Thank you so very much to the following Riverside team members. During the month of September, you helped out various units by picking up extra shifts either as Patient Care Sitters or as Techs, VRM Techs, Respiratory Therapists, Nurse Helpers, or Nurses. Each and everyone plays an important part, and many hands make lighter work. Know that you are appreciated!

Riverside’s Operating Room team celebrated being the first 100% vaccinated team in the hospital on Friday. For this department, being vaccinated has many different reasons, not just free pizza.

We asked a few of the members of the department why they had chosen to get vaccinated:

“I’ve seen what an intubation looks like and decided it wasn’t for me,” commented one nurse while discussing the rationale for getting the vaccine.

“The science is clear on this and it’s the smart thing to do,” mentioned another staff member.

But it wasn’t just science that played an important part of deciding to get the vaccine.

“I want to be able to see my grandchildren grow old and I want to take every precaution I can,” remarked another nurse.

Has your department reached 100% vaccination? Contact the Command Center at [email protected] about celebrating this great milestone!

October 6 – 12 is National PA Week and this year it is especially significant as it falls during a global pandemic. PAs have stepped up in major ways, including serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response. Whatever your specialty or setting, you have put your health at risk every day to care for your patients.

During this challenging time, PAs have not only proven themselves as flexible, adaptable, and collaborative – but also ESSENTIAL. Essential to healthcare. Essential to patients.

Riverside Healthcare has eight PAs:
Davina Betts, PA-C
Karim Bouferrache, PA-C
Kyle Denny, PA-C
Andrew Donofrio, PA-C
Carly Kaminke, PA-C
Rita Kuseliauskas, PA-C
Karie Prokop, PA-C
Lori Williams, PA-C

In honor of the white oak trees that previously grew on the land beneath Riverside Medical Center, we have created an employee/RMG provider contest called TREE-Mendous (replaces previous Brightest Star contest).

TREE-Mendous is the highest recognition we can grant any Riverside employees/providers with recognition and prizes focused on our consistently best of the best providers and staff from all departments/areas of our entire health system.

Eligible providers and employees are those who rise high each day, consistently living in words and actions the behaviors that create remarkable journeys for coworkers and patients/residents and in good standing according to Human Resources records.

Tree-mendous staff branch out as role models to us all—living our keywords and Professional Standards of Behavior with every patient and coworker, striving for caring, positive connections with every person ALWAYS.

We have had several nominations come in for our Tree-Mendous staff here at Riverside. Their stories are described in the attachment.