AROUND AND ABOUT THE OTIS CENTER

NEW EMPLOYEES

The following employees have joined the Otis Health Care Center during the past four months:

Lynda Bates Pharmacy Tech
Pamela Coburn Physical Therapy Assistant Laura Magallanes RN
Sharain Miovech RN
Pamela Murphy Director of Human Resources
Marilyn Tilton Administrative Assistant

EXEMPLARY EMPLOYEES RECOGNIZED

(l. to r.) Stephen Brown, Deb Wilson, Greg Dean, Carolyn Sleeper

During the past four months, the following employees have been recognized for outstanding activities, accomplishments and leadership beyond standard job requirements:

Deborah Wilson (November) – Receptionist/Unit Coordinator: “Deb is always so cheerful and eager to help. She is on the ‘front line’, greeting people as they walk in the door or call Grace Cottage, and she’s always smiling.” (More information about Deb follows in the “Employee of The Year” article.)
Greg Dean (December) – Pharmacist: “Greg is so appreciated by the nurses, patients, and public who use the retail pharmacy. Greg gives over 110% of himself – he exemplifies the true essence of caring, ability and dignity. He always strives for perfection." Greg generously donated the cash he was awarded as Employee of the Month to the Valley Health Council.
Carolyn Sleeper ( January) - Business Office: “Carolyn has so much responsibility and is very busy with her own work, but she always has time to help others. She’s always so polite, helpful and informative to customers. She seems to be very excited about solving problems.”
Stephen Brown (February) – Chief Financial Officer: Stephen “consistently goes above and beyond. Totally dedicated, self-motivated, kind, a problem-solver, and a person who is always available to help in any way.”

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR - 2002

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Lawrin Crispe presents Deborah Wilson with the Otis Health Care Center Employee of the Year award.

Deborah Wilson, Receptionist, was voted the Otis Health Care Center’s Employee of the Year for 2002. Deb has been Employee of the Month for November two years running and, this year, she received the coveted Employee of the Year award.

Born in Worcester, MA, Deb moved to Wyoming at age 20. She worked a short time on the railroad, then became postmaster in Arvada, a ranch community with about 400 residents. In 1989, she decided that she wanted to move back East, to be closer to her family, but she wanted a more rural setting than Worcester, so she picked southern Vermont. This was Grace Cottage's gain, for Deb immediately got a job as an LNA here, working nights. Now she's also unit coordinator, which means she handles hospital admissions, ER paperwork, arranges ambulance transports, and makes appointments for patients at other medical facilities for MRIs, CT scans, etc.

Deb's grown children, Fawn, Azure and Frank, all live in the area. Deb's currently continuing her education at Community College of Vermont, where she's studying respiratory therapy. In her free time, she likes to ride her motorcycle and read (but not, one would hope, simultaneously!).

CONGRATULATIONS, DR. B.

Dr. Robert Backus, who recently returned from a month volunteering at Fundacio Esperanca in Brazil (where he also spent the month of November, 2001), has accepted the presidency of the Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. This is a two-year term to which he was elected in November, 2002.