35 year employee spotlight

1 I feel over the years we have been like one big family hereat EAMC. COVID has worked to divide us some, but myprayer is that our family will come back home."Rhonda BootheRNWhat led to you being hired at East Alabama MedicalCenter? Lee County Hospital at the time was the only hospital aroundand being a local girl that loved my community I felt drawnhere. They also graciously gave me a scholarship whichenabled me to give back to my community while pursuingmy career. What have you enjoyed most about EAMC duringyour career? That s easy - the people. This is my work family andthroughout the past 35 years we have celebrated togetherand grieved together, and I know there has always beensomeone there for a favorite memory. TA s (Terry Andrus) daily rounds and his jovial way witheach staff member was very there anything else you would like to shareIt has been a blessing to me as nursing has been, and is,my calling. I ask God every day to help me be my best sothat I can contribute to this hospital in a meaningful way.

2 Ithank God for enabling me to do this job. Marilyn Howard Clinical Dietitian What led to you being hired at East Alabama MedicalCenter? My husband and I were moving to Auburn due to his job andthere was an opening for a registered dietitian at EAMC. Wesaw it as a chance to come back home! War Eagle!What have you enjoyed most about EAMC during yourcareer? The PEOPLE. I have enjoyed getting to know my co-workers,EAMC staff and patients over the past 35 years. I have metso many wonderful people (lifelong friends) along the way. Share a favorite memory. Making batches and batches of my favorite fudge for thehospital Christmas parties 20+ years ago and the love andsupport of the staff during life events: births of children,procedures and family there anything else you would like to shareMilestone employee SpotlightThe following profiles are from a few employees whoare celebrating 35 years of service. Not pictured areDeana Harmon and Roslyn ThomasLeslie HornsbyBilling Manager What led to you being hired at East Alabama MedicalCenter?

3 I was working in retail when I was 19 years old. I was needingregular hours with no weekends. I was told about a cashierposition at EAMC. I applied and was called in for an interview. Iwas told that because of my age, they were a little hesitant but Ihad three EAMC employees who had given me arecommendation. Linda Hoffman took a chance on a 19-year-old young lady and gave me my first big girl job as the have you enjoyed most about EAMC duringyour career? Interacting with staff and working with the public. EAMC hasalways done so much for the employees and that has reallymeant a lot to me over the years. I also have appreciated thejob security that working at EAMC a favorite memory. This speaks to the heart of our department and ourorganization. In December of 2012, two weeks beforeChristmas, our home was broken into. Among the items takenfrom our home was my jewelry box. It contained every piece ofjewelry that I owned except for what I had on that day.

4 About aweek after that, the staff in my office presented me with aChristmas present that I will forever refer to as my Box ofBlessings." Inside the box was a pair of earrings and/or anecklace from every person in the department to try andreplace what was stolen. This has always been one of the mostcherished moments of my years at there anything else you would like to shareI have two family members who are long-time employees ofEAMC. My husband, Roger Hornsby, is the Manager ofEnvironmental Services and he has been here for 16 daughter, April Jordan, started working here when she wasin Nursing School. She is now an RN on the 2nd floor and shehas been working here for 11 years. Six of my eightgrandchildren were born here, three in the same year! We feltlike we had our own rooms and waiting room chairs on theMother/Baby unit! EAMC has meant so much to me and myfamily over the years. I am very grateful for the opportunitiesthat have been given to me throughout the years of myemployment Miller Identity & Acess Management Analyst What led to you being hired at East Alabama MedicalCenter?

5 I went to college in Education, going straight through without abreak. I was having burnout. I applied for a job working atEAMC. I was going to work here a couple of months and go geta real job. 35 years later, I like to think I may have found have you enjoyed most about EAMC during yourcareer? Seeing all the changes at EAMC. I started working 3rd shift inAdmissions. After 16 months, I moved to MIS. I ve workedevery shift. I saw the first pc installed at EAMC. I ve seen us gofrom stacks of papers to everything online. I have witnessedthe additional 4 floors in the tower, the addition of the CancerCenter, open-heart surgery at EAMC, the addition of the NICU,and so many things. I don t think there is a service that EAMC offers that someone in my family has not used and I can say Isaw most of them a favorite memory. I m not sure if it qualifies as a favorite memory, but one thatwill always stand out is life here before Cerner.

6 We had anequipment failure in MIS that took our system down. In themiddle of restoring the data, an ice storm took the power out,so we had to start from scratch. The entire facility was using downtime procedures. We had people sleeping on the floorso that they could start entering patient info as soon as thesystem was back up. Once that day s info was entered, we ranthrough the nightly cycle only to repeat it all over again. It tookalmost a full week to get everything restored, entered and backup to where it needed to be. But everyone came together andworked as a team. Not one patient was turned away duringthat time. Not one person had less that the best care. Allbecause we came together to get the job there anything else you would like to shareI think back over the last 35 years and I ve seen faces comeand go and some come again. Co-workers have becomelifelong friends. They truly have become a second family. Mydad was old school.

7 He always taught me, 'be loyal to yourcompany and give them your best and they will take care ofyou.' I like to think I ve given EAMC my best and I m hoping formany more years GaunttScrub Tech IIWhat led to you being hired at EAMC - Lanier? I came from a medical family. I always wanted to work at thehospital. I started out as a CNA, then went to tech school tobecome a surgical tech. I started in 1986 and have beenhere ever since. What have you enjoyed most during your career? Being able to scrub in the with my father, Dr. RobertHutchinson, who was a surgeon at Lanier from a favorite memory. Working with a great group of co-workers and some of thebest surgeons around. One to mention is Dr. Sanchez. Toomany memories to there anything else you would like to shareMy mother, Alice Hutchinson, BSN, was one of the firstnurses who opened up the original ICU at Lanier. I havereally enjoyed my time working and I plan to continue towork for another 4 years.

8 What led to you being hired at East Alabama MedicalCenter? I had just graduated from UAB and wanted to move closer tohome. ( I was planning to be married soon.)What have you enjoyed most about EAMC during your career? I have enjoyed all the amazing friends I have made whileworking here. We have some wonderful people working a favorite memory. I remember in my early years here that I worked as adietitian and we presented a program called Nutribird forarea schools. I still have a picture of sweet TamaraMeadows dressed in that Big Bird costumeIs there anything else you would like to shareI am very appreciative of the many opportunities I havebeen given while working here and I've always beenthankful to be an employee of EAMC. Susan FitzwaterRN