situation. Louetta has done an awesome job in recruiting great nurses for Fresno, says Joan Locke, RN, assistant manager of Fresno s critical care unit. Her dedication to nursing quality makes us all shine.
Lydia Diaz Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Lydia seems to create space for our meetings where none exists. Eight separate groups all want to meet on the same day, same time, same place, and all depend on the same person to make it happen: Lydia Diaz. Lydia is the conference room scheduler and associate staff assistant in Fresno s environmental services department. When someone in the medical center or six satellite facilities wants to hold a meeting, conference, or class, it s Lydia s job to find the space and that s far easier said than done. Fresno facilities are already jammed to the rafters with employees and members every day, says Randy Southall, manager of facility services. Our total lack of extra space makes Lydia s job one of the most complicated and difficult of all. So Lydia works all the harder to find space where virtually none exists. Using her incredible skills of organization, negotiation, and diplomacy, she somehow manages to find, juggle, and arrange space for all the important meetings that must occur to educate, inform, train, and inspire hundreds of physicians, staff, and members. What s more, she also visits all of these meeting sites regularly to make sure they meet the needs of their myriad users. She frequently helps set up, solves technical problems with equipment, and keeps things running smoothly. Lydia is an intricate part of our EVS Team, says Randy. She s like an invisible force who really makes things happen around here.
Kelly Orosco She is always willing to step forward and help wherever she is needed. The frightened new parents rushed their feverish baby into the pediatrician s office, but before they even had time to become more upset, Kelly Orosco had them in an exam room where she remained to calm and comfort them. Kelly is a medical assistant in Fresno s pediatric department, as caring with children as with mom and dad. Working with pediatric patients and their parents adds another level of complexity to member care, and Kelly does so with the utmost respect and care for both patient and parent. She goes way out of her way to help everyone, says her fellow medical assistant, Sonya Butler. Kids can always count on Kelly for a special sticker or a lively chat about Disneyland always a sure diversion! And calmed by Kelly s confident manner and comforting words, parents often pitch in to help her work with their child and ease the way for an exam or procedure. Kelly s caring ways are matched by her professional skills. Kelly stays one step ahead of the doctors, says Sonya. Before they can even ask for something, she s got it. And when it comes to helping her co-workers, she s right there too, with an extra hand or encouraging word. I can t tell you how much everyone counts on Kelly for her professionalism, empathy and caring attitude, says Sonya. She s the best colleague anyone could ask for.
Michelle Wilkins Michelle follows her patients through the duration of their care with great empathy, compassion, and skill. Betty has just been diagnosed with advanced cancer and she s scared, but less of death than of being unable to live the remainder of her life to the fullest. Then she meets Michelle Wilkins and is filled with hope that her coming days will be lived as she wants, in comfort, dignity, and peace. As an oncology social worker at the Fresno Medical Center, Michelle Wilkins, MSW, provides counseling and advance care planning services to patients and their families. She is a passionate advocate for her patients, totally dedicated to connecting them with the best resources to meet their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs at this most difficult time. Michelle is an exceptional oncology social worker, says Michelle Richmond, social work manager at Fresno. She s been a pioneer in developing this much needed role in the clinic setting. Michelle takes great time with each of her patients to learn what they most want for themselves, whether facing treatment and recovery or end of life. She is just as likely to be found sitting and holding the hand of a patient receiving chemotherapy as arranging a session with a nutritionist or psychologist or helping her patient find a good support group. Michelle truly brings the human touch to caregiving, says Michelle Richmond. She is a loving and trusted guide to people on whatever path their journey may take.
Eric Lin, MD He treats everyone as deserving of his time, care, and attention. The phrase bedside manner must have been invented to describe Dr. Eric Lin because it s a perfect fit. Dr. Lin is a specialist who cares exclusively for hospitalized patients at Kaiser Permanente Fresno. In this vital role, he works closely with all other providers to enhance patient care, support and service. He s so kind and friendly that it takes patients a minute or two to realize that he s actually a physician and not a hospital ambassador dropping in to spread comfort and cheer. His bedside manner is as incredible as his clinical excellence, says Carol Howard, RN, telemetry. He always establishes a human connection with patients that makes them feel respected and valued. Entering a patient s room, Dr. Lin reaches out to touch a hand, an arm, a shoulder. He introduces himself to everyone in the room and greets each person with warmth and concern. He takes time to explain, to listen, and to care. He asks if there s anything more he can do for the patient or the family and he means it! He s just as considerate of the staff. All the nurses really enjoy working with him because he s so pleasant and approachable, says Carol. Nurses know that if they have a question or problem, Dr. Lin will always stop what he s doing to help and share his extensive knowledge, based on his excellent training and years of practice. Dr. Lin is everything a physician should be, as passionate about medicine as he is compassionate about people, says Carol. He can be my doctor any day!
Bill Eropkin His dedication to excellence, his knowledge, and his patient focus sets a marvelous example for his staff. The twins were due any minute when the respiratory therapy staff suddenly found itself without a therapist to care for each baby. A call at home to Bill Eropkin solved the problem. He dropped everything to rush to the delivery room. The fact that Bill is the pulmonary clinical services manager at the Fresno Medical Center and not expected to help deliver patient care (or babies!) doesn t matter a bit to him. If there s anything he can do for his staff or their patients, he does it. Bill sets the bar very high for our department, says respiratory therapist Julie Ann Nichols. He leads by example in providing the best possible care for our patients. In addition to being a great role model, Bill creates the kind of culture in which his staff feels fully supported and appreciated. He s always willing to stop what he s doing to help with a patient. He s on top of the latest respiratory studies and a wonderful coach, mentor, and resource for his staff. He s so knowledgeable I ve never asked him a question he couldn t answer, says Julie Ann. Bill is truly part of the fabric of Fresno, hired before the hospital was even built. Bill has made our department what it is today; he s made us the team that we are, says Julie Ann. He s a true leader and an awesome boss!
Tere Williams, RN I love my job because I m not limited in the ways I can help someone. Tere Williams, RN, is a diabetes care manager at least, that s her official title. Unofficially, she s a coach, cheerleader, angel, nurturer, and master of tough love all the things a care manager should be, and more. As a care manager in Fresno s chronic care department, Tere helps diabetic patients with many aspects of their care, everything from teaching them how to control their illness to ordering their lab work to regularly checking their feet and eyes for any changes. Her medical skill is matched only by her caring heart and genuine concern for each and every patient. When I had trouble controlling my blood sugar, Tere called me constantly and she listened to my problems even if they weren t about diabetes, says member Fannie Beard. When I had a health scare, she helped me stay calm before going to the doctor and asked me to call her. Tere has been a blessing to me. Only after Fannie received all this attention did she learn Tere wasn t even assigned to her case and had been providing all this TLC above and beyond assignment or expectation. I love helping people, says Tere. To see someone smile because of something I ve done means everything in the world to me. It s why I became a nurse in the first place.
The Administrative Support Peer Group Together our team contributes toward the common goal of helping to support our community families. The young parents were devastated at the impending loss of their baby. As they struggled to remember every final moment with their precious newborn, someone slipped a small disposable camera into their hands a gift of love from the Administrative Support Peer Group. The Administrative Support Peer Group at the Fresno Medical Center is a big group (75 members) with a big heart. On a day-to-day basis, group members support Kaiser Permanente s executives, using their organizational skills and multi-tasking talents to help keep the business side of the medical center running like clockwork. But their supportive ways are in no way confined to business. In 2006, the entire group adopted the Angel Babies of Hinds Hospice, a warm and loving organization dedicated to comfort and support families whose babies have life-limiting conditions or have died. At every monthly meeting, group members pass the hat to raise money to help with funeral expenses and other costs the families incur at this difficult time. The group has also participated in a fund-raising walk for Angel Babies and donates cameras to parents who find themselves with no other way to capture a final and lasting memory. Every contribution truly comes from our hearts, says Linda Casper, executive staff assistant, who herself used Angel Babies for support after losing a grandchild. We feel blessed to be able to help a grieving family.