Kudos

KUDOS July – December 2013

KUDOS

July – December 2013

Positive comments made regarding Community Care Ambulance’s exceptional staff –

• A customer wrote a note to CCA stating “To whom it may concern, the man “Bud” who picked me up and took me to my appt, with my doctor, He was GREAT.  Very Nice & Friendly. Thanks for everything.” Nice jobBud Waller!! When a customer takes the time to write a note we know you had a positive impact on that customer.
• This KUDOS was submitted by Robin Osborn received through the Billing Department, Robin spoke with ‘Greg’@ UH about a non emergent transport to a Conneaut rehab facility. At the time they were contracted w/ Rural Metro but chose CCA because our ambulette charges were half what RM charged! He spoke very highly of CCA!!
• A UH Ahuja 7^th Floor Nurse called and said that Jeff East and Kayla Swider were the nicest crew ever, and that they were so patient while the patient wasn’t ready. She wanted us to know that they need recognized for their positive attitudes and great personalities. KUDOS Jeff and Kayla!!
• A patient’s husband brought in pizza and called to thank Justin Stuper and Jason Coy for not giving up on her husband who moved to s step down unit shortly after the event and doing well. KUDOS Justin and Jason!!
• Gail Deemer submitted this KUDO from a social worker from the Lerner Tower. She said she was excited CCA was their service provider because we give excellent care.
• David Federici shared this KUDO after he and his partner Jeremiah Smith worked a full arrest at Holiday Camp Land. Andover fire backed them up with 4 or 5 guys and David said they all worked great with together and took direction as asked and were very eager to help. After the call at the ER, the guys came up to David and said we did a really nice job on that call. A member of the Andover FD went on to say he’s been on the dept for 12 years and have been very happy to have us there and is very impressed with CCA and appreciates our level of service.
• Brandon Nelling put out a KUDO’s to Supervisors for unselfishly handling two EMS calls on a day when we there was no one else to handle the calls. Brandon stated he knows they have a lot of things going on with the new implementations happening and they went out of their way to help!! Thanks to all the sup’s who have been doing all they can to help us run better!!
• Sarah Hall submitted a KUDO from a patient’s daughter who called and stated that she loves how the dispatchers and the WTs that care for her mother do such a good job and appreciates the compassion that is shown.
• UH EMS Coordinator submitted a KUDO informing the crews CCA sent to the Susan G Komen event were excellent and he would be most happy to work with them again!!
• Operations Supervisor Jim O’Dell submitted this KUDO from a nurse who called to tell us that she thought the crew Allison Chevaro and Ed Stitt did an excellent job and she was very pleased.  She said Allison and Edwere very kind to staff and patient. KUDOS Allison and Ed!!
• Megan Turk submitted a KUDO from Altercare of Mentor patient who was so pleased with Bud Waller he requested him to transport him always. He was very grateful and wanted us to know how much he appreciated Bud taking good care of him. KUDOS Bud!!
• Operations Supervisor Michael Van Norman submitted this KUDO to Dan Fruh from Sisters’ of Notre Dame expressing gratitude for the kindness displayed by Dan when he returned a Sister. She said he was patient, kind and caring.  Nicely done Dan!!
• This KUDO was submitted by a UHCMC Nurse Manager who received the message from a nurse stating, “I just want to commend to Community Care transport employees. I would appreciate if you are able to pass this on to their supervisors. Traci Thompson and Justin McGill were involved today in a transport for an Interventional Radiology clinic aptt. that ended up requiring a procedure. They were very accommodating as well as Community Care in allowing them to maintain the patient on their portable vent. They were very professional and worked well with our team. KUDOS Traci and Justin!!
• This KUDO was submitted by Kelly Pintchuk while working in her role as a PA at the Geauga ER. Jeff Tennantand Larry Clay did full work up on a complicated patient who is now deceased and Kelly informed CCA that Jeff was a great comfort to family and Larry and Jeff both went above and beyond to make this patient and family comforted. Thank you Jeff and Larry for your compassion to a grieving family.
• KUDOS to Rob Hartley for exceptional customer service. A customer informed Operations Manager Paula Shenal she met one of CCA Paramedics who was on scene at a fire of their barn.  She said his name was Rob.  She had told him that she has a rare condition Addison’s disease, and she is very concerned as when she has a crisis she becomes unresponsive quickly.  She states that she is home by herself all day with her 7 year old son, and he would have to call 911 – and he is scared.  Rob asked her to come and visit us, and to talk to us about Addison’s disease and see how we can assist. She followed his advice.  While Paula chatted with her about generalities, Jeff Tennant took her son out to tour the squad.  She gave Paula her address and number.  She also gave us some information about her illness.  She said Rob really went out of his way to assist her.  KUDOS to Rob, Jeff and Paula for going above and beyond to help others in need.
• Brandon Nelling submitted this KUDO to personally thank all of the Wheelchair personnel for going above and beyond and working long hours on a very busy week. All of the Wheelchair Techs stepped up and got the work done. Much thanks to all of them. Your hard work and dedication does not go un-noticed. KUDOSto the Wheelchair staff.
• El Phillips, Hospital Coordinator submitted this KUDO to the Communication Center staff and field crews, “hats off to our dispatchers and crews for doing such a great job at our newly acquired UH facilities. There was a lot of buzz from the hospital staff about our timeliness, courtesy, and appearance. It’s great to see the teamwork and synergy working together.” Nice job everyone!!
• Paula Shenal Operations Manager submitted a KUDO regarding staff at the Warrensville station for being proactive and independent in station cleanliness. The crews sent Paula a note informing her of all of the housekeeping they conducted to keep the station clean and professional. KUDOS to the Warrensville staff.
• Gail Deemer submitted this KUDO received in the Communications Center from a patient’s care-giver, “she went on and on about how wonderful our service has been and that what a difference in professionalism and a feeling of being like family in comparison to what they were getting from another service provider.” She mentioned Alan Hensley. Nice job Alan!!
• Shanolen Kendall, Hospital Coordinator submitted this KUDO stating she “wanted to extend to the hard working CCAN EMS crews that you all are to be commended for your dedication and professionalism. UH Richmond is very pleased with our service and care of patients. I am very proud to be a part of the team. Keep up the great work.”  You are appreciated!!
• Sarah Hall submitted this KUDO from the Communication Center to Wheelchair Techs helping with   additional volume of transports – Dennis Battles, Jim Akuszewski, Alan Hensley, Jack Schinness.
• This KUDO was submitted by Amanda Cusano in the Billing Department when a patient’s spouse called in to double check on a balance. During their conversation she said more than once how much she liked the driver (William Schiedel) he was very nice and helpful. KUDOS William!!
• Michael Van Norman submitted this KUDO for Warrensville staff relationship building when a nurse from Ahuja called to pass along her gratitude for the RedBull beverages the crew dropped off; she said she missed her morning stop for coffee and really appreciated the pick me up!
• A patient called CCA to make sure that Mike Camplese transported her to the DR. She said he was very nice to her, walked her in asked how long she would be and waited for her to get done with her appointment even though it was going to hold him over so she wouldn’t have to wait an hour and a half for the next driver to arrive. Her appointment was only 15 minutes and he got her right home after and she was so thankful that she didn’t have to sit and wait. She said that she also was transported by Jack Shinness and he is always very nice. KUDOS Mike and Jack!!
• KUDOS to Jeff Tennant and Ben Murch who took a vent patient from Heather Hill to Geauga.  Upon arrival at Geauga, radiology department stated the patient’s insurance will not pay at Geauga.  Family was not happy at all with this.  Jeff and Ben were instrumental in making it happen so patient could be seen at Metro.  They took the patient to Metro for CT. The family was with them.  This patient and his wife of 50+ years were in an MVA in Troy Township.  His wife was still in the ICU at Metro. The family asked while they were waiting for results if their dad could be taken to ICU to see their mom.  Jeff and Ben made that happen.  The staff at Metro was extremely welcoming and per Jeff there were some tears flowing.  The family was extremely happy as they were able to be next to each other and hold hands for that short time. KUDOS to Jeff and Ben for your care of patients and their families!!
• Crews were at the scene to pick up another patient out of the Seidman Cancer Center at UH Case. Crews observed a person seizing outside and quickly provided care for this patient, taking them over to the Case ER. Think that it was a great thing that they did for this patient.
• Kim Britton submitted this KUDOS to the crews picking up a patient out of the Seidman Cancer Center at UH Case. “Crews observed a person seizing outside and quickly provided care for this patient, taking them over to the Case ER. Think that it was a great thing that they did for this patient.” Crew members were – Tony Sposit, Jennifer McCoy, Kyle Chambers, and Theo Kavorous
• Robin Osborn from the Billing department submitted this KUDO from a patient’s spouse who wanted CCA to know how nice and kind our crew was and how happy she was with our service. The nicest crew members are James Philips and Adam Way!!
• Andover Police Chief Randy Gentry informed Operations Manager Amy Bernato the crews are looking professional in uniform and it is noted and that is half the battle is customer perception.  From his view the crews are great and we have had a great working relationship so far!
• A friend of a patient who passed away at a Pymatuning campground said the CCA EMS crew was GREAT. Her boyfriend had already passed and there was nothing our crew could do, they had to wait for the coroner for about 2 hours. She said they consoled her and even helped her pack up things and clean up. The crew was Brankica Balaban and Jake Rice who showed such compassion at a very difficult time.
• A hospice called to express appreciation for Michael James and Monika Lovric. The representative stated she has worked in hospice for 12 years and has never witnessed such compassion and quality care and looks forward to working with us. KUDOS to MJ and Monika!!
• While evaluating a patient at Briar Hill, a customer informed Operations Manager Paula Shenal that “the bald gentleman” who took her yesterday for her treatment was “comforting” and “like having an old friend visit on a bad day.” She said he held her hand while taking her to and from treatment as she was scared. “The bald gentleman” is Courtney Schroeter. KUDOS Courtney for a job well done!!
• A Commendation was received from Ashtabula County Medical Center On October 13 2013 for Jake Rice Paramedic who went above and beyond. On this day Ashtabula County Medical Center had a medical emergency in our ED. Jake while on duty was finishing his tasks as a CCAN employee at ACMC. During this time he realized that the ACMC Emergency Department was engaged in life saving measures for patients with critical needs. Jake Rice performed duties and was extra hands during a time when few where available. Jake should be commended for being available to perform vital functions that serve both CCAN and ACMC in saving lives of the community that our organizations serve. Jake can be credited at this time with ensuring nurses were available to perform lifesaving measures as well as ensuring timely care was provided to less critical patients. Jake Rice should be noted as an asset to CCAN and the Ashtabula community as a whole. Jake, you are an asset to CCA!!
• Ashley Schaffer asked Operations Supervisor Jim O’Dell if he could check on a patient previously transported. Ashley stated pt is on 15lpm o2, and they were to transport her to facility for blood transfusion, but it turned out to be a negative transport, as nobody answered the door.  Crew had Communication Center try calling the residence, and also the destination to see if pt was admitted, but it was unknown. When Jim reviewed the trip in CAD, he saw that there was another negative trip with no answer at patient residence.  No other trips showed in CAD so Jim called the patients phone number that was listed in trip details. The patient answered the phone, and Jim introduced himself, and stated that one of the crew members who was at her residence to pick her up expressed concern for her wellbeing, as there was no answer at the door, or the phone when we called. The patient was very apologetic, she stated she was admitted into the hospital for blood, and forgot about the appt to cancel.  Jim told her she did not need to apologize, we are just happy to hear that she is ok, and back at her residence. The patient was very grateful and thought that our checking up on her was wonderful.  She said she never had people care that much to go out of their way to check on her and to please tell the person that was here to pick me up, thank you very much. KUDOS to Ashley Schaffer and Jim O’Dell for going above and beyond to care for others.
• Operations Supervisor Jim O’Dell received KUDOS from a patient’s daughter who wanted some of our staff recognized.  For starters she wanted to state that she was very pleased with our company on how personable our staff is.  She then briefly described that her mother’s missing belongings (clothing) concern was immediately addressed by the driver Jack Schinness, who was very friendly and personable.  She stated he called his supervisor and expressed my concern over missing belongings.  “That doesn’t happen these days, people always say I will contact my supervisor, but he did, and was serious about it”. She then described Steve Heglund, who did initial transport, stated he was absolutely outstanding, just outstanding, very personable. “You can’t buy these kinds of personalities”. Now, the supervisor by the name of Michael, he called me, at not an inappropriate time, 9pm, and said that “I’m going to track down your mothers clothes.  We are going to find them, so I don’t want you to worry about that.” She was very impressed with him.  She continued to say that “in this day in age, with lack of quality services around, it’s really refreshing to have interacted with these people from your organization.” “This speaks volumes of the leadership. From the top, down.  This is excellent.” Jim said it was very pleasant speaking with the patient’s daughter. Jim thanked her very much for calling in with these compliments and gave her a brief history of this organization, and our mission statement, which she was impressed with and stated that we really do follow through with that in her eyes, and she will let everyone she knows, hear about her experiences. KUDOS to all involved – Jack Schinness, Steve Heglund, Michael Van Norman, Jim O’Dell.

• Jake Rice submitted this KUDO for Dwayne Nieder. “I want to let you know that last night somehow I made a wrong turn and called Dwayne who sat on the phone with me street by street using CAD and Google earth to pin point where I needed to be and my surroundings. I was able to make the family who was following me comfortable and know exactly where we were and where we needed to be…..only 2 miles away but without Dwayne taking the time and staying on the phone helping me we would not have made it. Please pass along our sincere thanks to him!!! KUDOS Dwayne for being so helpful to a crew member!!
• A Middlefield resident reached out to Operations Manager Paula Shenal informing the crews look great stating that our uniforms are looking very professional and he likes the addition of the zip up jacket. He states it was a good choice and our crews our looking good.
• Dwayne Nieder sends this KUDO to all the Field Staff and the Communication Center Crew that worked a very hectic and busy night. Great Job on the part of the Dispatch crew Brandon Nelling, and Megan Turk in communicating with the facilities to update them as the night played out. They did a great job!!
• A recent new hire commented “The two guys who interviewed were awesome”. KUDOS to Mark Campleseand Eric Dugan and all of the Recruitment Team members conducting interviews.
• Mark Burcaw and Doug Clugh were recognized by UH Geauga for their STEMI patient care. Attached is the U Geauga memo. KUDOS Mark and Doug!!
• Kelly Pintchuk while working in her role as a PA at the Geauga ER submitted this KUDO for Traci Thompsonand April Barnes, they brought in a psych evaluation patient and had good clinical intuition recognizing a more significant clinical problem.  They were good advocates for their patient. KUDOS Traci and April!!
• Ashley Wickert’s mother stopped in around Thanksgiving, she was very emotional and grateful for the friendships Ashley had at CCA and wanted to show her appreciation through the holidays sharing her awareness of what  these friendships meant to her. She presented CCA with two cookie trays and gave hugs.  She visited the Communication Center to see the memorial they placed in Ashley’s  memory. It was impressive to see the emotional connection and the support we as an organization provided indirectly to Ashley’s mother. It was almost as if she found strength in her visit and a level of comfort being close to something so important to her daughter.
• Jim O’Dell shared this positive comment from Dr Stephano made while visiting his grandmother at GRH, the cardiologist Dr. Stephano came in to discuss her status for surgery and as he was leaving, he did a double take at Jim’s uniform, and said, “You guys do real good work at Community Care.” Jim thanked him for the compliment.
• A customer called just to give KUDOS to a very smooth process.  He said he spoke with Heather Gillinghamwhen scheduling his ride and said she is quite kind.  He then said Pete Bean was also helpful and kind.  He wants to write a letter to our congressman to share his experience.  He is also calling ACMC to advise. KUDOS Heather and Pete!!
• Rita Stroyny coordinated the stockings filled with love and gifts from the staff at CCA in the back of this car. ( this is Rita’s sister in pic) management, billing, com center and field staff all helped out. It is an amazing display of affection and caring for others – KUDOS to Rita for getting everybody involved at CCA and those who helped her by donating a stocking!!
• Operations Supervisor Michael Van Norman submitted this KUDO from a customer who was very pleased with her trip. Driver was Micky Simko. She said “he is really great, the best!” She said she wanted me to know what a nice man he is and what a good job he was doing. KUDOS Micky!!
• Danny Franks submitted a KUDO for Heather Gillingham for an outstanding job with entering all the patient trips for this week’s appointments from Canal Pointe (about 5 pages worth) and still handling her normal intakes today. All of dispatch handled themselves fairly well today, but Heather in particular did an outstanding job. KUDOS Heather!!
• Brandon Nelling extend KUDOS to Mike Goodwill and Amy Bernato as they went out of their way to handle multiple Dialysis trips that we did not have a crew to send for them. This is just many ways our Leadership Team goes above and beyond to make sure we extend the best care possible to our patients. Thank You Amyand Mike!!!
• The daughter of a customer called to let us know how happy she is with Daryl Games. She said he treats her mom with respect, and really cares about his patients. KUDOS Daryl.
• KUDOS out to every single Wheelchair Tech from Jill Spellman! On a day to day basis, these drivers work very hard for me and with taking on additional facilities each and every one of the drivers has worked very hard to make sure they were on time to pick up and appts in appropriate times. These drivers have a wonderful sense of camaraderie with one another – they have been communicating with one another to help with directions, shortcuts, hints and tips for the new facilities and areas, as well.
• KUDOS Bryon Moore for rearranging/cleaning stock area at St 8. Much needed and appreciated!!

• Controller Megan Turk submitted this KUDO received from a patient who called stating how happy she was with our company’s service, that the crew (Diane Langenberg and Justin Magill) was wonderful. She also hopes we take over Cleveland and take care of all her transports J She would also like to star in our company TV commercial if we ever do one. She called around 1620 on 12/27/13 if anyone wants to listen to her phone call. Great job Diane and Justin!!

KUDOS FOR JULY & AUGUST 2013 FROM PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS

• The dispatch kept me very calm, was excellent service – K. Britton
• Wonderful, caring people.  Thank you again! Very Professional. – B. Bindokas, C. Cusano
• They did a professional job. Good Driver. – S. Finley, C. Stickle
• The medic providing my care was excellent, kind, and very reassuring – M. Bernato, L. Santos
• Don’t remember her name but she was fabulous! – A. Chavero, Ed Stitt
• Dispatch very nice & helpful & friendly. – M. Turk
• Mike & Lee were very nice & compassionate. – L. Santos, M. Bernato
• OMG – (speaking of dispatch) She was fantastic.  She wouldn’t let me hang up until help arrived and she help calm me down.  She was an angel! – D. Moore
• They knew what they were doing and aided me as best possible.  I felt very comfortable & safe.   They are a God send.  They made me feel like they truly cared. R. James, M. Lovric, T. Kavouras
• The two medics were excellent.  God bless them. – K. Dupree, K. Swider
• Very professional and efficient services provided.      We couldn’t have done it without you. – T. Cline, S. Berish, J. McCoy
• Both EMTs were great!     They were gentle & respectful. – E. Dugan, R. Stroyny
• Dispatch explained what they are going to do and help the person to relax. – C. Gillette
• They treat you like they would a member of their family. – L. Clark, C. Stickle
• My son liked the medics that transported him.  They made him laugh, made him feel comfortable and took good care of him. –           M. James, D. Herrington