2010 Employee of the Year - Deborah Warren, Patient Transport Department

Deb has been with Saints since 1990, starting in the Dietary Department and transferring to the Transportation Department in June 1997. During her tenure here, she has witnessed many changes within the Transportation Department. Deb is the type of person who embraces change with enthusiasm, excitement and a very positive attitude. She has helped her co-workers through these transitions and continues to be a role model for them. She embodies the Saints vision and constantly goes above and beyond in her role to deliver outstanding and high quality customer service to both her internal and external customers.

Deb approaches every situation every day with a smile, a laugh and positive attitude. Even when faced with a difficult situation, she meets it head on with great enthusiasm for the challenge!

Deb has developed, nurtured and maintained many friendships and relationships over the years, with all of the different departments at Saints.  These bridges she has built have helped her to drive many quality initiatives and improvements.  For example, Deb works closely with Radiology to ensure decreased patient wait times and increase patient satisfaction.  She has one transporter “stationed” in Radiology to facilitate quick returns once exams are completed.  She works very closely with Pharmacy to ensure proper medication handling and delivery.  In addition, she helped to streamline the laboratory specimen delivery process by helping to develop and implement a Lab specimen sign in sheet, which is kept on the Pharmacy/Mail cart.  This sheet is signed by Transport and lab personnel to ensure receipt by the Lab of all specimens. 

Deb partnered with Infection Prevention to work on improving overall departmental hand hygiene scores.  She helped organize an in-service, and ensured all of her coworkers attended and understood the process of hand washing.  She is also actively involved with another Infection Prevention initiative called “Green is Clean” (tagging equipment with a green band to show that they have been cleaned appropriately and according to protocol.

When management changes were made within the Transportation Department, Deb stepped up to the plate and helped organize the department.  She spent a lot of time working with her coworkers and helping them transition from Supply Chain to PCS.  She took on added responsibilities and duties such as scheduling and managing the day-to-day flow.  She meets regularly for departmental progress reports, and it is easy to see how Deb fits into a leadership role.   She is caring, empathetic, sincere, genuine and kind.  She makes sure to “under promise and over deliver” to all of her customers, which helps achieve the desired outcomes.  It is not uncommon to find her, off the clock, in the lobby with a patient or their family member talking, holding a hand or just offering up a smile and a laugh.

Deb adapts very well to change.  She is flexible, organized, dedicated and strives to promote organizational efficiency within the Transport team.  She learns new processes very quickly, and implements them as seamlessly as possible.  She understands and supports necessary organizational change, and remains dedicated to the mission and vision of Saints.

She performs her duties within her scope of practice, and goes above and beyond whenever possible.  She is an outstanding change agent at Saints.  If she feels she alone cannot effect change when necessary, she reports back to her manager and together as a team they effect change.

Deb is an all around fantastic employee.  She is dedicated to providing exceptional care to her patients and their families.  She approaches each day enthusiastically, and with a healthy balance of duty and fun.  She is an asset to the Medical Center.
Congratulations Deb!