Special occasions

"The Many Faces of Kidney Care" contest winners

DaVita.com recently held a contest called “The Many Faces of Kidney Care” in honor of National Kidney Month. The contest had teammates answering questions about why they chose their professions and what they enjoy most about their jobs.

Meet the winners for each discipline:

• Cheryl Neumann—Nurse
• Debbie M. Bell—Reuse Technician
• Jeremy Sheffield—Biomedical Technician
• Genevieve Hickman—Dietitian
• Kerry Belt—Social Worker
• April Ingram-Hamilton—Facility Administrator
• Annabelle Simmers—Administrative Assistant
• Resa Murphy—Patient Care Technician (PCT)

Cheryl Neumann—Nurse  

Cheryl Neumann is a Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse at DaVita Norwich #3352. She began her career at DaVita in October 2005 when the integration took place with Gambro.

Regarding why she become a nurse, Cheryl says, “I have always had a desire to help others; nursing gives me many opportunities to give whatever I can to help patients and families to live and enjoy their lives.”  

In addition to providing a way to help her patients, nursing gave Cheryl a personal advantage. She shares, “I married very young and was looking for a way to help support my family and feel rewarded at the same time. Nursing has been a good choice for me.”

Building relationships with people is what makes Cheryl’s job most rewarding to her, and seeing her patients gain independence in their lives by learning new skills and feeling better provides a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment. Cheryl states, “I try to listen to my patients’ needs and teach them how to adjust their lives to dialysis. I try to teach them that they need to live life as fully as possible even though they have to have daily or weekly treatments. Honestly, though, my patients give me more than I give them by being who they are. They are a very courageous group.”

Debbie M. Bell—Reuse Technician 

Debbie M. Bell has been a reuse technician at Gate City Dialysis Center #1817 for one year. She is a certified clinical hemodialysis technician (CCHT) and says she became a reuse tech because, “I love taking care of people and building relationships with my patients. I enjoy being able to make a positive difference in someone’s life.”

While providing the lifesaving treatment for her patients is the most rewarding part of her job, Debbie states, “I also enjoy spending time with my patients and getting to know them on a personal level. I love each and every one of them. They mean a great deal to me.”

Debbie tries to make a difference in her patient’s lives by, “Giving them happiness, joy and another day to live.” In addition to enjoying her patients, she is grateful to be a DaVita teammate. Debbie explains, “DaVita has come and helped save our little facility from sinking. We had some competition move in and DaVita has really shown how much they care. Thanks, DaVita.”

Jeremy Sheffield—Biomedical Technician

Jeremy Sheffield calls DaVita Prattville #1648 his home clinic. His hire on date was July 15, 2002.

Jeremy had personal reasons for choosing his profession. He recalls, “Having a family member on dialysis and an electronics background sparked an interest in the technical aspect of dialysis. I love to figure out how things work. In my role of biomed tech I can do this.”

While the biomed tech responsibilities don’t provide much direct contact with the patients, Jeremy still finds the time to make a difference. “I try to enter the building through the lobby whenever possible so that I can chit-chat with the patients,” says Jeremy, adding, “Dialysis is the only place many of our patients go besides home. Just speaking to them and letting them know that they are welcome, from someone other than the people providing treatment, really makes a difference.”

According to Jeremy, he enjoys, “Knowing that the patients have confidence in me.” He finds a great deal of satisfaction in helping patients through his work as a biomed tech and in taking time to get to know them. Jeremy says, “The appreciation patients have for you, and making them smile even when they feel terrible, is most rewarding.”

Genevieve Hickman—Dietitian

For the past three months Genevieve Hickman has been a dietitian at Takoma Park #1617.

In a way, Genevieve is continuing in the “family business”. She tells, “I have always been interested in nutrition and healthy eating, since a young age.  I have also had an interest in kidney disease due to the fact that my mother has been a dialysis nurse for over 20 years.” 

Being a dietitian can be tough when you’re telling patients about all the foods they shouldn’t eat. Genevieve shares, “I enjoy that the patients don't just turn their heads when I come walking towards them. I like that they are actually happy to see me.” To get this positive response from her patients, Genevieve says, “I try to do whatever I can to form a professional relationship with the patients, and care about their lives, so I am not always just criticizing them about eating the wrong foods.” Her hard work and caring pays off, “When a patient thanks me!” she states.

Genevieve also enjoys her patients on a personal level. She mentions, “I also learn so much from my patients, and about all of their different backgrounds.” In addition to her patients making an impression on her, Genevieve has made an impression on her patients. She shares, “For Christmas I made over 80 turkey sandwiches for the patients to enjoy in the waiting room with punch and some other finger foods, while they were waiting for dialysis. And, to this day, some of the patients will always mention how they wish I would make them turkey sandwiches again!”

Kerry Belt—Social Worker

The Dialysis Center of Victoria is where Kerry Bell has been a social worker for the past year.

Kerry shares, “I became a social worker so I could help others. I enjoy listening to patients and giving them the support and strength they need to keep on. I enjoy making a difference.” To make a difference for her patients, Kerry explains, “I help them through the co-morbidities of being a patient. I help them sign up for insurance, pay off their medical bills, get their prescriptions and help them through their illness. I help them to see that dialysis is not the end. Life goes on and can be celebrated.”

For Kerry, the most rewarding aspect of being a DaVita social worker is, “The camaraderie with the patients and teammates.”

Sometimes, Kerry is amazed at the strength she gets from her patients. She shares this story, “I was helping one of my patients with insurance problems, and he stopped me and said, ‘You know, Kerry, I trust you with my life. If you told me to go stand in front of a moving car I would, because you would not hurt me.’ I smiled at him and thanked him, but it was when I was home thinking about his words, that it hit me how much he was telling me. I was awed and scared at the same time. I look at this man and am amazed that he put such strength and trust into my hands. Now, when things don’t go as planned, I try to take a break and remember his words, and I feel the strength he gave me that day—with those words—come back.”

April Ingram-Hamilton—Facility Administrator

For four years April Ingram-Hamilton has been the facility administrator (FA) for East Georgia Dialysis #1623.

“I became an FA to help improve the quality of life for patients suffering from ESRD,” says April, adding, “I also wanted to make a difference for the teammates that provide care. I want to be an example to my teammates. I want them to see that what they do daily is more than a job—it is a profession of caring.”

April is aware of the unique benefits of being in dialysis. She declares, “We have the power to enhance the quality of life for so many people. If we give the type of care that DaVita expects, we can increase the life expectancy of most patients receiving hemodialysis.”

In addition to her professional reasons for caring, there are personal ones. April shares, “I also have a strong family history of renal disease, so I take this job very seriously. I strive to have a center that would be my provider of choice, if I, or my family member, required hemodialysis.”

To make a difference in her patients’ lives, April states, “We strive to make our facility a family.  We treat our patients with dignity and respect. We celebrate and decorate for every holiday. We bring life to our facility. We strive to brighten our patients’ lives by letting them know that when they come through our doors they have entered into a world of caring. They know that they are loved. They know that, without a doubt, we are providing the best care that can be received. We also incorporate their families by having a breakfast club support group on the first Saturday of every month. We encourage patients to bring members of their families so they can be educated about the issues of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We strive to teach patients and their family members that CKD is a family disease, and that family members should be tested for CKD, too.”

April finds a lot to enjoy about her job. She lists, “I enjoy seeing patients smile.  I enjoy keeping patients healthy. I enjoy patients having confidence in me and my team. I enjoy seeing patients realize that life goes on even with ESRD.” And, in April’s words, her greatest reward is, “To have patients and teammates know that I care!”

She found out just how much her patients care about her, too. April relays, “I was surprised to receive a handwritten card from KT, our Mayor, in response to a letter that all 42 of my patients signed and sent to him stating how much of a difference I have made in the facility and their lives.  I had no idea—and that was the funny part—they were finally able to get something over on me!  We have a great group of patients and an outstanding team.”

Annabelle Simmers—Administrative Assistant

Annabelle Simmers knows how to roll with the punches. She has been at the same dialysis center—through all hand changes—for 17 years. Now, it’s a DaVita center called PDI Lancaster #1659 and she is an administrative assistant (AA).

In addition to having the skills to adjust to the different dialysis companies over the past 17 years, Annabelle has also worn many hats. She explains, “I started working as an AA and loved helping patients, I then went into patient care technician, then Reuse and Water Tech, and then back to AA.”

About working in dialysis Annabelle says, “It amazes me that we can save lives. And, make a difference in the lives of our patients.” And, about her job as an AA, she says, “I am the first person a new patient sees.” She is pleased to be that person and enjoys, “Talking with patients and easing their fears when they walk through the door for the first time. I let them know they are not alone.”

Annabelle appreciates her patients, “I treat my patients the way I want to be treated, and I feel that without them there would be no us.”

Not only does Annabelle make a difference for the patients in her center, she recalls, “When Hurricane Katrina hit down south, we pulled together as a team and sent supplies and support to our other units and patients that we did not even know.”

Resa Murphy—Patient Care Technician (PCT)

Resa Murphy has been at Belpre #3663 since DaVita and Gambro integrated 16 months ago.

Resa has found that her career choice came with an unexpected perk. Resa shares, “I became a PCT because I wanted to help improve the quality of the lives of ESRD patients. Little did I know that the patients I work with every day are helping to improve the quality of my life.”

Interacting with patients is something that Resa enjoys, “I love the diversity that every patient brings to our unit. I love that they challenge me to become a better teacher, technician and overall person.” When it comes to choosing the most rewarding part of her job, Resa admits, “Knowing that I helped patients have another day.”

Finding creative ways to educate is one way Resa tries to make a difference in her patients’ lives. She says, “I wear a crazy clown hat with expired phosphorus binders hanging from the tips. I use this hat to help educate our patients about the importance of taking their binders. I believe that motivation is one of the keys to the success of our patients and, ultimately, to the success of DaVita as a company.

Providing care and education goes beyond dialysis for Resa. She shares this story, “A mentally-challenged patient was at our unit last year. He had a stuffed rabbit that he brought with him named Peter Rabbit, and he loved him deeply. One day the patient came to his treatment without Peter Rabbit and tearfully told us that Peter ran away. We did all we could to assure him that Peter would come back, because he loved him. Sure enough, at the next treatment the patient was once again with Peter Rabbit, but was fearful that the rabbit would run away again. That night, I went home and crocheted a bunny collar and leash for Peter Rabbit, so that the patient would always be able to find him. When I gave this to the patient, and explained what it was, his eyes filled with tears and the most beautiful smile lit his face. Peter Rabbit never ran away again. The patient passed away a few weeks later, and every time I think of him, I remember that beautiful smile that he gave me for something that probably only cost me a few cents and an hour of time. This patient taught me little things given with love and compassion can move mountains.”