Our next Mendocino Coast hero truly embodies living our value of “Be Brilliant” and “Be Curious”.

She is known by her peers and patience as enjoyable, gentle, upbeat, compassionate, kind, courteous— the list is never ending! When we speak about what the values of “Be Brilliant” and “Be Curious” means to our team it’s, “leveraging our best talents and skills to shine. We make promises and keep them, always expecting the same from others. We also seek to understand how things work and why, innovating and being open to new ideas and approaches our mistakes and learn from them.”

This month’s Mendocino Coast hero, Milan Spadoni is our lead radiology tech at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast, and she is so deserving of this month’s hero award. Milan was nominated by her peers and patients an outstanding eleven times! A record for anyone nominated at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast! She makes a huge difference in our patients and teams life.

One patient who suffers from severe anxiety wrote in to nominate Milan and wrote, “I finally scheduled an appointment for my first mammogram at the age of 56 due to my fears. Well, I had a panic attack during the appointment. Milan could write the book on how to care for anxious patients. With Milan showing me kindness, warmth, and such patience, I was able to face my fears and complete the mammogram. She was even cheering me on at one point. Milan's calming presence and gentle words made me confident in her care. I couldn't have done it without her. Milan not only changed that day but the rest of my life! I will continue to get mammograms in my future. Thank you, Milan, you're the best!”

Another patient wrote, “Milan was exceptional. I’ve never had a mammogram experience quite so positive, relaxed and human. I thought she was excellent and beyond my expectations.”

Our team also sees the incredible impact Milan makes on our patients and on her team. One team member wrote, “We have patients call in who rave about how gentle and compassionate Milan is and that she has changed the way they feel about getting their screenings now.”

Another patient also told one of our Nursing Managers for the Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Medical Offices that she hadn’t had a mammogram in years because her last one had been so painful and unpleasant, but she recently got one at our hospital from Milan and she said she couldn’t believe the difference and that as long as Milan is here, she will continue to schedule her yearly mammograms.

Milan is amazing at her job and produces the very best work and results for our patients and staff, which is another important component of her work. One of our techs have even said, “The quality of mammogram images and positioning skills that Milan produces are top notch. She is a blessing to have on our team, to this hospital and community.”

Milan lives our mission through and through as a stellar team member and asset to our community. She makes Adventist Health Mendocino Coast an incredible place.

Thank you, Milan, for being a hero to our staff and patients. Your ability to provide support and excellent care makes you a true Mendocino Coast hero and we thank you for all you do. Join us in congratulating Milan on this incredible achievement!