Congratulations to the winners and nominees of the 6th Annual Hospital Hero Awards held November 11 at the Marriott Hotel – Downtown Los Angeles. Master of Ceremonies and ABC news reporter Rick Romero helped celebrate 42 nominees from hospitals in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara counties, all outstanding contributors to their facilities and communities. 

The Hospital Hero Awards, produced by the National Health Foundation, is an annual media event honoring outstanding achievements and events that occur within hospitals throughout the HASC region. The event provides hospitals an opportunity to identify, recognize and reward excellence in the provision of health care at the front line. It honors health care professionals who are dedicated to patient care and those who help to create miracles for patients. Proceeds from the event benefit the National Health Foundation.

2011 Hospital Hero Award Winners

Cardiac Coordinator Jennifer demonstrated what it really means to be a
nurse. Her actions will never be erased from the memories of one particular patient, his family and the staff at Anaheim Regional Medical Center.

The patient had undergone a heart catheterization and was diagnosed with multi-vessel coronary artery disease. He was going to need open heart surgery; this news alone is extremely scary, life altering in many cases. When we as human beings are faced with this kind of situation, naturally we want our loved ones close by. The patient had a son serving in the Army, stationed in Iraq. The patient’s daughter emphatically expressed to Jennifer that her dad and brother had a very unique and special bond; they believed in their hearts that her dad would do better after surgery if her brother was there. In order for this wish to come true, emergency leave paperwork needed to be completed. Understanding the paramount role the family plays in the healing process, Jennifer did what she promised and completed all the necessary forms; the patient’s son was able to spend 10 days at home. 

About a month after surgery, the daughter called to express her deep gratitude to Jennifer for everything she did. She then went on to explain that two weeks after her brother returned to Iraq he was killed in combat. Jennifer had enabled their family to have a final visit and that without her extra effort and sincere compassion they wouldn’t have been able to spend those precious last days with him. “I want to thank Jennifer from the bottom of my heart for all her hard work,” she said, “Not only for getting my brother’s emergency leave, but for the very thorough job she did and for her kind bedside manner.”

Loquintha wears many hats: Clinical Medical-Surgical Educator for our acute hospital, Diabetic Nurse Educator, Chairperson of the Diabetic Resource Committee, Diabetic Nurse Practitioner at one of our Centers for Family Health, and Diabetic patient advocate. She goes above and beyond in all her ventures, accepting phone calls in the middle of the night when nurses are unsure how to manage a patient’s insulin pump or other hyperglycemic crisis. In her role as Outpatient Diabetes Specialist Nurse Practioner, Loquintha has researched opportunities for her patients to obtain free and reduced cost diabetic supplies.

One young diabetic patient feels she owes her life to Loquintha and the care she received while in labor with her first baby. This patient was wearing an insulin pump; her condition deteriorated during labor and she was unable to manage the pump. Loquintha was able to troubleshoot and fix the pump, and identify the patient’s hyperglycemia. She was available throughout the night to check on the blood sugars for titration. The obstetrician was glad for Loquintha’s assistance as the endocrinologist was unavailable. Post-delivery, the patient had frequent low blood sugar events and on day five, mother and baby were discharged in good health.

Loquintha is a voracious producer. She educates nurses, physicians, hospitalists, ancillary departments, patients and has an outreach class on diabetes care. She has strengthened our inpatient diabetes management process. Loquintha participates with many interdisciplinary and medical staff committees to establish inpatient diabetes protocols and physician order sets. She created the Diabetes Nurse Resource Committee and developed diabetic quick reference binders for all the inpatient units. Always with a quiet and thoughtful manner, Loquintha is a welcome addition to all patient care teams. Loquintha herself states, “I am here to help the patient be successful in management of their diabetes.”

Elise is a single mom working two jobs as an x-ray technician to support her family. On a rainy March day this year, Elise performed an act of heroism. One of her jobs required her to travel down the treacherous, rain swept Cajon Pass one morning to someone’s aid in a terrifying accident.

On that fateful morning, Elise recognized her co-worker, Rakesh, who was trapped in an overturned vehicle on the freeway embankment. The vehicle had hydroplaned, flipped several times and was leaking gas, with the driver bleeding from lacerations. Elise went to his aid and in spite of warnings from Rakesh about the risk of fire, she pulled him out of the truck and began to comfort him while they waited for emergency personnel. She also contacted Rakesh’s wife to let her know he was okay. The conditions on the busy freeway were extremely dangerous, but Elise’s top concern was to aid someone in need, and she pulled onto the shoulder in low visibility to come to the aid of an assumed “stranger.” It was no surprise to anyone that Elise was the Good Samaritan that day. 

As a member of the Desert Valley Hospital Radiology Department, Elise is accustomed to assisting patients with injuries and broken bones daily. Her caring demeanor has comforted countless patients who have been traumatized. Patients and fellow employees alike have consistently praised her special qualities. The same passion and drive that make her an outstanding, compassionate, health care professional carry over into her personal life.

As a registered nurse for more than 30 years, Marianne has served the Los
Angeles community in extraordinary ways. Her work with direct patient care throughout her career has been a support for patients, families and other caregivers in countless ways—beginning in the area of home health care, then with HIV/AIDS patients and currently in palliative care services. Marianne is a hero through her strong advocacy for compassionate nursing care for patients and is a source of information and inspiration for her hospital colleagues. She imbues the five core values of our organization compassion, respect, excellence, justice and stewardship—in her care of the most vulnerable of patients.

Marianne’s compassionate care for patients evolved from her work in hospice and caring for AIDS patients, many of whom had a dual diagnosis of mental illness and/or substance abuse. She eventually began working as a palliative care nurse in a hospital setting. Marianne now holds a leadership role on an acclaimed palliative care team at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance, providing care for 600 patients per year. The program received a Citation of Honor from the 2010 Circle of Life Award Committee for its collaborative approach to patient-and family-centered palliative care.

In addition, Marianne volunteers her time to care for the most poor and vulnerable in our community by providing nursing care at a week-long camp for adults living with HIV/AIDS. And she has made an outstanding contribution to the development, implementation and training of the “No One Dies Alone” program at both Providence Little Company Medical Centers. The program provides a reassuring, compassionate presence to dying patients who would otherwise be alone. Marianne has tirelessly demonstrated her commitment to the loving care of so many patients, families and caregivers. She is truly our Hospital Hero.

Hours after her shift had ended, Pam sat with the devastated parents of a young boy, a patient in the final stages of cancer. The 8-year-old’s parents knew nothing could be done for their son, but emotionally they were not ready to accept the end was near. There was talk of transferring the child to a pediatric hospital, but Pam gently counseled the parents, guiding them to take their little boy home where hospice and home care professionals could keep him comfortable and his family could surround him in his final days. She followed up and found the young patient had died a few weeks later, in his home. Pam’s skill is evident, but her deep compassion is her trademark. Quite often a homeless man comes to the Emergency Department dirty, hungry and in need of a helping hand. She said she doesn’t mind feeding him and cleaning him up—“he’s somebody’s father,” she said. 

Pam, the mother of a 6-year-old girl with autism, loves working in the ER. Every day brings something new—patients to help and comfort, families to counsel. Most everyone is genuinely grateful for the care and the time she takes to talk with them. She realizes that each and every patient could be her parent or husband or child and draws from her own devotion to family to ensure her patients get the best of care—even when her shift is over.

Michele is a Hospital Hero because she exemplifies what a nurse and nursing leader should be. Michele, a charge nurse on the S4 Telemetry Unit at Riverside Community Hospital, was part of the hospital’s travel team that attended the Institute for Healthcare Improvement this past year. The goal of attending the conference was to increase patient satisfaction and improve the patient experience. Michele shared the knowledge she gained with the hospital.

In conjunction with nursing leaders, she helped to pilot the use of patient white boards on her home unit. The white board provides a consistent, reliable communication tool among hospital staff, patients and families. Michele conducted daily meetings for a week with both shifts to discuss the patient experience, and she spoke eloquently and enthusiastically about how the white boards could improve communication and help to make patients feel safe and secure. The use of these boards became a standard on S4. When patient satisfaction scores showed an improvement, she then became part of the team that championed the use of the white boards to the rest of the hospital, unit by unit. It took almost nine months for the entire hospital to “go live” with this program. Ancillary staff was also included in the education. Michele led the effort in bringing the information to the new areas of the hospital.

Today, the white boards at Riverside Community Hospital are used consistently and reliably by every member of our team. They help patients to feel safe and keep them informed about their plan of care for the shift. Best of all, the patients love them!

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center is proud to nominate Vicki, Nursing Administration Manager, for the 2011 Hospital Hero Award. For 41 years, Vicki has been admired by her colleagues for her dedication to the nursing profession and her constant, unwavering desire to provide patients with the best care possible. One of Vicki’s greatest contributions to healing the pain of others is the bereavement support she provides parents who have suffered perhaps the greatest loss of all, the loss of an infant. With genuine care and compassion, Vicki comforts bereaved parents by providing that last precious moment of family bonding. Vicki believes that however fleeting life may be, the final moment is immeasurably important to a family for many years to come.

Vicki takes special care in helping parents cope with their loss by ensuring that their final moment with their baby creates lasting memories. Vicki begins the process by encouraging parents and family members to bathe, dress and hold their baby. She stays with them for as long as they need her. Vicki has been known to purchase baby clothing and blankets in an effort to bring dignity and comfort. She has made it her personal mission to celebrate the life of each baby. If a baby is unclaimed, Vicki will make burial arrangements as if it were her own. She is unrelenting in finding acceptable places for burial for these babies. No baby has ever been sent to the county for burial; Vicki won’t allow it. Over the years, Vicki has taken the extraordinary measure of seeking legal guardianship of unwanted deceased babies so that she can give them a final resting place. Truly going above and beyond, Vicki embodies the qualities of a hero with her selfless acts of kindness. We are honored to nominate Vicki as our Hospital Hero.

The career of Dr. Brown epitomizes the phrase “above and beyond the call of duty.” Dr. Brown has been a distinguished cardiologist serving in the Santa Barbara area since 1981. At the peak of his career in December 2002, Dr. Brown joined the Navy Reserves in response to the tragic events of 9/11, initially in Port Hueneme, California, and subsequently switching to become a medical officer for a Marine battalion in California.

In October 2009, Dr. Brown joined the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Marine Battalion and deployed with that unit to serve in southern Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During his eight month tour of duty in Helmand Province, Dr. Brown was the Chief Medical Officer and responsible for the lives of approximately 800 marines and sailors, and provided medical care for approximately 5,000 villagers along the Helmand River. During that time, Dr. Brown’s medical unit initiated a medical civic action program for medical assistance to the villagers, which included medical services for all aspects of medical care from neonates to the elderly. During this eight-month period, Dr. Brown’s unit cared for approximately 100-200 villagers per day, with a wide range of medical problems, including significant infectious disease problems, malnutrition, and traumatic injuries and burns.

After returning to the United States in June 2010, Dr. Brown remained in the Navy Reserves and in August 2011 was promoted to the rank of Captain and received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in Afghanistan.  

We in Santa Barbara are exceedingly proud of this extraordinary father, physician and naval officer, Dr. Charles Alan Brown.

Treating patients as human beings and realizing that illnesses affect patients’ families and economic stability are traits Dr. Preciado has embraced with compassion and dedication.

A graduate of UCLA School of Medicine, Dr. Preciado has been on staff at White Memorial Medical Center for 22 of the 27 years she has been in practice. “Boyle Heights is where I want to be able to give back to the community and make a difference,” she said. This incredible patient advocate and healer has been true to her word and has taken an active role in the Latino community. She believes in creating healing environments in which the entire community can flourish. Stepping into her office is like stepping into her living room.

In the summer of 2011, Dr. Preciado participated in a volunteer mission trip to Kenya where she provided humanitarian aid and education to those in need. Her role was to provide assistance for an orphanage as well as work with physicians and teach in a local hospital. She will never forget the hugs of those children whose quality of life she improved. Most of all, her patients are part of her life. During Christmas time, she brings her patients together for an unforgettable musical performance at the annual Christmas Brunch hosted by the hospital. There are no dry eyes in the room while they perform music under her direction.

Recently, Dr. Preciado received an award as one of the 2011 Business Life Women Achievers in Los Angeles County for mentoring others as well as giving back to her community. In the words of this brilliant and very modest woman, “being compassionate, empathetic and ultimately making a positive difference in the lives of others is the ultimate success.”

2011 Nominees

Congratulations to all of the nominees for this year’s Hospital Hero Awards.

Anaheim Regional Medical Center

• Jennifer Horth, RN

California Hospital Medical Center

• Tanya Ybarra, Child Life Specialist

Casa Colina Hospital for Rehabilitative Medicine

• Samy Metyas, MD, MSc, FACR, FACP

Cedars-Sinai Health System

• Lisa Rhodes

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

• Kathleen Stevenson, RN

Children’s Hospital Orange County

• Mitchell Katz, MD

Citrus Valley Health Partners

• Pam Porrecca,
• Valerie Resendez
• Joan Wachtelborn
• Melissa Casanova

College Hospital Costa Mesa

• Craig Ross, MD

Community Memorial Hospital

• Loquintha Rex, RN, DNP

Desert Valley Hospital

• Elyse Allemando

Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center

• George Garcia, Director of Cardiopulmonary Services

Garfield Medical Center

• Walter Martinez 

Glendale Adventist Medical Center

• Dr. Armond Kotikian, DD, MD

Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center

• Monica Hernandez, RN

Good Samaritan Hospital

• Jeri Ward, RN

Greater El Monte Community Hospital

• Sandy Koh, MD

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital

• Mark Schultz, MD

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

• Jane Rosete, RN, MSN, CNS

Huntington Beach Hospital

• Hassan Alkhouli, MD

Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park 

• Rody Yoshinaka, MD

Kaiser Permanente Fontana

• Ebonee Brown, RN, BSN

Kaiser Permanente South Bay

• Pushkar Chand, MD

Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles

• Seth Kivnick, MD, OB/Gyn

Los Angeles County – Olive View – UCLA Medical Center

• Jovilyn Tapawan, MSN, RN

Los Angeles County – USC Healthcare Network

• Barbara Oliver

Monterey Park Hospital

• Jennifer Valdez, RN

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

• Jody Kelley, RN

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center

• David Hanpeter, MD

Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro

• Justin Joe

Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance

• Marianne Ayala, RN, BSN, CHPN

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center

• Pam Quilliam, RN

Providence Tarzana Medical Center

• Rabbi Sara Berman

Redlands Community Hospital

• Rita Ethridge, RN

Riverside Community Hospital

• Michele Martin, RN

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center

• Vicki Coleman, LVN

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

• Dr. C. Alan Brown – Captain, US Navy Reserves

St. Francis Medical Center

• Nicki Ledestich, RN, MHA

St. Vincent Medical Center

• Pedro Ramirez, MHA

Torrance Memorial Medical Center

• Tami Ramsey

UC Irvine Healthcare

• Amelia Indig, RN

UCLA Health System

• J. Shannon O’Kelley

White Memorial Medical Center

• Dr. Martha Preciado, MD, FACC