Employee Awards

2008 Employee of the Year
Deborah McLain

Pharmacy
 

Deborah McLain, Pharmacy department secretary/inventory data coordinator at West Georgia Health System has been named the Employee of the Year for 2008. McLain has been with the health system for more than 10 years.

According to her boss, Don Davis, "she is what keeps the department together." One of the most significant contributions she makes is in tracking medications that are costed out to other departments on a daily basis.

She also serves on the MEDITECH Pharmacy Core Team and has been instrumental in the development of the pharmacy application. She is secretary of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and works behind the scenes with the Health System's Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes.

2008 Nurse of the Year
Maria Myhand

West Georgia Medical Center

Maria Myhand, RN, a third shift charge nurse in the Emergency Department has been named West Georgia Health System's Nurse of the Year. Myhand joined West Georgia Health System (WGHS) in 1991 as a nurse on the surgical floor. Since that time, she has brought her passion and expertise to several areas of the health system including home health and the ED.

It is in the Emergency Department (ED) where she has worked for the last 10 years, that Maria has made some of her greatest contributions. Myhand's ability to think and adapt quickly make her well-suited for the every-changing ED environment, but co-workers said it is her caring nature that truly defines her.

Mary Lynn Faress Award
Joan Howard

West Georgia Medical Center

Emergency Department (ED) Manager Joan Howard, RN, CEN, was selected as West Georgia Health System's 2008 Mary Lynn Faress Award-winner. The Mary Lynn Faress award honors a WGHS nurse and LaGrange College graduate who exemplifies the ideals of personal and professional integrity demonstrated by long-time Chief Nurse Executive, Mary Lynn Faress.

Howard joined WGHS in 1994 as an ED technician while still attending nursing school at LaGrange College on the Sims Scholarship program.  Howard has spent almost all of her 14 years in nursing in the ED save for the two years she spent in the intensive care unit (ICU), honing her skills in cardiac care.

2008 G.R.E.A.T. Ambassador
Susan DeLesdernier
West Georgia Dialysis

Susan DeLesdernier, a patient care technician at West Georgia Dialysis was one of several hospital employees statewide to be honored with the Georgia Hospital Association's G.R.E.A.T. (Giving Recognition for Excellence, Advocacy and Teamwork) Ambassador Award. The G.R.E.A.T. Ambassador PRogram recognizes employees at Georgia's hospitals for their contributions to patient care, their hospital, community and profession.

2008 Volunteer of the Year
Chad Cook

Volunteer Services

Chad Cook a volunteer at Florence Hand Home has been named the Volunteer of the Year at West Georgia Health System. The announcement was made at the annual Volunteer Awards luncheon held at Oakhurst.

Cook began volunteering at Florence Hand Home in May 2005 and has given more than 1,300 hours of service. Chad enjoys singing, delivering newspapers and calling bingo for residents.