SUNRISE, Fla. — Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s largest provider of home care and supplemental health care staffing services, is pleased to recognize Interim HealthCare of the Eastern Carolinas for their 25 years of service and their three local caregivers who received awards at the 37th Annual Association for Home and Hospice Care convention in Durham, North Carolina: Clayton Rich of Garland; Jennifer Jones of Pink Hill, and Melissa Britt of Orrum.
Clayton Rich, Nursing Assistant (NA), received the 2009 In-Home Aide of the Year Award. Rich was honored for going the extra mile for each and every patient, finding positives in any situation, and taking on the most difficult cases without complaint. In his acceptance speech, Rich thanked his employers and colleagues for their many years of support and challenged everyone in attendance to keep making a difference in patients’ lives. When not working, Rich can be found volunteering for those less fortunate. It is this “spirit of service to others” that makes him a role model for all and a beacon of compassion and caring.
Jennifer Jones, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), received the 2009 Paraprofessional of the Year Award for being the embodiment of perseverance and the power of home care. She began her medical career as a nurse aide and saw firsthand the positive impact of talented home care nurses. Jones attended nursing school during lunch hours, nights, and weekends to become an LPN, and then forged on in pursuit of her degree in registered nursing (RN), which she is scheduled to receive in spring 2010. Jones also serves her country as a Specialist in the United States Army Reserve, strengthening her civilian clinical skills with military medicine. Recently assigned to a patient who was deemed hopelessly unresponsive, Jones took on the challenge to rehabilitate her stating, “There is always hope, as long as there is always love.” Jones assessed and closely monitored her patient’s situation, recommending changes in medication and ventilator settings. Within weeks the patient became responsive and has now progressed to the point that she can speak, eat and walk. Jones’ contributions are perhaps best summarized in the words of this patient, who said, “Jennifer is my everything…I wouldn’t be here without her.”
“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily,” said Melissa Britt, RN, and Branch Manager for the Interim Office in Lumberton, North Carolina, who received the 2009 Home Care Leadership Award. Never shrinking from the bright light of leadership, Britt was recognized for continually facing challenges with unwavering confidence and for seeking specialized training and new ways to meet the evolving needs of her clients and referral sources. Wound care credentialed, cardiac care trained and pediatric credentialed, Britt fills needs on all shifts whether day, night, weekend or holiday, often putting her patients’ and teams’ needs above her own. No stranger to awards, Britt’s glowing reviews also earned her Interim HealthCare office the nationwide company’s 2007 National Preeminent Award for Patient Satisfaction. When asked why she continually challenges herself as a supervisor to learn more and help more, Britt spoke of the ways in which helping and inspiring others has, in turn, helped her grow.
Founded in 1966, Interim HealthCare is the nation’s oldest proprietary national organization providing health care personnel at all skill levels in all settings. Through a comprehensive network of more than 300 offices, Interim HealthCare is the largest combined provider of community-based home care (skilled and non-medical) and health care staffing. Interim HealthCare is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards that improve the delivery of service through more than 75,000 health care workers who serve 50,000 people each day.
For more information, visit www.interimhealthcare.com .
