Longevity of service is a hallmark of Transylvania Regional Hospital employees

Continuity of care is one of the most important — yet often overlooked — parts of high-quality healthcare. What does that mean? It means that when a patient receives care over time, the best outcomes happen when their care teams stay in close contact and work together throughout the process.

A key factor in making this possible is hiring great caregivers — but just as important is keeping them.

So, what makes a caregiver want to stay at a hospital? There are many factors. For example, a strong, shared mission that puts patients first; chances for professional growth and advancement; a positive, team-oriented culture that encourages learning; and competitive pay and benefits all contribute to making a hospital a great place to work.

At Transylvania Regional Hospital (TRH), we strive to create a workplace that fulfills these ideals and that is receptive to our team members’ ideas and solutions. An important tool we use to measure employee satisfaction is our bi-annual Vital Voices Employee Engagement Survey, where we anonymously gather the thoughts and opinions of our employees about where they see opportunities for improvement, as well as the things they consider to be working well.

We take the feedback from the surveys very seriously and work to act on making improvements where they are needed, per the feedback we receive. Moreover, we try to make TRH a place where team members can feel like their thoughts matter year-round, not just when they’re completing a survey.

One indicator that we are succeeding in this area at TRH is our ever-growing group of long-term employees. I am proud to say that we have a growing number of them here, which says a lot about the workplace we try to create, and about our wonderful employees who give us the best of themselves, every day.

We introduced the 20+ Club at TRH’s Awards and Recognition Celebration this past March, and it exists to recognize loyal hospital employees whose tenure at TRH (and any practices or other entities associated with us) has reached 20 or more years. At the event, 20+ Club members were told they would be receiving jackets adorned with the Transylvania Regional Hospital logo, along with “20+ Club” on it, as a special gift. Members also learned that they would receive invitations to an annual celebration specially created for the group. Finally, they will receive extra HCA Healthcare Colleague Recognition points in addition to the standard ones awarded to team members on their employment anniversaries. These points allow colleagues to “buy” things from gift cards to lawn equipment and all things in between with their points.

I am happy to announce our 20+ Club members who were recognized at this year’s event, most are your neighbors and live right here in Transylvania County, and some come from neighboring counties such as Henderson and Buncombe, to care for our patients:

Hailey Abram, Brevard; Sarah Burrell, Pickens; Kristl Carpenter, Mills River; Brenda Compton, Brevard; Marcus Dodson, Brevard; Rose English, Cedar Mountain; Moyra Evans, Brevard; Sonya Garren; Pisgah Forest; Jennifer Griffin, Hendersonville; Sue Halloran, Etowah; Tom Hartz, Mills River; Lisa Hoxit, Brevard; Kathy Jamerson, Brevard; Stephanie Laws, Pisgah Forest; Amber Lisenbee, Arden; Alice Lyday, Brevard; Tracy Mather, Brevard; Elaine McCall, Pisgah Forest; Glenda McCall, Mills River; Theresa Newman, Brevard; Marie Owen, Brevard; Theresa Parker, Brevard; Beth Pelletier, Brevard; Karen Rathbone, Clyde; Teresa Raxter, Brevard; Teri Redmond, Pisgah Forest; Rachel Ferguson Reilly, Penrose; Jonathan Rhymer, Brevard; Kristy Rising, Brevard; Kristen Seelig; Sara Sheehan, Arden; Musheer Siddiqui, Arden; Joyce Ann Singleton, Pisgah Forest; Pam Stephens, Flat Rock; Jaclyn Stewart, Pisgah Forest; Kimberly Stewart, Brevard; Dewey Taylor Jr, Hendersonville; Portia Tinsley, Pisgah Forest; Mary Turner, Brevard; Stacey Worley, Fletcher.

All deserve our gratitude and enthusiastic congratulations for their service.

I and all the leadership at TRH are so proud to work alongside these 20+ Club members and all the outstanding colleagues here. They personify the best in healthcare and work to ensure that every patient receives the most advanced, compassionate care possible. The values they bring to our workplace enrich it immeasurably and create the uniquely caring atmosphere we have become known for having here.

I thank all our hardworking, devoted 20+ Club members on behalf of everyone at TRH. We truly couldn’t do it without you and your wisdom.

Michele Pilon, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer of Transylvania Regional Hospital. Her diverse professional experience includes service as a bedside nurse and over a decade as a leader at healthcare institutions in Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina. Ms. Pilon earned a Bachelor’s in Nursing from Ohio’s University of Akron and a Masters in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis in Illinois; she is also a Board-Certified Nursing Executive.