GCVHCS Announces Social Worker of the Year
BILOXI, Miss. – The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System’s (GCVHCS) Social Work Service named its Social Worker of the Year April 18 during a brief recognition ceremony at the organization’s headquarters in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Heather Donnelly, a three-year GCVHCS employee, was named the organization’s Social Worker of the Year during the ceremony, during which GCVHCS Director Bryan C. Matthews presented her with a certificate and acknowledged her contributions to the organization an the more than 82,000 Veterans it serves along the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast.
“Social work is a difficult pursuit and those who choose this profession must be prepared to engage in a variety of functions to ensure our Veterans continue receiving the care they deserve,” Matthews said. “Donnelly has epitomized both the GCVHCS values and the VHA [Veterans Health Administration] standards of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence, and I couldn’t be more proud to recognize her as the top social worker from a field of outstanding peers.”
Donnelly, a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast, currently works as an acute care/intensive care unit social worker at the Biloxi VA Medical Center, a position centered around providing safe and appropriate discharge plans for Veterans in the organization’s acute care. Donnelly also serves on the Biloxi VA Medical Center’s Preventative Ethics Committee and is an integral part of the team aspect the GCVHCS Social Work Service employs.
“[Donnelly] truly goes above and beyond her job title and is a valued member of her interdisciplinary team,” said GCVHCS Social Work Service Assistant Chief Alice Entrekin. “She has been a sounding board and an empathetic listener to our Veterans and often acts as the buffer between the Veteran and the medical staff to ensure their needs can be met.”
Entrekin added that Donnelly successfully adapted to the increase in facility admissions during the ongoing global health crisis, remaining flexible and resourceful during the implementation of enhanced visitor restrictions as well as adopting additional roles to ensure Veteran needs were met.
Donnelly’s recognition comes on the heels of Professional Social Work Month, celebrated annually in March as a method of highlighting the significant contributions social workers make in the numerous disciplines in which they are employed. According to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the organization maintains a rich history of social work innovators and leaders, as well as the profession's commitment to improving social conditions and quality of life opportunities for Veterans, their families, and caregivers.
The Biloxi Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, along with the Mobile, Pensacola, Eglin and Panama City community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) are all part of the GCVHCS, which is headquartered in Biloxi, Mississippi, and provides a variety of medical outpatient services to more than 82,000 Veterans.