This month’s Service Hero- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
This month’s Service Hero- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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November 30, 2000
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In This Issue:
Bright Horizons Center Dedicated
United Way/Tobin School Campaign Update
December Calendar
Are you ready for JCAHO?
Memorial Service–Karen Kaufman
This month’s Service Hero
Theresa Kelly
Making sure that BWH patients receive their correct meals is not a simple task. Some patients have specific dietary needs, concerns or allergies. Some need assistance with the options on the menu. Some simply change their minds. However, this month’s Service Hero—Theresa Kelly, Food Services—remains patient and cheerful, even with the most challenging requests. Kelly, who has worked at BWH for over 30 years, organizes and distributes the breakfast and lunch trays on the 10th floor of the Tower. She also distributes the menus and answers patients’ questions about the dining options. “If they can’t pick something out, I help them decide,” she explains. When a family that Kelly had assisted many times informed her that they had nominated her for the Service Hero award, she was taken aback. “I was shocked,” she said with a smile. “I just do my job. I don’t like to make a big deal about it.” “Theresa was nominated by a patient and family she took care of for a long time,” said Olive Benjamin, Kelly’s supervisor. “She was the only one able to keep up with their demands.” Kelly’s hard work did not go unnoticed by the patient and family. “Theresa makes you feel like you are the only person she has to care for,” they wrote. “She takes care of request after request—no matter how small it is—and makes it her most important task. When Theresa is working, we know all of our needs will be met.” When at BWH, the family still stops by to thank Kelly. “The last time they were here, they stopped by to say hi, and to see if I’d won the award,” Kelly says. “We have not seen Theresa without a smile on her face,” the family added. “She has an exceptionally positive personality, and possesses a calmness that conveys to you not to worry about anything regarding your food because it will be taken care of as long as she is there. She truly is a service hero.”