Peru, IN (December 1, 2009): Dukes is proud to honor three outstanding individuals for their hard work and dedication. These individuals exemplify ongoing commitment to patient care, professional capabilities and extraordinary efforts. Kay Garner was chosen by her peers as employee of the year, Pat Unger is our clinical manager of the year, and John McCracken is our non-clinical manager of the year.

Kay Garner is a Registered Nurse on the Medical Surgical Floor. If you could use one word to sum up Kay, it would be humility! Kay always has everyone’s best interest at heart. This includes not only the patients and families who rave about Kay’s care and concern, but her teammates and peers as well. She is every manager’s dream in that she is committed and willing to work whenever and whereever she is needed. She is willing to assist her peers and does it always with a smile. Kay is the one person on the schedule that everyone loves to work with and will always pick up that extra shift. Despite whatever circumstances are causing stress or chaos on the unit for the day, Kay brings enthusiasm and a "can do" attitude. She desires to place the patient and their family as her #1 priority and to exceed their expectations. Dukes Memorial Hospital is a better place having Kay as one of our stellar team members! Kay is actively involved in her church and community. She is always reaching out for opportunities to serve. There is not one single event that makes Kay deserving of this honor, but her ongoing dedication and commitment to the lives that she serves. Everyone who comes in contact with Kay is better for it!

Pat Unger is the Emergency Operations Manager. Pat is responsible for the daily operation of the ambulance service and of all paramedics and EMT’s. Pat is involved in numerous house wide committees as well as many community organizations. He takes his role in the hospital and in the community very seriously and is proud to represent Dukes. He always goes above and beyond. In addition to the following meetings, he assists with marketing and advertising Dukes as much as possible with having his staff and ambulance services at community held events such as health fairs, festivals and parades. Here are some other activities Pat is involved in: 911 Dispatch Meeting, LEPC county meeting, Miami County Fire Chiefs Meeting, Miami County EMA meeting, Forms Committee, Code Blue, ED meeting, ED Service Exec. Meeting, Safety Committee, Disaster Planning Sub Committee, IDHS State Tech meeting, IDHS State EMS Directors meeting, IDHS State EMS Commission meeting. Here are just a few of the comments submitted on behalf of Pat and his service to Dukes: "Pat accepts each new day and challenge with grace and professionalism. He looks for the win-win for all." "Pat is the champion for the ED team and has been instrumental in getting the EMS staff on board with necessary changes to deliver services to improve operational efficiencies." "Pat is one employee that will embrace change with positive attitude. Actions speak louder than words." "Pat makes extra efforts to pursue opportunities to positively promote the organization to the community." "Pat meets and exceeds expectations," says Melanie Heath, CNO. There is not one event that singles out Pat, but his on going commitment, passion and enthusiasm day in and day out that places Pat as a dedicated leader and role model to all he encounters. Pat engages his staff and works toward the common good. He has been instrumental in building a collaborative relationship between EMS staff and the nursing staff. Pat manages his staff at every opportunity. All staff admires and respects Pat as well as our physician partners. He has assisted to build a solid reputation in Miami County for EMS Services and Dukes. Pat is a problem solver and always comes to the table with ideas for resolving issues. He thinks outside of the box looking for ways to exceed customer expectations. If every manager were the caliber of Pat, Dukes Memorial would be on the top of every patient and staff survey exceeding the expectations.

John McCracken is the Director of Facilities Maintenance, Housekeeping, Nutrition, and the Environment of Care. John is currently attending school and active on several hospital committees. In just a short amount of time, John has made a major impact at Dukes. John has become known as the cheerleader and keeps the groups motivated. John has been known to "give" one of his smiles to anyone who does not have one of his own. It had come to the attention of John’s supervisor through another associate that John was witness to several events where our patients had come in for treatment and were in some type of financial difficulty. John took upon himself to help these individuals without their knowledge of where the assistance came from. John’s compassion and desire to make the world a better place comes through in his actions.

Congratulations to these outstanding individuals. Thank you for invaluable service and for continuing to provide quality service to patients, families and guests in Miami and surrounding counties.