PeaceHealth announces systemwide Mission and Values Award recipients

VANCOUVER, Wash. – PeaceHealth recently unveiled its systemwide Mission and Values Award recipients.

Among the more than 16,000 caregivers across PeaceHealth, five caregivers — hailing from Vancouver, Longview and Friday Harbor, Wash., and Ketchikan, Alaska — were selected for this special honor from a group of 46 people who were recognized during celebrations held in each PeaceHealth community in January.

The recipients are:

• Overall Mission & Values Recipient: Nichole Adams, RN, a labor and delivery nurse at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
  The mother of a child with Down syndrome, Adams was inspired to provide comfort to other families facing similar situations and help to ease their feelings of isolation and fear. She personally delivers a “Buddy Basket” to these special families and shares her own story, answers questions, provides details about helpful resources and offers reassurance.
• Stewardship Award Recipient: Ashley Hackert, dietician at PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center.
  With the hope of making residents of PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center’s New Horizons Long-term Care feel more at home, Hackert facilitated a community partnership between the medical center, The Cedars Lodge and local anglers. This unique collaboration means that the residents of this skilled nursing facility, located in a “fishing town,” can regularly enjoy fresh seafood and a connection to their local community.
• Social Justice Award Recipient: Hollie Davis Frick, assistant general counsel at the System Services Center, in Vancouver.
  With compassion and commitment, Davis Frick has dedicated substantial time toward assisting PeaceHealth’s caregivers who are immigrants, and those who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. She also works diligently to help create a hospitable environment that is welcoming and inclusive of the diverse populations in PeaceHealth communities.
• Collaboration Award Recipient:  Beth Williams-Gieger, director of administrative services at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor.
  Williams-Gieger pinpointed a need in the community for expertise to help island residents navigate and coordinate healthcare. She recruited a cohort of a dozen students, including PeaceHealth caregivers as well as a variety of health and service organization representatives, to become certified through the care navigation and coordination program available through a local community college. Tuition was paid in full through grant funding, and participants agreed to use their newfound knowledge to serve the community.
• Respect Award Recipient: Kimberly Dahlquist, medical assistant at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview.
  Dahlquist has demonstrated great compassion and commitment to delivering care to the entire person, when and where it's needed. When a patient experienced a tragic death in her family, Dahlquist reached out to her after the patient left the medical center to ensure she felt supported. In addition, Dahlquist connected the patient with additional support, including the PeaceHealth St. Joseph chaplain and critical community resources.

These five caregivers were honored on Wednesday, April 4, during a special dinner event held at the PeaceHealth System Services Center in Vancouver.

The annual PeaceHealth Mission and Values Awards recognize inspiring caregivers who are living PeaceHealth’s Mission and Core Values of Social Justice, Stewardship, Respect and Collaboration, every day.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 900 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission.