Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce that Wanda Smith has been recognized as the 2014 BMH Employee of the Year.
An employee at BMH since 1980, Smith was chosen to receive this honor due to her long-time dedication, attentiveness to safety and cleanliness, respect for patient privacy, positive attitude and sense of humor, and pride in a job well done.
Smith works in the Environmental Services Department. She was previously recognized as the BMH Employee of the Month in November 2009.
According to the BMH proclamation read at the award presentation, “Wanda can always be counted on for a smile and a kind word. Although it’s not in her job description, it’s not at all beyond her to extend a helping hand to the family and friends of a patient, as well as the patient, and she is often mentioned on HCAHPS surveys.”
According to the website for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (www.cms.gov), “The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey is the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives of hospital care. HCAHPS (pronounced ‘H-caps’) is a survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience.”
“I have worked with Wanda for thirty three of the thirty four years of her employment at BMH. Throughout those many years, Wanda has consistently demonstrated a commitment to our patient’s welfare by focusing on the principles of infection control and by embracing the tenets of customer service.” said Richard Nelson, BMH Facilities Manager. “Wanda possesses a very highly developed sense of both of these essential perspectives. Wanda has been a stellar member of the Environmental Services staff for more than three decades. This facility would be a poorer place without her service and care.”
Smith is a deaconess at her church, and participates in Relay for Life. She is described by many who know her as the person who raises funds for those in need and offers a ride and friendship to elderly friends who are house-bound. She has even adopted some of these friends into her family circle for holidays.
Smith’s commitment to BMH and the community is surpassed only by her commitment to family. She and her husband Richard have two sons, Michael and Ricky, and two grandchildren, Austin and Jade. She loves to vacation in Wells, Maine.
BMH has provided healthcare services for more than one hundred years.
For more information, contact BMH at 802-257-0341 or visit the hospital online at www.bmhvt.org.
