Employee of the Month – Karen Gipson
Congratulations to Karen Gipson for being named Employee of the Month. Karen is a Social Worker for The Medical Center Home Care Program. Thank you for all that you do Med Center Health and the patients you serve.
“Karen is a shining example of the social work profession. She is tasked with a multitude of jobs in our Home Care world. We frequently call on Karen to help address difficult patient issues, ranging from lack of food to unsafe home environments. Karen has an unwavering compassion for her home health patients. She works with each patient and their family/caregivers to provide resources and help meet patient needs. Our field clinicians know they can call at any time for assistance, and Karen will stop what she is doing (even eating lunch) to go meet them and help address immediate needs. Karen is a mentor to all co-workers but especially to any new hire. She works with them on how to address patient issues and safety concerns until they feel comfortable in the homes. Karen is respectful to all patients when providing guidance related to sensitive and personal matters. She listens to daily huddle calls to identify patients needing assistance with community resources or safety concerns that need to be addressed. Karen works with patients and caregivers to make referrals to inpatient rehab and/or a SNF, when home care is not the right fit for the patient’s needs. Karen goes to pick up food boxes for patients without food or poor food access. She also coordinates and obtains ambulatory aides to take to the patients who are unable to afford them. Karen is also a listening ear and helps guide coworkers through difficult situations in their own lives and provides them with resources to help their family and friends. Recently, Karen helped guide a coworker through the process of SNF placement for a family member. She also frequently works with Med Center Adult Day Care with perspective clients and provides guidance to help them obtain Medicaid and apply for the waiver program. Karen is truly amazing and when asking her coworkers for stories or examples of how she has helped them, they all agree that she goes above and beyond every single day.” – Kasey Matthews