With great pleasure, Jim Flickinger submitted our Director of Nursing (DON) for consideration as BrightStar Nurse of the Year and to her great surprise, Kelly Honn received not only the 2016 Midwest Region Award, but went on to receive the National Nurse of the Year Award as well! We wanted to share a few media placements from yesterday’s Nurse of the Year event in Wheaton.The Daily Herald Reporter Jessica Cilella and photographer Bev Horne attended the event and created both a print and video story, which you can view here: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160329/news/160328821/
ABC 7 News Chicago (Viewership: 453,308) was also able to attend the event and ran a news story during the 6 o’clock news. To view the segment: https://youtu.be/UhwzCf0ZjH8 As Kelly's Supervisor, Jim Flickinger regularly reviewed her performance, usually with the Traction People Analyzer which emphasizes our BrightStar Core Values. Let’s just say Kelly easily exceeds expectations on each and every organizational Core Value. The rating chart does not go high enough on several of them! She is a shining example of these values to us all, especially to her office and field nurse team:
a. She is so Open & Positive, sometimes remarkable so in the face of the stressful, chaotic nature of healthcare generally. b. She “Serves with Passion” at all times, especially in the areas of quality patient care and protection. c. She “Does the Right Thing” at all times just because doing such is part of her makeup. d. She “Does What She Says” and as her supervisor that is so helpful to our organization. e. You certainly should be able to tell she “Makes It Great” in all that she does. We are a “Great” organization because of her unyielding dedication to our clients and firm. Read more about her role as Director of Nursing at BrightStar Care Central Dupage-Wheaton. Jim closed with a final sentiment that maybe best captures Kelly's application of loving care to our clients. "She has a nurse's intuitive sense about care quality issues. If and when she senses in the least sometimes, that the best of care is not being provided to our agency clients generally, and her patients specifically, she becomes doggedly guarded about the matter. With Kelly it is all about patient care and protection, and if the CNA or nurse has to go as a result, so be it. This makes it rough sometimes for recruiting and scheduling, but with Kelly the patient comes first, always. Kelly is usually so easy going, but when it comes to patient safety, we see a much more determined Kelly. Usually her 'intuition' is dead on, and that field staff person ends up leaving us, but Kelly can show a fierce side on these matters all to the benefit of her clients and our BrightStar business." For these reasons Kelly is our BrightStar Nurse of the Year every year!