More than 100 people gathered at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) on Thursday evening, March 1, to celebrate team member accomplishments and milestones. The standing-room only event brought community members and employees together to celebrate the good things happening in the hospital system. The event highlighted new team members, promotions, anniversaries and awards from both the last quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018.
Robby Scucchi was recently named the manager of Volunteer Services. Robby has already been busy growing the Volunteer Auxiliary by recruiting new volunteers, restarting the Junior Auxiliary program and overseeing the remodeling of the thrift store. Also featured were Delbert McCutchen for his promotion to manager of the Education Department and Annette Dean for her promotion to house supervisor.
Employees celebrating more than 20 years of service at NARMC during the months of October through January were recognized. More than 21 percent of employees have been with the healthcare system for more than 10 years. Their contributions to the organization are key to the day-to-day success and care of patients. Congratulations to the following team members on their anniversaries (photo gallery):
Shirley Baker, 49 years
Kathy Looper, 40 years
Sharon Moore, 38 years
Fred Looper, 37 years
Steve Richards, 36 years
Lisa Moore, 36 years
Mike Fuller, 35 years
James Farmer, 34 years
Melissa Graham, 34 years
Melissa Patterson, 31 years
Cary Foley, 30 years
Ronald Knapp, 29 years
John Pearson, 29 years
Brian Unruh, 28 years
Carla Lane, 27 years
Ronnie Martin, 26 years
Marla Phillips, 26 years
Sheryl Reddell, 26 years
Patsy Rhyne, 26 years
Larry Gilliam, 25 years
Paula Maples, 25 years
Karen Tauber, 25 years
Mary Hickman, 24 years
Sabra Sorbo, 24 years
Temple Roberts, 22 years
Cristina Bohannon, 21 years
Molly Harris, 21 years
Dale Ruhwedel, 21 years
Scottie Trammell, 21 years
NARMC President Vince Leist highlighted two state awards presented to team members in the fall of 2017. Steve Richards was named the Arkansas Association of Health-System Pharmacists’ Staff Pharmacist of the Year for his impact on his fellow pharmacy team members. Foundation Director Kim Rosson was recognized for receiving the Diamond Award from the Arkansas Hospital Association for the “Every Gift is a Treasure” fundraising event she organized in the spring.
The OB nursing team was featured for their many recent achievements, including their work to earn international designation as a Baby Friendly birthing facility. NARMC is one of only three such facilities in the state of Arkansas. The Baby Friendly designation focuses on successful breastfeeding and bonding of moms and newborns. The OB department also earned Silver Safe Sleep Leader certification from Cribs for Kids in December 2017. Michelle Murtha and Tina Hedrick of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, a Little Rock-based healthcare quality organization, were instrumental in the OB departments Baby Friendly journey and attended the Spotlight to celebrate with the team.
The hospital also announced nominees in the Arkansas Business Health Care Heroes program. NARMC is nominated in the Small Hospital of the Year category; President Vince Leist is nominated for Health Care Administrator; ER Manager Erin Berry is nominated for Nurse of the Year; and OB Manager Dawn Brown is nominated for Women’s Health and Wellness Hero.
The Arkansas Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team was in attendance and recognized for their contributions to the NARMC 5-Star Award for Total Knee Replacement. Doctors Tarik Sidani, Justin Cutler and Brian Linn work together with hospital surgery and nursing staff to ensure that knee replacement surgeries go as smoothly as possible at NARMC. Joint Care Coordinator Sonya Seay shared in the recognition for her many years of orthopedic work.
NARMC staff and guests celebrated the hospital’s second consecutive year of being on the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital list. The Chartis Center presents the award based on iVantage Health data on patient share, quality, outcomes, financial stability and other measurements of hospital health.
“We are grateful for the community’s support of our NARMC team members,” said Leist. “The NARMC team is dedicated to providing quality care, and we are proud to celebrate their many accomplishments. They truly are the face of healthcare in this community and are making a difference daily through their work.”
The next Spotlight event is planned for June.