From staff reports
Beaufort Memorial hosted its fourth annual Bemmy Awards ceremony earlier this month, as dedicated hospital staff and dynamic departments were recognized for their contributions to the organization and healthcare in the Lowcountry.
Held during Hospital Week, the Bemmy Awards feature 11 categories that honor exemplary performance by Beaufort Memorial staff members during the previous year.
Employee of the Year at Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s fourth
annual Bemmy Awards. Photo courtesy of Beaufort Memorial
Hospital
“We have a lot of really great things going on right now at Beaufort Memorial. We have a lot to celebrate in terms of what we’re doing to expand access to care, and are inviting lots of new people into our organization,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley, kicking off the evening. “Our organization is about people. It’s not bricks and mortar, it’s not about new buildings. It’s about the people providing the great care to this community, to our patients.”
Respiratory therapist James Kemmerlin, CRT took home the Vaux Award for Clinical Employee of the Year. Kemmerlin was involved in two lifesaving scenarios with premature babies born at Beaufort Memorial.
He manually gave breaths to one infant for three and a half hours until the NICU team – delayed due to weather conditions – could arrive and transport the child. In another instance, Kemmerlin used a neonatal resuscitation bag on a 25-week-old infant for longer than four hours.
The Non-Clinical Employee of the Year award went to wellness coach and former LifeFit Wellness Center manager David Purser, whose nomination detailed his “innate ability to inspire and motivate others, always leading with integrity and a positive attitude, no matter the challenges.” Purser has also shown leadership during his transition from manager to part-time wellness coach as he continues nursing school.
The Department of the Year for 2024 was the Quality Services Department for the group’s commitment to teamwork, as well as demonstrating “a deep commitment to improving patient outcomes, reducing risks, improving patient safety while fostering excellence in the care we give our patients.”
Telehealth services manager Jon Lohr was honored with the Innovator of the Year award for his efforts to advance healthcare technology used at Beaufort Memorial.
“Jon has successfully implemented DAX and Phreesia, two transformative digital health solutions that streamline clinical workflows, enhance patient engagement and improve documentation accuracy,” his nomination read. “His leadership in integrating these technologies has not only optimized provider efficiency but also improved patient outcomes by reducing administrative burdens on clinicians.”
Runners-up for the hospital’s top awards were: third floor nurse Teri Willard, RN (Clinical Employee of the Year), Dawn Cooper, patient financial specialist at the Bluffton Healthlink pediatric outpatient clinic (Non-Clinical Employee of the Year), Food and Nutrition Department (Department of the Year) and clinical instructor Ashley Brown, BSN, RN.
Other recipients:
- Provider of the Year: Saeed Rehman, M.D., Pratt Emergency Center Medical Director (Runner-up: Carri Knapp, NP, advanced practice provider at Express Care and Occupational Health);
- Community Champion of the Year: Cheryl Rodriguez, PT, pediatric physical therapist at HealthLink for Children in Bluffton (Runner-up: Ashton Viterbo, MS. ATC, Business Development and Employer Relations Manager);
- Zero Harm Patient Safety Champion: Laurie Lacerre, hospital ultrasound tech (Runner-up: oncology nurse Brandie Gillian, BSN, RN, Keyserling Cancer Center);
- Volunteer of the Year: Mark McCain, an ER volunteer logging hundreds of hours (Runner-up: Randy Waldorf, transportation volunteer);
- Rookie of the Year: Director of Hospital-Based Physician Services Casey Crane (Runner-up: occupational therapist Shailei McEnulty, OT, with Inpatient Rehab);
- Leader of the Year: Director of Rehab Services Megan Mack (Runner-up: LeeAnne Smith, MSN, RN, Behavioral Health Services Director);
- Patient Experience Champions (selected based on exceptional patient survey scores): Island Imaging (outpatient category), 3T Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical unit (inpatient category) and Sea Island Psychiatry (physician practices category).
“You are what makes Beaufort Memorial great, and you are what makes tonight so special,” Baxley said, emphasizing the hospital’s core values of safety, compassion and innovation – three pillars reflected in all the Bemmy award nominees and winners. “There were a lot of nominations; there is a lot of hard work and a lot of great care being provided at Beaufort Memorial.”
