Annual Meeting Awards
March 8, 2010
15 YEAR AWARDS:
ADMINISTRATION:
Luisa King, Senior Accountant
Luisa helps record the financial impact of just about everything that goes on at the VNAIC – patient billings, employee payroll, grants and donations, and vendor payments. Her manager always knows when something isn’t right because she’ll be waiting to ask who, what and why. Luisa is Accounting’s Star Employee when it comes to numbers and is known as the spreadsheet queen. She is also the VNA Accounting Encyclopedia. Even though her role is not one that is known throughout the company, her work impacts every part of the organization and is key to its success. Accounting is very proud that Luisa was selected as the administration department’s finalist for this year’s “Yes, I Can” award. Thank you, Luisa, for not only 15 years of service, but your positive attitude in all you do for VNAIC!
PALM DESERT HOME HEALTH:
Sheila Flood, Physical Therapist
Sheila has many years of experience and has an excellent reputation in the community. She is able to handle a large case load of patients and still manage to submit her paperwork timely. She also assists the Clinical Educator with staff education and is a member of the OBQI Committee.
Kay Stahl, RN, Case Manager
Kay began her VNAIC career working in the Palm Desert branch. She later transferred to the Riverside office, but after a short time there, Kay returned to Palm Desert and never looked back! When Kay is on the job, you can feel confident that everything will be handled. Kay stands out as an advocate for her patients. Her knowledge and experience have gained her the respect that she deserves from many physicians in the valley.
PALM DESERT HOSPICE:
Dorothy Warren, RN
“Hospice Dorothy” is a nurse that the Palm Desert hospice team has ome to rely on. No matter what she is asked to do, she does it with grace and a smile. She has functioned as the educator, a manager, a staff nurse, and a friend to all. When the Banning office needed her services “temporarily” she went to help and stayed almost two years. Needless to say, staff was happy when she came home. Dorothy is semi-retired. She plays an active role in her women’s group which raises money for scholarships to help send local youth to college. She also has a large extended family that she spends quality time with when she is not working.
RIVERSIDE HOME HEALTH:
Bea Palencia, RN, Case Manager
Bea, as we all know her, is now in her 16th year. She has gone through many changes in her 15 years with the VNAIC, and the computer was her biggest challenge when Riverside converted 4 yrs ago. Don’t try and take that computer away from her now! Bea also loves her babies and is happiest when her schedule is all babies. Her team would be lost without her and look forward to more anniversaries with her. Thank Bea for all you do!
VICTORVILLE HOME HEALTH:
Vicki Funderburk, Occupational Therapy Assistant - Selpa
Vicki works with the Home Health and Selpa programs. Vicki has been an Occupational Therapy Assistant for over 30 years. She has a gentle voice, tender touch, and caring spirit. She works well with the team and is always willing to help out in handling extra visits or extra days. Vicki has special magic in working with the Selpa students. She is intuitive, compassionate, and patient. She works well with challenging cases and is well respected by her peers and the community.
Dee Walters, RN
Dee Walters is a Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse extraordinaire. She not only covers four VNAIC branches in her duties, but teaches CORE orientation classes and provides inservice education and consultation on ostomy, skin, and wound care to staff. She also provides education to the community, and works with the local and National WOCN Association to ensure the highest standards for the specialty. Dee is certified by the WOCN board and is qualified to precept nurses who are working on their WOCN education. She is extremely flexible and her expertise has helped countless patients who would otherwise have experienced poor outcomes from wounds or ostomies. She keeps a positive attitude and quick smile always on hand. Her patients love her and ask for her by name.
YUCCA VALLEY HOSPICE:
Lori Carlson, Clinical Educator
Lori originally came to the VNAIC Home Health program and worked as a field nurse. She then transferred to Hospice as a Hospice Case Manager. Lori was the first Hospice Educator hired. She has since assisted in both the Palm Desert and Banning offices as their Educator. When asked what brought her to VNAIC, she reports "I did my ride along in nursing school with a nurse from the Riverside office, which was then on Blaine Street, and went to a patient's home in the Edgemont section of Moreno Valley to do a peak and trough, which we then took to Riverside Community Hospital to run. The interaction between the nurse, patient and family was what I resonated to." Lori does an excellent job as an Educator and plans each orientee’s schedule according to their need. She is competent as an Educator and also seeing patients and doing admits. It is a joy to have Lori on the Yucca Valley Hospice Team!
