Paula Farmer’s Stars Shine

Paula Farmer

Note: We continue to highlight the six individuals and three teams who received a 2007 Excellence Award this year in each edition of Vital Signs. The awards are given to those whose professional and personal standards exemplify quality patient care, mirroring the values of the institution’s Strong Commitment initiative: integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence.

This year, a new category was added to the Excellence Awards to honor a person who has received multiple nominations through our employee recognition program, Strong Stars. Each year, we receive around 1,500 submissions from patients, family members, and even employees who take time to single out their positive experiences at our hospital.

It seems fitting that the inaugural Strong Stars Excellence award was presented to a woman who personifies caring and compassionate customer service. Paula Farmer, receptionist for Strong Health Care Management and Social Work for the past three years, has received FIVE submissions since the program was first launched. To put this number in perspective, less than two percent of the 1,500 submissions that come through each year are for employees who have previously won a Strong Star.

In her receptionist role, Farmer is the first interaction patients and their families have when they are in need of help. Often these situations are emotionally charged and it takes a person with a calming presence and caring spirit to defuse what could easily become an explosive encounter.

Greeting each guest with a warm and welcoming smile, Farmer often curbs problems before they start. In any given day, she triages more than 50 patient situations. This requires active and careful listening to understand which of the 150 social workers should be contacted to develop a resolution.

Social work staff know that not only will Farmer do all that is possible for a customer before contacting them for assistance, but that she will stay on top of the situation, keeping them informed of re-occurring issues and alerting them of any possible problems. She truly sets the example for others and is well respected by her colleagues and management.

Many patients comment that Farmer will go the extra mile to help them, and that this alone helps to comfort them and ease their stress. In fact, many patients, once recovered, come back and visit Farmer personally to thank her for her help.

“Paula is the personification of customer service excellence,” said Susan Saunders, director of Care Management and Social Work. “She is so gifted in working with others, in part because of the kindness and empathy that characterize her as a person.”

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