2024 President's Excellence Awards: Celebrating Excellence

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The 2024 President’s Excellence Awards were celebrated Nov. 12, welcoming staff and leadership to celebrate achievements across the system. Individuals, leaders and teams were awarded for their work to improve patient care and operational efficiencies that strengthen Covenant Health. Honorees were nominated by a leader or supervisor and evaluated by a panel of judges using specific criteria. The highest honor, The President’s Award, was presented to a team project has had significant impact across the system or community.

Leadership awards honor outstanding performance and leadership excellence, as well as achievements related to specific leadership competencies. Individual awards honor employees whose achievements in personal excellence go “above and beyond” everyday responsibilities. Team awards recognize collaborative, multi-disciplinary efforts that are geared toward improving patient care, processes or efficiency in five categories: clinical and operational excellence, financial stewardship, workplace excellence, customer-driven experience and innovation and growth. 

Congratulations to each nominee and winner, and thank you for the extraordinary work you do every day. A full list of winners is below.

The President’s Award

Back to School…to Staff Our Hospital, Fort Loudoun Medical Center

Back to School…to Staff Our Hospital, Fort Loudoun Medical Center

Leadership Achievement Award Honorees

Jim VanderSteeg and Alan Buck posing at the President's Excellence Awards
Alan Buck, Roane Medical Center
Jon Dalton, Parkwest Medical Center
George “Julius” Deaton, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
Cassie Gossett, Peninsula Behavioral Health
Sonya Johnson, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System
Pam Kendrick, Cumberland Medical Center
Yasheta “Pinky” Ross, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
Donna Tilley, Covenant Health Corporate

Individual Achievement Award Honorees

Jim VanderSteeg and Carrie Armes posing at the President's Excellence Awards
Carrie Armes, Roane Medical Center
Anna Datskiv, Covenant Medical Group
Josh Eldridge, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System
Jeremy Goins, Claiborne Medical Center
Adam Groves, Covenant HomeCare and Hospice
Tonya Heller, Covenant Medical Group
Darlene Louthan, Claiborne Medical Center
Tami McClain, Fort Loudoun Medical Center
Amy Rymer-Sheets, Methodist Medical Center
Audrey “Michelle” Short, Claiborne Medical Center
Mari Beth Waschevski, Methodist Medical Center

Team Achievement Award Honorees

Clinical and Operational Excellence

Pharmacist Collaboration for Improved Documentation (PCID) of Complicated Pneumonia Diagnoses, Covenant Health Enterprise

Pharmacy Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (PhAST) Track to Stewardship: Reducing Broad Spectrum Antibiotics at Covenant Health Hospitals, Covenant Health Enterprise

What’s Paper? Are You Prepared for a Technology Disruption?, Covenant Health Enterprise

High-Intensity Environment of Care Rounding, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
An Innovative and Collaborative Approach to a Surgical Navigation Center: Phase 1, Parkwest Medical Center
Remote Monitoring Partnership and Patient Impact, Covenant Medical Group
System Integration in Cancer Care: An Improvement Project of Quality and Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Thompson Cancer Survival Center
Transitional Care Unit Quality of Care Initiative, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center

Financial Stewardship

Case Mix Index Project, Covenant Health Enterprise
Comprehensive Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Transition and Integration of Cumberland Medical Center Into Covenant Health Corporate Infrastructure, Cumberland Medical Center
Multidisciplinary Approach to Patient Safety Indicator (PSI) Reduction: Accurate Documentation Generates Improved Public Reporting, Covenant Health Enterprise
Tennessee Department of Health Healthcare Resiliency Program: Capital Investment Grants, Covenant Health Enterprise

Workplace Excellence

Back to School…to Staff Our Hospital, Fort Loudoun Medical Center

Customer-Driven Experience

Mammography Online Self-Scheduling, Covenant Health Enterprise

Innovation and Growth

Be the Calm, Not the Storm, Covenant Health Enterprise
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About the Author

Covenant Health

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Covenant Health is a community-owned, healthcare enterprise committed to providing the right care at the right time and place. Covenant Health is the area’s largest employer and has more than 11,000 compassionate caregivers, expert clinicians, and dedicated employees and volunteers.