EVS Health Care Heroes

Maria G. Ramirez
UCI Medical Center
Orange, CA

"I became a leader for EVS in the middle of the pandemic and Maria G. Ramirez has continuously helped me and our team in the hardship of our staffing challenges. She has sacrificed her weekends willingly to help cover the needs for the hospital, without it being overtime. She comes in every shift with a smile and even baked goods for her peers. Her energy is uplifting and contagious. In times of need, she will share and even sacrifice the supplies she has at the moment to be able to help others. Maria's work ethic is admirable, she often works in the NICU department which has faced major challenges in their unit this year. She strives to keep our babies safe and gives their parents comfort knowing she has disinfected the unit multiple times. I have entered the NICU unit with Maria and seen the NICU staff sigh with relief when they see her, they smile and greet her. As a manager, I feel confident knowing NICU or any other ICU unit Maria works in, will be kept tidy and stay disinfected during this pandemic. Maria deserves to be recognized for the many contributions she makes at UCI. She's a very valuable asset to EVS. Thank you Maria for keeping us safe, you are a pleasure to work with!" - Jessica Luna, Senior Custodian"

Lavern Reyes
Hawaii Pacific Health Pali Momi Medical Center
Aiea, HI

"Through the years, I have worked in several healthcare facilities, systems and with many environmental services teams and individuals, so you could say I’ve experienced many situations in healthcare. From that broad spectrum of up-close and personal experiences, I can honestly say that Lavern Reyes, EVS Supervisor at Pali Momi Medical Center is a true leader. She exemplifies the qualities of distinction in service like no other. Like all of the EVS team members at Pali Momi, Lavern is dependable and skilled to handle the unexpected. In her role as an Environmental Services Supervisor at Pali Momi, she helps motivate, create, and innovate to reach goals and tackle challenges with amazing effectiveness, grace and skill. Essentially she is our true “start” button of the healthcare machine. Those of us who work with Lavern daily -- and this includes not just coworkers but doctors, nurses, patients and families as well – love her positivity, kindness, mastery of their job and calming demeanor. Hospitals strive to create the “patient experience” that encompasses everything from cleanliness and comfort to customer service to clinical quality and this is what Lavern defines for us through everything she does with every encounter, every time. Our team, like many others across the world, have had to adapt, innovate and be selfless leaders of hope. She has taken the lead in conservation and safety by stepping up to UV treat hundreds of pieces of personal protective equipment every day so all hospital staff and our community EMS partners remain safe and have the safety equipment needed to support our patients throughout the lengthy battle with COVID 19. Lavern has never shied away from helping and supporting our patients and families during this unfathomable pandemic, while still supporting and keeping her own family safe at home. She is the calming voice in explaining our cleaning and chemical procedures to patients and families to help all have a sense of comfort while being away from their home. I commend all essential health care workers and I am honored to be a part of the battle we are ALL fighting together. I am beyond proud of our EVS team members and Miss Lavern Reyes for helping to lead the charge." - Kyle Morrison, Director of EVS

Angela Blanco
Northside Hospital - Cherokee
Canton, GA

"Angela receives several letters from her patients. They are as followed. "I want to thank you for everything you have done for me while I was a patient. Because of you, I have smiled more this hospital stay. It was made special because of the ice cream you brought me." Another patient wrote a letter. "It was truly a blessing getting to know you. You were kind to me and went above and beyond in making sure that I had anything that I needed. You have a beautiful spirit and you truly are a blessing to all that you interact with. You made my time here much better. You even took care of my plant!" - Frank Peacock, EVS Manager

Washington Reed
HHS
Jacksonville, TX

"Washington Reed is an outstanding role model for hospitality. He has such a kind spirit which allows Washington to foster a relationship with all staff in our facility. Through those relationships, he is able to bring joy to our environment as we battle COVID. His work is always his very best and his chipper attitude makes it just a little easier for our workspace. During our unit's closure, he was able to resurface the entire unit including 3 OR rooms, PACU, and 12 patient care rooms along with GI lab and several support areas. He did not stop there. Washington and his brother prepared the TJC learning facility for the return of the 2021 students. Washington has been a blessing to all who cross his path." - Andrea Blackburn, Director

Eltevina Correo Garcia
Northside Hospital - Gwinnet
Lawrenceville, GA

"Here is our recommendation for the EVS Hero Spotlight Program. Below is the email we received directly from a facility nurse here concerning her mom. Eltevina is a tenured Gwinnett Medical Employee who always go above and beyond in here duties. She always do the right thing. She is full of faith and pride for who she is and how far she has come. Here is our recommendation for the EVS Hero Spotlight Program. Below is the email we received directly from a facility nurse here concerning her mom. Eltevina is a tenured Gwinnett Medical Employee who always go above and beyond in here duties. She always do the right thing. She is full of faith and pride for who she is and how far she has come. Good evening, I am one of the labor and delivery nurses at Northside Gwinnett. I am writing you to inform you what an amazing job your EVS staff is doing. Specifically in the cardiac ICU. My mom was unfortunately hospitalized on the cardiac ICU floor. My mother raved about how nice and clean everything was kept. She was also very impressed with how nice the staff was. One person that stood out the most was Eltevina Correa. I personally spoke with her shortly before my mom was discharged. She told me how devastated she was seeing my mom in the condition she was in arriving to the unit. Ms. Corea prayed for my family as if we were her own family. She felt the pain that we felt during those scary times, even though we were strangers to her. Seeing how invested your staff is warms my heart and makes us feel cared about. It makes us feel more than just a patient in the cardiac ICU. Eltevina provided excellent customer service. To her, it wasn't just about maintaining the facility clean and in order. It was much more than that. I can't thank her enough!!" - Josette Martin, Manager