COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER APPRECIATION 2020

August 27, 2020

At the end of July 2020, Governor Whitmer proclaimed August 2020 as Community Health Worker Appreciation Month in Michigan and encouraged Michiganders across the state to take the opportunity to thank the community health workers.

Community health workers serve in all regions of the state to help prevent and manage chronic conditions, develop healthy lifestyles, improve maternal and child health, and improve rates of preventative screenings. They effectively deliver health and social services to underserved communities across Michigan through outreach, enrollment, and patient education.

LifeWays would like to acknowledge its wonderful team of staff for the tireless work they do helping the Jackson and Hillsdale communities. Without the dedicated staff at LifeWays many would not be able to receive vital mental health treatment.

As an opportunity to further extend this recognition, LifeWays asked its staff to nominate their peers for exemplary service and dedication. Here are those staff who were recognized.

STAFF SPOTLIGHTS

AUDREY KING

“Audrey King is a part of the Crisis Team at LifeWays. I have had the pleasure of working with Audrey for the past year and I am so glad that she is a part of our team. Audrey is a very compassionate individual, and this shows in her work. She gladly takes on any task and she is always willing to help. No matter who walks through our doors needing help, she is right there ready to aid our consumers.

Audrey has a way of connecting with our consumers on such a level that I greatly admire. Consumers come to us with various levels of crisis or concerns, but she takes it all in stride. She never shies away from a situation, ready to take on anything.

When Audrey meets with a consumer, she comes in with this wave of calm and empathy, and I believe our consumers instantly pick up on this as well. She is very easy to talk to, and consumers often open-up to her. I wish I could put into words how wonderful she is, but I feel I could never do her justice.

Thank you so much for all that you do Audrey; LifeWays is truly lucky to have you.”

COURTNEY SULLIVAN

“Courtney deserves this recognition for so many reasons!

Courtney was instrumental in developing and implementing the hybrid clinic partnership with the Center for Family Health. This partnership ensures that our consumer’s medical needs are addressed. She has spent countless hours contacting, scheduling, and standing with consumers to make sure that they get the medical care they need.

Courtney is an excellent source of medical information for not only LifeWays, but for our provider network. She is often consulted for her vast array of medical knowledge and willingly assists everyone for the betterment of those we serve.

Courtney serves her consumers and coworkers with kindness, compassion and empathy. She exemplifies all of LifeWays values. Thank you, Courtney, for your service to our consumers!”       

“Courtney treats the individuals she serves as just that; as unique individuals who are worthy of respect and quality care.  She advocates for this and partners with other professionals to make this happen.  Her guiding principle can be summed up this way: “What can we do better to improve this person’s life; what we do better to improve the lives of everyone LifeWays serves?”

KAREN SCHMITT

“Karen consistently goes above and beyond in her work. She is passionate about her job and is always there to talk to. She will be there to be an empathetic listener and talk through difficult cases together. She is the heart of the Utilization Management team.”

LEEANN MULLIGAN

“Leanne  goes above and beyond the call of duty to help clients  in need of assistance. I am new employee to LifeWays and have been training remotely. I believe I wouldn’t have the knowledge and expertise that I have gained in this short time without her. She has a kind disposition and is very patient with me no matter how many times I ask questions. She is amazing with the clients and does all she can for them. Leanne also has such has a positive and uplifting spirit. Anyone that has the privilege of working with Leanne is very fortunate she is a true blessing to LifeWays to have her as an employee.”

RICK VAN WAGONER

“Rick has been working in Home and Community Based Services for decades and has consistently provided great service to our region. In his current position Rick is the intermediary between all residential providers and LifeWays. This means, he is responsible for working with all the homes in our area, reviewing them in-person and on paper. He is incredibly knowledgeable on residential policy and practice, often giving insights that nobody else can. Rick knows most of the residential consumers by name and can recall their history. You cannot find someone as dedicated to their work as Rick.

Not only does he constantly improve the quality of LifeWays residential services, he is also a CPI (De-escalation and Physical Intervention) instructor for LifeWays. He trains the whole network on how to keep consumers and staff members safe. In times where CPI practices need to be evaluated, he is the only number on the books, and he is always ready to help.

If you seek inspiration from the social work field, Rick is the person talk to. He can tell you stories about de-institutionalization and his role, the history of the network, and how direct services should be provided in a residential setting. He is always ready to drop his own projects to help others and you never worry about him working under pressure. His ability to work with provider agencies and staff cannot be compared and he makes the residential side of our network better. There really is nobody like Rick and we would not be the same without him.”

TRICIA BORTELL

“Tricia provides exemplary customer service to the Jackson and Hillsdale communities. She is very familiar with resources that are available to individuals and families and invests ample amount of time to become aware of the unique needs of the individual and family to refer to appropriate services and supports. She demonstrates kindness, compassion, and clinical competence to the community and the LifeWays team!”