By Larry Dandridge
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Healthcare Systems (RHJVAMCHCS) Environmental Management Services Team (EMST) was presented the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Coastal Carolina Chapter’s “Outstanding Service Award” on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. The prestigious award was presented to the EMS Team at 2:30 p.m. in the main auditorium of the RHJVA Medical Center at 109 Bee Street in Charleston.
As the Coastal S.C. AUSA Chapter’s Past President (three times) and the AUSA Coastal S.C. Chapter VP for Veteran Affairs for the past 20 years, I presented the award to Acting EMS Team Chief Webster Norris. Norris accepted the beautiful award plaque on behalf of the 97 EMST employees.
This award recognizes the excellent work done by the EMST employees in providing sanitation, infection prevention, housekeeping, linen management, interior design, and grounds maintenance services at the RHJVAMCHCS hospital, clinics, and Fisher House Charleston parking lots, streets, parking garage, sidewalks, green areas, in 2024 and before.
The Environmental Management Service Team is led by Kevin Stack, who was unfortunately on a business trip the day the award was presented. The EMS Team plays a pivotal role in creating a welcoming environment that enhances patient experience and safety at the Lowcountry S.C. Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, the RHJVA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), and the Fisher House Charleston. Their meticulous maintenance of the grounds, including the flowers that greet patients upon arrival, sets a comforting tone for their visit.
As patients enter the buildings, the EMS Team’s focus on cleanliness and sanitation immediately enhances their experience. Their commitment to maintaining infection control standards and cleanliness expectations in exam and patient rooms and managing the linen supply ensures that patients feel secure and confident in their safety.
The EMS Interior Design Team diligently selects furniture and decor, contributing to comfort, safety, maintenance, fire prevention, and sanitation. As patients move through the halls and view various art pieces, they benefit from the thoughtful curation of the EMS interior designers, who strive to enhance the patient’s experience through aesthetically pleasing and comforting environments.
The team is a shining example of dedication and service. Their continuous efforts to enhance patient experience, such as the upcoming initiative to create a safe, attractive, and sanitary dog-walk area for patients who bring their service animals, and a significant beautification of the Fisher House Charleston grounds, are more reasons the RHJVAMC is a five-star medical center and has been selected by the Joint Commission to be in the top 10 percent of all public and private hospitals for customer satisfaction, quality of care, customer satisfaction, infection prevention, and a hundred other metrics for more than a decade.
“My leadership team and I genuinely view our EMS Team not only as an integral part of the care team at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Healthcare System but as a group of staff who are giving back each day to our veterans who have given so much,” RHJVAMCHCS Director Scott Isaacks said.
Medical Center Associate Director Ronnie Smith; Senior EMST Leader Mr. Webster Morris; Associate Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services Letha Rogers; Chief of Police and Safety (Acting Assistant Director) Gary Hunter; RHJVAMC Public Affairs Officer (PAO) Wayne Capps; RHJVAMC Chief Veteran Experience Officer and Registered Nurse Jennifer Neville; and more than three dozen EMST employees and others attended the award ceremony.
Ninety percent of the EMST members are veterans, who take great satisfaction in helping their past comrades in arms who served selflessly and bravely in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
And the EMS Team has joined a long list of outstanding employees and teams at the RHJVAMC&HCS who have been recognized each quarter for the past 10 years for outstanding service to their external customers (veteran patients, military member patients, and their families, caregivers, and survivors) and their internal customers (VA and contractor employees, MUSC partners, employees, and others).
Some of the past RHJVAMC&HCS past recipients of the Coastal SC Outstanding Service Award include the Pharmacy Team, Emergency Department Team, The Hospice Coordinator, the Past Patient Experience Chief, the Hospice and Palliative Care Team, the 4B South Ward Team, and Intensive Care Nurse, the Beaufort CBOC Team, and others.
If you would like to nominate a RHJVA employee or team for the Coastal S.C. Chapter’s Outstanding Service Award, you should send a short nomination email to the RHJVAMC Chief of the Patient Experience Office, RN Jennifer Nevelle at Jennifer.Neville@va.gov or call Jennifer at 843-789-7488, Ext. 207488.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
