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Saint Joseph East Honors Outstanding Staff With Employee, Leader of the Year Awards

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 18, 2020) – Saint Joseph East has announced the 2019 Employee of the Year and Leader of the Year award recipients. Cheryl Tye, unit coordinator, 4 Medical-Surgical, Saint Joseph East, was presented with the Employee of the Year award, and Billi Benson, exercise physiologist, Bariatrics, Saint Joseph East, earned the Leader of the Year award.

Saint Joseph East annually recognizes one outstanding Employee of the Year who demonstrates the core values of reverence, integrity, compassion and excellence. This year’s recipient, Cheryl Tye, was nominated by Mary Beth Keeton, RN, nurse manager, Saint Joseph East.

“For more than 21 years, Cheryl has come to work each day with a smile on her face and an unwavering willingness to go above and beyond for all,” said Keeton. “Whether she’s interacting with patients, visitors, physicians or colleagues, she gives everyone her undivided attention, listens intently and serves compassionately. Our unit would not run as efficiently as it does without Cheryl. She is truly the backbone to our unit and functions as the one-stop resource for all staff members.”

Additionally, Tye is praised by her colleagues for always being two steps ahead when it comes to ordering supplies needed to perform routine procedures. Even if the order arrives and something is missing, Keeton can count on Tye to catch the mistake and correct the order before it becomes an issue. Her swift problem-solving skills, coupled with her unmatched compassion, recently led her to be recognized as the unit’s Employee of the Month.

Similarly, Saint Joseph East annually presents one employee serving in a managerial position with the Leader of the Year award. Selection criteria include an outstanding demonstration of leadership led by CHI Saint Joseph Health’s core values of reverence, integrity, compassion and excellence. This year’s recipient, Billi Benson, was nominated by Karen Hillenmeyer, director, Bariatrics, Saint Joseph East.

“For more than 15 years, Billi has served Saint Joseph East as an exercise psychologist and office manager,” Hillenmeyer said in her nomination. “She is highly motivated, and an extraordinary example of an employee with integrity and unparalleled work ethic. Billi is highly respected by her peers, physicians and patients, and is always the first to go out of her way to check in on an ill colleague. In my more than 35 years as a health care professional, Billi, hands down, ranks among the top and most inspiring leaders.”

Benson is heavily involved with Saint Joseph East’s social media and frequently hosts Facebook Live classes for patients needing direction during their post-operation recovery. Taking recovery support one step further, Benson recently created a group on Facebook, exclusively for post-operation patients, so they can share their stories of recovery and support one another. There are currently more than 500 patients participating in that group. In addition to one-on-one appointments, Benson holds “open gym” classes where patients can receive individualized direction on how to reintegrate exercise into their daily lives.

Both award winners were recognized during a special event at the hospital.

About CHI Saint Joseph Health
CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of Catholic Health Initiatives, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 135 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to building healthier communities by elevating patient care through an integrated physical and behavioral health delivery system. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph East
Saint Joseph East is a 217-bed full service community hospital located in the southeastern section of Lexington, KY. Established in 1983, the facility serves residents of central and eastern Kentucky. At Saint Joseph East, ambulatory surgery, 24-hour emergency care and women’s health services are supported through a vast array of inpatient and outpatient programs.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:
Mary Branham, Director, Communications
P: 859.313.2642
[email protected] 

Publish date: 

Tuesday, February 18, 2020