Hospital employees receive President's Award of Excellence

       Four Western Baptist Hospital employees receive the President’s Award of Excellence. Pictured with    Larry Barton (second from right), president and CEO, they are Susan Cooper, service quality; Valerie Hill, safety; Steve Johnson, stewardship; and Kay Dickey, community service.

At Western Baptist Hospital’s annual Service Award Banquet, four employees received The President's Award of Excellence:

• Kay Dickey, a respiratory care therapist, received the Community Service Award. Dickey, a 42-year employee, was honored for leading fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society.

• Susan Cooper, the lab’s Point of Care Testing and Quality Improvement Coordinator, received the Service Quality Award. Cooper, a 34-year employee, serves on a number of hospital committees, including the Executive Quality Council and the Quality Improvement Council.

• Valerie Hill, a patient care technician in the close observation unit, received the Safety Award. A 17-year employee, Hill developed a patient identification card used in other areas of the heart center.

• Steve Johnson, an endoscopy technician in the Center for Digestive Health, received the Stewardship Award for maintaining some of the most delicate and expensive equipment in the hospital. He has been employed at the hospital 16 years.

In addition, 213 employees were recognized for service anniversaries, ranging from five to 40 years. Western Baptist is among the region’s largest employers with more than 1,700 employees.