Employee of the Year Awards

Fort Wayne, IND. -- VA Northern Indiana Health Care System held an ICARE award ceremony to honor its employees held at the Fort Wayne, Marion, and Mishawaka facilities Dec. 16. These employees went above and beyond to help a Veteran or even a fellow employee.

The ICARE Employee of the Year was awarded to Motor Vehicle Operator Reggie Harris. He was at the residence of the Veteran he was picking up and noticed two Bristol, Indiana police cars at the residence. One the police officers came out and notified Reggie that they received a call requesting assistance for a distressed Veteran. Roughly 20 minutes later the Veteran emerged from the house frail, crying and expressing how much he did not want to go to the VA because the VA was the one who had done this to him. After acknowledging Reggie, and having a short discussion, it was discovered the Veteran and Reggie are Marine Corps Veterans.  Shortly after that. everyone, noticed a change in the demeanor of the Veteran. Reggie was able to calm the Veteran by talking about their shared military experiences. Reggie showed what ICARE is all about.

The ICARE Employee of the Year First Co-Runner Up was awarded to AC Mechanic Michael Foster for going above and beyond to solve a dilemma with inpatient hot water. The reconstruction of the 4th floor in 2019, increased the number of showers from seven on the unit to 26 individual showers. This burdened the original hot water infrastructure and the facility struggled to provide hot water consistently over the years to our Veterans. Foster heard about the issues and used his engineering expertise to create a more efficient way to route the water to the all the rooms. Foster’s ability to step outside his role as an AC mechanic and think outside the box to develop a creative unconventional solution, not only saved the organization fiscally sort-term, but will has long-lasting affects towards higher patient satisfaction scores and lower infection rates.

Andrea Bearden, NP, was awarded ICARE Employee First Co-Runner Up, for her diligence providing patient care. A Veteran was concerned with neurological symptoms due to a drug interaction, which the Veteran initially dismissed. During an appointment with Bearden, the Veteran shared concerns. She conducted a thorough examination and identified worrisome symptoms that warranted an emergency MRI. She proactively contacted Community Care to expedite my imaging, and she called the Veteran promptly with the results, recommending they see a neurosurgeon immediately.  When the Veteran’s neurosurgeon appointment was delayed, Bearden then took the initiative to reach out to schedule an earlier appointment. Ultimately, the Veteran learned they had severe spinal stenosis and spinal cord compression, with the neurosurgeon advising that without surgery, they might risk ending up in a wheelchair.

Also awarded were Co-Second Runner Ups Angela “Brooke” Enyeart, NA and Charles Bevaun Graves, Mental Health SW.