December 2012: Cheryl Wright
“Cheryl is an outstanding employee. Many may not see her on a daily basis, but her plate is definitely full. She wears many different hats as a school based clinician at St. James Santee twice/week, our DSS based staff, and she serves children and families in the Mt. Pleasant, Awendaw and McClellanville areas via home visits making it possible for them to have treatment that is close to their homes and schools. Cheryl is a person that goes above and beyond what is asked of her. She has a big heart and makes sure that she finds a way so that the children and families that she treats do not go without. Despite being so many places, Cheryl often exceeds her productivity on a monthly basis. She provides approximately 25% or more Family Therapy per month for both clinic and school based clients. She completes all documentation within allotted time frame. I hear nothing but positive feedback from DSS, St. James Santee and the children and families that she serves. She is always willing to fill in and assist her peers when she can. Cheryl is a long time employee working professionally and competently out in the field (and in Awendaw, this might literally mean out in a field ) on a daily basis. She is a pleasure to supervise and is well deserving of Employee of the Month.”
Submitted by: Rebecca Scott
November 2012: Diane Welsch
“As a Community Mental Health Center, it is an honor to receive commendations from Central Office staff and a really big honor if those staff are from the Audit Team. While here, Bryant, an auditor with DMH, mentioned that he would like to carry our contract data processes to other centers and during our exit meeting with the Director of Audit, Valerie Perkins, she gave us a verbal commendation on our contract records processes and maintenance. This process helps us stay in order and allows Audit to perform their jobs quickly and clearly. This system was born from the ever organized Diane Welsch. She always works hard to maintain contracts during the part time hours that she serves. The verbal commendation of having one of the better contract monitoring systems in the agency is impressive and something to be proud of. She is a very dedicated and diligent employee that will always go above and beyond the scope of her job so knowing that she is a head above the rest in her job is icing on the cake. Thanks Diane for putting a logical and impeccable system together.”
Submitted by Blaire Foutz, Finance Director
October 2012: Billy Cramer
“Words that come to mind to describe the work Billy Cramer does as an employee of the Charleston Mental Health Center are steadfast, reliable, conscientious, dependable, diligent and hard working. He is quick to help out his peers and shows great patience with a difficult client population. Currently he works with the MH Court team and carries the majority of cases for those found NGRI. His work ethic is admirable and he always finds time to lend a helping hand. One example was when he arrived at the jail on a Monday to see inmates for MH Court. He was unaware that all the jail team’s MHPs were unexpectedly out that day. Cory, who was the sole team member onsite, was very happy to see him! Billy quickly took on the task of assessing all inmates on suicide watch for the day (which was considerable number after a weekend). I would not have known about the events above unless the jail team members had brought it to my attention as Billy is not one to complain or boast. He has a history of helping complete intakes, assisting the DJJ team and if he has cancellations or open time, he takes initiative and asks for more work. Billy also consistently makes productivity and has zero late tickets, another illustration of his outstanding and inspiring work ethic!”
Submitted by Tamara Starnes
September 2012: Lenore Hammerbacher
“Lenore has been the port in the storm in the med clinic throughout September and now October. The 2 FT RN’s she has worked with in the med clinic have both left and she quickly became the only nurse with the answers! She has stepped up to the plate and taken on a leadership role. She has oriented two new RNs and 2 agency nurses, plus has completed all her own work and exceeded her productivity expectation in September. In addition to all of that, she has conveyed an optimistic and positive attitude, made some excellent observations and recommendations for more efficiencies, and been an all-around exceptional team player and good sport. Her sense of humor has been contagious with clients and the new staff. The WAC can be very proud of Lenore and her performance in light of the slim staffing and over whelming load she was so willing to shoulder.”
Submitted by Cheryl Myers
August 2012: Melissa Camp
“I would like to nominate Melissa Camp as Employee of the Month due to the outstanding initiative she has shown in developing and supervising a TCM team. As everyone knows, the transition from individual case managers providing TCM to a team of identified TCM case managers has not been without its complications. Melissa led the team to learn standards for this service and to steer others into making the referrals required. She has devised a tracking system for referrals coming into the team in order to prioritize referrals, tracking when POC’s are due and who is handing each referral. She and her team are attending meetings in Columbia to help further the ‘care coordination team’. We have learned that CDMHC is leading all MHCs in provision of this service- it is 4% of all our billing. Melissa also somehow manages the frustrations and anxiety of clients (and their case managers) who are desperate for electricity, housing, dentures, beds, school supplies, house repairs, washing machines, and medical supplies just to name a few. Melissa is very worthy of this honor.” – Submitted by Cheryl Myers
Nominated by Stacy Cody
July 2012: Michelle Scott
“Michelle is the ‘lone ranger’ housed at LCC. Every time I visit am approached by LCC staff who report how much they appreciate having her and commend her quality of work. She is able to manage not only EMR, but also LCC’s new system of electronic recording keeping. When this new software was introduced, it expanded the assessment information necessary for LCC staff to gather which now includes a Mental Status portion. Michelle provided training for LCC staff on how to conduct a mental status exam as most clinicians were not practiced in this area of assessment. She not only conducts forensic assessments, she also provides TFCBT and PCIT to clients in need and readily seeks out new opportunities for training and expanding her knowledge. I am amazed to see her present at multi-agency staffing as she has a remarkable memory, is thorough yet concise and always has appropriate recommendations at the ready. She is conscientious, compassionate and has a smile on her face on even the toughest days!”
Submitted by Tamara Starnes
June 2012: Jennifer Roberts
Jennifer Roberts is my nomination for the June EOM. Her job is one of constant flux and change, yet she manages it with surprising grace and professionalism. As the center’s Performance Improvement Director, she is responsible for tracking staff productivity…not always a gratifying role. Yet, she performs this function in a manner of always trying to help managers help their staff become successful. She is also the unofficial “EMR Queen.” In this capacity, she is constantly helping staff troubleshoot EMR challenges and acting as the liaison b/t DMH IT and frontline staff….again, not always gratifying. In the month of June, Jennifer took on the heroic effort of heading a grant writing team for a $1.6 million SAMSHA grant to bring primary care into the mental health center’s clinics. In just 3 short weeks, Jennifer and her outstanding team completed the herculean feat of writing an excellent application that to date has sailed through the first two screenings! While writing this grant, Jennifer and her staff were also preparing for the First Annual Lowcountry Mental Health conference sponsored by CDMHC and Mental Health Heroes! They did an amazing job as evidenced by glowing evaluations from a sold out crowd! We were told that it was one of the best conferences many folks had ever attended and it exceeded folks expectations! So for her excellent everyday work and for these two “above and beyond” outstanding performances, I nominate Jennifer Roberts for the June EOM.
Debbie Blalock, Executive Director
May 2012: Danisha Sheppard
“It is with pleasure that I nominate Ms. Danisha Sheppard as Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center’s Employee of the Month. For several months Danisha has served as the sole Human Resources Representative for the MHC following the resignation of the HR Director. In this role Danisha has managed what many would describe as an overwhelming workload. Not only has she continued as the HR Department’s payroll specialist, she has picked-up and successfully handled various other duties, including recruiting, coordinating the hiring and termination process, managing EPMSs, and overseeing employee relations. Many of these tasks were learned and executed “on the fly” which required tenacity and, in some instances, painstaking research. However, regardless of what she’s been asked to do, she has continually exceeded the expectation.
During this same period of time Danisha also served as co-chair of the agency’s Wellness Day, along with Rebecca Scott. The planning, preparation, finding space, soliciting donations, and assisting with the meeting itself required countless hours of additional work and effort. The result? This wellness day has been referred to as one of the best, if not the best, on record. This is a reflection of Danisha’s and Becca’s commitment to the quality of the project and their attention to detail.
Throughout this period Danisha has served as a conscientious, dedicated employee, who when faced with a challenge has performed commendably. Despite her long hours and the increased demands and pressure, she has been able to maintain her enthusiasm, retain her sense of humor, while continuing to smile and remain customer centered. This Mental Health Center is, indeed, fortunate to have such an outstanding employee.”
Respecfully submitted,
F. Kirby Bond
April 2012: Lennie Collett
“Lennie’s primary duty is Medical Records and she handles that well. She takes any responsibility seriously. Lennie is not a clock watcher; she arrives to work at 7:30a.m. and will stay until the end of the day. Lennie goes the extra mile and takes the initiative in seeking other work when her work is finished. She even offers her assistance to the other staff as she is very well versed in all the aspects of the Admin area, and has served as a trainer many times. Due to Lennie’s knowledge of all positions on the administrative team, she is the back up person for almost all positions (receptionist, intake, and Physician Liaison) in some type of capacity and has generally been the “go to” person in the Supervisor’s absence.
She has always been a supportive team member to her immediate team members but she also supports all teams in this clinic. She is willing to help anyone in need no matter what she is in the middle of doing. Lennie’s ability to move beyond her work threshold to provide assistance is an attribute that staff counts on. She has always demonstrated compassion and care for her fellow employees. Her willingness to help, support, and respect employees has been clearly noticed and appreciated. Lennie’s willingness to solve problems and be an active “helper” for all staff make her the consummate “go to person” when a team member needs help getting something done. Some employees call her the “Radar of DMH” because, like the character from Mash, she is the one to go to when you need something. Lennie presents the same helpful, respectful demeanor when dealing with clients in the front office.
In addition, Lennie is receptive to learning different aspects of the administrative positions within our center, and that in itself makes her a very vital part of the center. Lennie is refreshing because she does not worry about being overworked (comes in early and offers to do extra) and her friendly, respectful attitude make her a valuable asset in dealing with the public and the employees.”
March 2012: Taylor Crews
“We would like to nominate Taylor Crews for Employee of the Month (March 2012). Little did Taylor know that the position that she accepted with DMH would not be the actual job that she would be doing when she started on Day 1! Even though she would not be on the RV as she expected, she jumped into her new role as Region 1 nurse with both feet and has been amazing ever since! She took over the role of providing care to MMO clients who had not had a case manager actively working with them for months as well as helping Region 1 clients with medication needs and other nursing services. If Taylor is in the building and you need help, she will provide it. She is kind and compassionate with clients and extremely timely in providing assistance with medication and samples. She is friendly with staff and goes out of her way to help. Region 1 couldn’t be luckier than to have Taylor as our Region 1 nurse!
Addendum: Taylor is extremely proficient with psychiatric nursing skills. She just intuitively knew how to proceed in the outpatient setting and didn’t need a lot of direction except to navigate procedure and protocols. She is actually helping to cross train the other nurses to role outside of Med Clinic!!!”
February 2012: Dr. Betsy Leonard
“I am recommending Dr. Betsy Leonard for employee of the month. She has been a brilliant addition to our staff at Charleston/Dorchester MHC in the last year and half. She volunteered to be the doctor for our new collaborative effort with Franklin C. Fetter Medical Clinics to provide psychiatrist time to a general medical setting. She has worked independently to design her method of documentation, trouble shoot this new endeavor and maintain a smile with late hours and obstacles of scheduling.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Betsy Leonard as a psychiatrist for our community and I know that when she is seeing the patients they are getting comprehensive, thoughtful and attentive care from a very kind doctor.”
– Submitted by Dr. Katherine St. Germain Smith, Medical Director
January 2012: Marion Godwin
“All of Dorchester Mental Health would like to nominate Marion Godwin for the Employee of the Month. Marion has always been an ardent advocate for our clients and our Center. He does so many things that are non-billable in order to advocate.
With regard to our Clients, Marion came up with the idea of creating a food pantry for clients in Dorchester who had lost their food stamps or were just out of food. He donated the first supply; had us run a competition to bring in can goods for the second supply when we had our Tail Gate Party; and since that time, has had a church in the area donate to it. Not only did he start it, Marion is putting in the time to keep it stocked.
He also has made a connection with a local church so our many of our clients receive food baskets at both Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as a supply of Christmas presents for needy clients. This is a connection made several years ago that he keeps active to help our clients.
With regard to advocating for our Center, Marion has been our DE and Court Liaison for many years. Recently he donated time and expertise to offer a DE training and now manages a roster of newly appointed DEs to make our court days run smoother if he should be out. He continues to be our Court Liaison.
Marion has been instrumental in displaying art work by Clients in our wing, thus helping clients’ self-esteem and Case Manager’s morale.
Finally, Marion took his own time to design a format for a promotional DVD to show in our lobby that will showcase our groups and other specialized services as well as give helpful information on Medicare gaps, etc. David Diana has volunteered to help Marion complete and polish this MH advertisement.”
