Adventist Health and Rideout Honors Jan. 2024 BE Award Recipients

The BE award recognizes associates who exemplify Adventist Health "BE" statements (Be Love, Be a Force for Food, Be a Mission Owner, Be Welcoming, Be Curious, Be Brilliant). All Adventist Health and Rideout associates at the hospital, outpatient clinics and skilled nursing facility are eligible for nomination.

Here are the BE Award recipients for Jan. 2024:

BE Award: Mariah Nekota
Nominated by: Jeannie Chung
BE Statement: Be Brilliant

Jeannie Chung: ““I had the pleasure of attending a rapid response with Mariah. She recognized decompensation in her patient immediately and did not hesitate to tell me. Her SBAR and, especially assessments, were thorough. She was able to provide all the answers to my questions, which is not always the case with urgent situations. She was communicating with myself and the physician throughout the night. She did not hesitate to advocate for her patient to move to a higher level of care. Her patient triggered a sepsis alert, and she completed the worksheet and performed the appropriate interventions in a timely manner. What stands out to me is how much she had to do in a few short hours, and she was still able to attend to her other patients. She was brilliant in the rapid response. I even forgot to advocate for antibiotics, but she did not! She was with her patient until he stabilized. She was truly a standout nurse during this rapid response, and she did so much. She embodied Being Brilliant.”

BE Award: Pam Launius
Department: The Gardens, Assisted Living
Nominated by: Jill Schultz
BE Phrase: Be a Force for Good

Jill Schultz: “Pam is the activities associate at The Gardens. Every year she makes an extra special effort to provide Christmas gifts for all the residents. She gathers a list of the Christmas wishes of each resident which is put into a spreadsheet that hospital employees can use to sign up to be 'gifters'.

"Gifts begin arriving about a week before Christmas Day. Pam arranges time for each resident to open their gifts and ensures the items are appropriate for the individual. Santa stopped by this year to hand out some of the gifts too. The delight on the faces of the residents brings great joy to the Gardens staff as well as those who provided gifts.

"Pam’s efforts also bring great joy to the 'gifters'. Some folks pick out one resident and provide all of that person's wishes. Some select an item or two like toothbrushes or shampoo and fill the requests for the whole group. A few of us get to be 'shoppers' and make good use of the money donated by others. Everyone truly enjoys participating in brightening the holidays for these seniors.

"This year was particularly successful. We were blessed with gifts from two community groups as well as numerous individuals. Pam very kindly provided guidance on some of the likes and dislikes of the residents to help gifters select ideal gifts. Due to the generosity of the group, we were also able to provide some materials for activities. Pam is truly a force for good as exemplified by her annual Gardens Gifts effort.”

BE Award: Hardeep Lally
Nominated by: Michael Brown
Be Phrase: Be Brilliant

Michael Brown: "Hardeep is my charge nurse. He is truly brilliant in every way possible and always has an answer to every single question that I have. On the days that I get floated and he's working on 2 East, he will either call me to see how I'm doing, or he will personally visit me to see how I'm doing. When he does that, I get totally blown away that he takes time out of his busy day to check up on us! To see how he cares for each and every one of us when he's working, and to have him confidently answer our questions, and to have him solve problems that arise during our shifts are truly amazing. And all the while that he's doing his charge duties, he usually does four or five ultrasound IVs, and he always maintains a very positive and encouraging attitude. There are many nurses that have a quality or two that stand out and set examples for us to reach, but Hardeep truly has all those qualities all rolled up within himself. He truly sets the mark for excellence. Please consider Hardeep for the Be Brilliant award.”

BE Award: Dr. Arjun Sandhu

Nomination by: Julie Borges
Be Phrase: Be Welcoming

Julie Borges: “As a temporary worker in the podiatry department for the past three months, I have had the pleasure of getting to work with and know Dr. Sandhu. I frequently see him work tirelessly for his patients. It is not uncommon for him to put in a full day at the clinic and then head over to the hospital and do surgeries. The next day, bright and early, he's back in the clinic with his easy-going attitude, ready to serve his community. As a newcomer to podiatry, I was definitely impressed when he made himself available to me so that I could ask him any question that I had. He is “Welcoming.” Dr. Sandhu is absolutely focused on delivering excellent care. He is a gentleman who is kind, gracious and patient with his employees and patients, a true "Force for Good". He encompasses "Be Brilliant" because his entire clinical staff work as a team to never let anyone, or anything fall through the cracks. His hard work and dedication to his profession is shared and supported by all of his clinic staff. Dr. Sandhu is living and working the values of Adventist Health.”