Nebraska Hospital Association Honors Employees

LA VISTA, NEB. — The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) recognized 66 hospital employees October 27, 2017, for their excellence in service by bestowing them with the organization’s prestigious “The Caring Kind” award. Among the awarded was Raven Gerths, social services,  of Jefferson Community Health & Life Gardenside.

Gerths began her career at JCH&L in 2008 in hospital admissions, then became an assistant in social services and activities, then went to work in social services full time. While working full time in social services and raising a family, she completed her bachelor’s degree and began a counselor with the Senior Health Insurance Information Program. Her nominators describe her as kind, caring and compassionate and said she will do whatever it takes to make sure residents and their families have their needs met.

For 38 years, The Caring Kind award has been given to Nebraska’s most caring and compassionate hospital employees. The award honors outstanding health care employees who have demonstrated compassion for patients, cooperation with co-workers and dedication to excellence in their job responsibilities.

“It is such an honor for me to meet The Caring Kind award recipients each year.  They demonstrate the kindness, caring, dedication and commitment to their hospitals which is why they were awarded this recognition,” NHA President Laura J. Redoutey, FACHE, said.

Hospitals across the state each select one The Caring Kind award recipient from within their respective institutions to be recognized during the NHA Annual Convention.

More than 2,400 caring, skilled and dedicated health care professionals have received this award since its inception in 1979. This year, 66 employees were honored before nearly 500 people in attendance at The Caring Kind Awards Luncheon held at Embassy Suites Omaha-La Vista Hotel & Conference Center in La Vista.

The event showcases the exemplary work and care hospital employees provide every day throughout the year. Every Nebraska hospital employee plays a critical role in providing high-quality, cost-effective treatment and ensuring the safety of themselves, their co-workers and patients each and every day.

These honorees are star performers through their dedication to patients and teamwork, ensuring that care is safe, quality-driven and cost-effective for consumers, as well as for the organizations they represent.

Honored for overall excellence in quality, outcomes and patient perspective

November 16, 2017 – Today, on National Rural Health Day, Jefferson Community Health & Life announced it has been recognized by The Chartis Center for Rural Health/iVantage Health Analytics and the National Organization of State Office of Rural Health (NOSORH) for overall excellence in quality, outcomes and patient perspective, reflecting top quartile performance among all rural hospitals in the nation.

“This recognition affirms that our emphasis on quality, performance and satisfaction are making a difference to the community we serve. It is because of the work and care of our staff, physicians and board, and the support of our community that we are able to meet and surpass the benchmarks for recognition,” said Chad Jurgens, JCHC chief executive officer.

The rankings are determined each year using iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®, the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. In partnership with NOSORH, iVantage Health Analytics has developed a data-driven program designed to identify excellence across a broad spectrum of indicators relevant to hospital performance and patient care. The Hospital Strength INDEX captures performance metrics for all rural and Critical Access Hospitals. Leveraging data from public data sources, INDEX aggregates data from more than 50 individual metrics into three major categories and eight pillars to derive a single strength overall rating for each facility.

“On this important day, as we celebrate the power of rural, it’s great to recognize these top performers who are excelling in managing risk, achieving higher quality, securing better outcomes, increasing patient satisfaction, or operating at a lower cost than their peers,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health. “These leaders serve as a benchmark for other rural facilities as they strive to achieve similar results and provide a blueprint for how to successfully run a hospital and serve their communities amidst today’s uncertainty and mounting pressures.”

Jefferson Community Health & Life has previously been recognized with the NOSORH/iVantage Performance Leadership award for financial strength and patient satisfaction in 2016, named as a Top 100 critical access hospital for 2014, 2015 and 2017; and named a HEALTHSTRONG hospital in 2015.