LAPLACE – River Parishes Hospital’s 27th annual Service Awards Banquet was held recently at Riverland’s Country Club in LaPlace. Employees celebrating a 5-year milestone of service as well as Employee of the Year nominees and department managers were invited to attend.

Each department manager was called upon to recognize the employees in his or her department and hand out their respective service award. This made the awards presentation very special and personal, as the manager was able to give a brief history, including memorable experiences, that have taken place during the employee’s tenure.

Charlotte Dupré, hospital CEO, commented on the amount of expertise that was gathered for the evening. “Upon hearing each manager speaking of their employees and explaining the credentials you all hold, I just want you all to realize the amount of talent we have at River Parishes Hospital.”

Dupré then introduced the nominees for Employees of the Year. As each nominee was announced, Dupré read quotes from his or her nomination form. Each nominee was awarded with a certificate; then, Dupré announced the winner in each category.

The Professional Employee of the Year for 2009 is Tiffanie Bourgeois, an RN in Surgical Services. Bourgeois has been an employee at River Parishes Hospital since June 1, 1992. Bourgeois was described as a compassionate nurse, strong leader, fair judge and role model for those who work with her.

The Technical Employee of the Year was Rachel Triche, a lead pharmacy technician. Triche has been employed at RPH since February 1997. Triche’s coworkers said that she is the prime example of what an employee should be.

The Clerical Employee of the Year is Colleen Clifford, Administrative Assistant for Surgical Services. Clifford has been an employee at RPH since May 1991. Clifford’s coworkers said that she is determined to make RPH the best that it can be, and her dedication to her department and the hospital is evident in her years of service.

Victor Wheeler, a nursing assistant in Surgical Services, was the Support Employee of the Year. He has been with RPH since October of 2000. Wheeler’s manager stated that he understands the need for treating others as you would want to be treated and puts that understanding into action daily.

Each Employee of the Year was presented with a $500 cash gift and had a star in the heavens named in his or her honor by the “Name A Star Foundation.”

The banquet concluded with the announcement of the hospital’s three Managers of the Year: Scott Dantonio – Clinical, Amy Marino – Fiscal, and Dawn Buckley – Support. Dantonio has been instrumental in completing several necessary projects in the Pharmacy Department, including implementing the Accudose automated system and constructing a new IV room in the pharmacy in order to meet federal sterility guidelines. He led the pharmacy in passing its annual Board of Pharmacy inspection with no citations. Marino has worked many long hours overseeing the implementation of the hospital’s HMS system and ensuring the hospital accounting functions maintained accuracy through the transition the hospital’s chief financial officers as well as other accounting vacancies. Buckley has an open door policy and takes time with each employee who needs her assistance. Buckley is very organized, has put many of the HR forms on the hospital share drive to assist managers in the efficiency of processing their paperwork, and consistently works with managers to help them develop competencies and meet the requirements of all regulatory agencies. Each of these recipients received a cash gift from hospital administration.

“I enjoy being able to host an annual Service Award Banquet

in order to recognize and award

our employees for their dedicated service to River Parishes Hospital and to the River Parishes community,” said Dupré. “Our employees have a chance to get away from the workplace in an elegant atmosphere with their friends and family

where we have the opportunity to share their many accomplishments and express our gratitude for their service.”