Most hospitals say they care about service. Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital has gone a step beyond saying the often repeated mantra by recognizing physicians, staff, and volunteers who stand out in fulfilling the hospital’s mission of improving the health of the community through compassion and excellence in healthcare services.
During a packed Service Excellence Awards ceremony on February 21, Chand Khanna, M.D., Patricia Asef, RN; Anthony Cervantes, diagnostic imaging clerk, and Jo Humphrey, volunteer, were presented with awards for consistently acting on opportunities to perform above and beyond their job duties.
Roger Seaver, President and CEO of Henry Mayo, officiated over the program and spoke about the importance of the Service Excellence Awards. “Our mission involves dedication to service excellence for our patients, our visitors and each other,” he stated. “These four individuals are recognized for exemplifying the attitudes and behaviors necessary for us to achieve our vision of creating the ideal environment to surpass community expectations.”
Just before presenting the physician award to Chand Khanna, M.D., Pulmonary Medicine, Seaver read comments from several intensive care unit nurses who praised Khanna’s calm demeanor, caring nature and field expertise. “He’s always pressed for time with multiple patients but never lets it affect his mood,” wrote Ann Valladares, RN, ICU. “He’s amazing with families and even loans a shoulder to a nurse on a bad day.”
Khanna received the award for his immediate past leadership role as Chief of Staff and everything he did to represent the hospital in that capacity. “I started my career here at Henry Mayo,” Khanna said. “Over the years, we’ve had our ups and downs. But now we’re just going up and up and up. And it’s because of the doctors and nurses who work here.”
Winning in the nursing category was Patricia Asef, RN, MS2, who was described as a patient advocate and role model for other nurses. Pat personally goes to the emergency department, initiates the admissions process, and then transports her patients to her unit to better anticipate their needs and respond quickly.
“This is outside of a nurses’ comfort level,” said Vivian Rebel, director of Trauma and Emergency Services. “(It) demonstrates great compassion and excellence.”
As she accepted her award, Pat reiterated many comments that were made about her and assured the crowd that she treats every patient as though they are her own family.
Anthony Cervantes, clerk, Diagnostic Imaging, was named as the winner in the ancillary category. “Anthony always goes above and beyond his duties to ensure his patients are satisfied,” said Connie Hage, director of Diagnostic Imaging and Cardiology. “For example, when another facility lost our patient’s x-rays, Anthony persisted until the facility found them and he kept the patient apprised along the way. ‘We need more people like you in this business,’ is what the patient told Anthony.”
Diana Vose, President of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Health Foundation, presented the award to the winner in the volunteer category, Jo Humphrey.
Jo Humphrey and Nick, a white Standard poodle, are members of the hospital’s pet visitation/therapy program. Jo adapted her schedule to accommodate a cancer patient, who was receiving chemotherapy in the hospital’s outpatient infusion center to ensure that the patient received extra comfort during a difficult time. “This patient’s day was brightened because of the arrival of Nick and Jo,” Vose said. “She’s really dedicated to the patients.”
All Service Excellence winners were congratulated for their dedication to moving beyond good service to great service and their contributions to delivering excellent patient quality care for the community.
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is located at 23845 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355-2083. For more information, visit www.henrymayo.com or call 661-253-8000.