35-Year Employees Recognized
November, 2004--Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center recognized two 35-year employees during the hospital's annual Employee Awards Banquet Nov. 5 at Rough River State Park. Jerry Mattingly is a Certified Master Electrician in the Engineering Department and Rosetta Fulkerson is a Certified Central Sterile Room Technician in Surgery.  CEO Stephen L. Meredith said it's the first time 35-year service pins have ever been awarded at the hospital.  Jerry and Rosetta are among only a few remaining employees who actually began their careers in healthcare at the old Grayson County War Memorial Hospital. The old hospital, located in downtown Leitchfield, was closed in 1979 when the new Grayson County Hospital was opened at the hospital's current location on Wallace Avenue. To represent its growth as a regional healthcare provider, the hospital's name was changed to Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in 1992. Employees like Jerry and Rosetta have experienced all the growth and changes first-hand and have very much been a part of the  hospital's success. Congratulations to both for their loyalty and dedication to the hospital and community, and for 35 years of outstanding service.

2004 Employee of the Year; Team Leader of the Year
November, 2004--Surgery's Theresa VanMeter, RN has been named Twin Lakes Regional's 2004 Employee of the Year. The recognition was awarded at the Employee Awards banquet held at  Rough River State Park. Hospital employees vote on the recipient from the year’s "Employee of the Month" honorees. The presentation was made by Hospital CEO, Stephen L. Meredith. Also recognized during the evening was the 2004 Team Leader of the Year recipient. Named for that honor, voted on by fellow team leaders,  was Chief Nursing Officer, David Logsdon. The president of the Board of Directors, Darrell Moll, made the presentation.

Hospital Employees honored for service
December, 2003--Engineering’s Anthony Vincent was named Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center’s 2003 "Employee of the Year" at the annual employee awards banquet held at Rough River State Park. The hospital employees vote on the recipient from the year’s "Employee of the Month" honorees. Hospital CEO, Stephen L. Meredith, made the presentation.
    Donna Miller, a registered nurse in the Surgery Department, was recognized for 30 years of service as an employee of the hospital at the awards banquet. Chairman of the Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, James Berryman,  presented Donna with her 30-year pin. Other long-time employees recognized included: Rose Mary Goins, RN, CCU Coordinator, 25 years; Marcia Shartzer, Coding Director, 25 years; Carol Tapp, RN, 20 years; and Dietary's Bernice  Sandlin, 20 years.  Hospital CEO Stephen L. Meredith said: "When you have people with 20, 25 and 30 years plus of service, they become more than just employees to our organization, they become part of the basic fabric of our hospital. They help set the example for all others and define who we are. Donna, Rose Mary, Marcia, Bernice and Carol have all done this in their own unique and special ways. Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center is a better place because they have been a part of it."
   The 2003 "Team Leader of the Year" honor was shared by Pam Langdon, RN, Case Management, and Human Resources Director, Deneace Clemons. The award, voted on by Team Leaders, recognizes the efforts of the hospital’s managers and supervisors.

2003 Duvall Scholarship recipient
December, 2003--Heather Bratcher was the recipient of the 2003 Victor F. Duvall Scholarship. Heather attends nursing school and works at Twin Lakes Regional as an OR Tech. The scholarship was established in 2000 by Twin Lakes Regional in honor of Dr. Duvall’s many years of service. The scholarship is awarded annually to a qualified applicant who is in training for a career in a health field and has been accepted into a core curriculum. 

Bullock joins Caneyville Family Practice
September, 2003-- Certified Nurse Practitioner, Todd Bullock, RN, MSN, NP-C, CEN, has joined Dr. Robert McClure at Caneyville Family Practice. Todd began practicing in Caneyville on Sept. 3. A life-long Grayson County resident, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Kentucky in 1995, followed by a Master of Science in Nursing from Western Kentucky University. He is Certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (Family Practice) and he is a Certified Emergency Nurse. Along with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Todd is also an active member of the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives, and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. At Caneyville Family Practice, Todd provides primary care to the entire family ranging from infants to the elderly. As a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, he can diagnose and treat both acute and chronic medical conditions, as well as emphasize health promotion and disease prevention for the entire family.

Porter retires after 33 years in nursing
July 2003-- "I wish I’d kept a daily journal," said Twin Lakes Regional’s Director of Nursing Juanita Porter as she sat behind her desk and pondered her 33-year career as a nurse in the county. "I could write a book now if I had."
   And that she could. From the halls of the former Grayson County War Memorial Hospital to today’s Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center, she would have countless memories to share of triumph and defeat, laughter and sadness, miracles and losses, and most of all, fulfilment and satisfaction.
   A mother of four, Juanita got her career off to a late start, not entering the nursing program at Elizabethtown Community College until her youngest was in school. She received an Associate Nursing Degree in 1970 from ECC; a BSN in 1983 from Western Kentucky University; and an MSN in 1990 from the University of Louisville.
   She is one of the few remaining members of Twin Lakes Regional’s staff to have worked at the old Grayson County War Memorial Hospital where she began as a staff nurse in 1970. Four years after joining the hospital’s staff, she became med/surg nursing supervisor. Four years later, in 1978, she became the ER Director and held that position until 1984 when she became Assistant Director of Nursing under Alberta Downs. When Alberta retired in 1989, Juanita stepped into the director’s role.
   Today, she is a certified Nursing Administrator and a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the international honor society of nursing, and the Kentucky Organization of Nurse Leaders.
   Juanita admits she did try other careers prior to nursing. For instance, she worked in a sewing factory-- well, almost. "I was there for less than a day when I called Hardin (her husband) to come get me!" she laughed. "That was not what I wanted to do!"
   She was a little more successful with her second job choice, working as an office aide for Duvall Morrison at Caneyville School for almost a year. But again, it wasn’t satisfying.
  "I finally said if I have to work, it’s going to be something I want to do, so that’s when I went to nursing school," Juanita remembered. "It was what I had always wanted to do anyway." That was 1967, and the rest is local healthcare history, so to speak.
   Looking back now, she admits with four kids at home, paying her own way, and driving between Yeaman and nursing school in Elizabethtown almost every day, "I don’t know how I did it."
   But, the satisfaction of having done so is rewarding, and so are the memories. Like sitting in a patient room at the old hospital with Dr. Ralph Thomas for almost nine hours without a break, monitoring a surgery patient in trouble with internal bleeding.
   Juanita remembered the day: "We never left her side, constantly checking her blood pressure. People were handing us sandwiches through the door. My youngest son had his appendix out that very day and I wasn’t even in his room once. Someone else took care of him for me. It was near midnight before Dr. Thomas finally decided to take her back to surgery."
   The patient survived, and not too long ago, Juanita was reminded of the ordeal by a family member of the patient. "That’s what I’ve missed about direct patient care verses nursing administration," she said. "You do something you feel good about and you help someone, then years later you see that person somewhere and they thank you. That’s when you know you’ve done something worthwhile."
   Juanita said she continued her education throughout her career with the desire to be Director of Nursing one day, but admitted, "it wasn’t as fulfilling" as providing direct patient care.
   The public’s obsession with lawsuits today has also taken away from the joy of being a nurse. "I remember when doing what was best for the patient was the first and foremost thing on your mind," Juanita said regrettfully. "Now it’s all about paperwork, documentation, and writing down every little thing because someone, someday might sue."
   She recalled a local policeman running by the old hospital one night to take her to a field where a farmer was trapped in a corn picker. "We took care of him right there in the field until they could get him out and take him to the hospital," she said. "You couldn’t do that today, though, for the fear of being sued."
   In another similar incident in 1981, a National Guard truck overturned at the Western Kentucky Parkway toll plaza in Leitchfield. Juanita, then ER director, and hospital surgeons Dr. Thomas and Dr. Joe Petrocelli administered care at the scene to the trapped driver while local rescue squads worked to free him from the wreckage. In 1998, that National Guard Sergeant, who lives in Franklin, Ky., made a surprise visit to the hospital to see Dr. Petrocelli and Juanita (Dr. Thomas had since passed away) to thank them for the part they played in saving his life all those years before.
   But Juanita wonders if today the same would happen again (two surgeons and a nurse on the scene) because of governmental regulations and the ever-present threat of lawsuits.
   From the joys of beginning her career in the ‘70s to the frustrations of providing healthcare today, Juanita’s best memories are those times when people in trouble were saved, and the worst are when, despite all efforts, they could not be. "Wrecks were the worst," she said. Still, her years working in the ER, from the old hospital to the new, are her favorite.
   After a distinguished career, she will be retiring from the hospital family fulltime in August, but not before leaving her own personal mark on nursing in Grayson County and Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center. -- by Edna K. Duggins.

Logsdon named Chief Nursing Officer
July 7, 2003--David Logsdon, RN, BSN, has assumed duties as the new Chief Nursing Officer for Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center. He replaces Juanita Porter who is resigning as Director of Nursing after more than 12 years in that position. David has been an employee since 1989 in a variety of nursing and administrative roles. He is currently over Infection Control, Risk Management, Safety, Employee Health, Environmental Services, Engineering and construction. He was the first certified Infection Control nurse at Twin Lakes Regional. David started his healthcare career as an EMT and worked as an ER attendant here at the hospital before enrolling in nursing school. He received an Associate Degree in Nursing from Elizabethtown Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Kentucky.  He was named Outstanding Nursing Student Graduate from the University of Kentucky for the year 1996, and he is a Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society Member. Among his other accomplishments, David was named Risk Manager of the Year in 2000 by the Kentucky Society of HealthCare Risk Managers. He has served in multiple Board roles for KSHRM, including President for West Kentucky APIC and statewide KSHRM.

2001 Employee of the Year
Lynn Sanders, RN, is Twin Lakes Regional's Employee of the Year for 2001. The award was presented during the hospital's Employee Recognition Christmas banquet at Rough River State Park. Hospital Board Chairman, James Berryman, made the presentation. Hospital employees vote on the winner, choosing from the year's "Employee of the Month" recipients.

2001 Team Leader of the Year
Laboratory Supervisor, Kevin Schmidt, is Twin Lakes Regional’s  Team Leader of the Year for 2001. This was the first year for the award, begun by Administration to recognize the efforts of department supervisors.  Receiving honorable mention honors were Med-Surg Supervisor, Letta Hayes, RN (center) and Pharmacy Supervisor Anita Pleacher.

Chairperson for State PT Board
July, 2001-- Sandra S. Payne, a Physical Therapist at Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center since 1979, has been named Chairperson of the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy.  Payne was first appointed to the State Board in 1998 by Gov. Paul Patton. The governor reappointed her to a second five-year term earlier this year and she was subsequently named chairman for the 2001-2002 term. The board, Payne said, assures the public that persons seeking to use the title "Physical Therapist (PT)" or "Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)" are qualified and entitled to do so. Her current membership on the State Board will expire in 2005.

    OR Techs certified
All of Twin Lakes Regional's OR Techs are Certified Surgical Technologists, having successfully completed all phases of the certification process. The Techs are Kathy Murphy, Tim Beville, Linda Young, Priscilla Roof, Mindy Pierce and Heather Bratcher. Congratulations to each of them, and to the entire Surgery Department staff and Supervisor Janice Elder, for this accomplishment.

National Hospital Week 2000   
Each year during National Hospital Week in May, Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center takes the opportunity to recognize its employees for their dedication and service to the hospital and community. Pictured above are those employees who have worked at the hospital for 25 years or more. They are, left to right: seated, James House, Emergency Department, 29 years; Mary Helen Kiper, Environmental Services, 25 years; Rosetta Fulkerson, Surgery, 31 years; Jerry Mattingly, Engineering, 31 years; back row, Pam Langdon, RN, Case Management, 26 years; Anita Bratcher, RN, Specialty Clinics, 25 years; Marian Sims, Director of Patient Financial Services, 29 years; Nancy Kipper, RN, Critical Services, 25 years; Donna Miller, RN, Surgery, 25 years; Sharon Sadler, Patient Financial Services, 26 years; Joyce Bratcher, Medical Staff Coordinator, 25 years. Not pictured: Lois Stone, RN, 33 years; Juanita Porter, RN, Director of Nursing, 30 years; and Mary Jo Hoover, Radiology, 26 years.

 National Nurses Week 2000
During National Nurses' Week, May 6-12, 19 registered nurses with 20 or more years of service at Twin Lakes Regional were recognized. They were, left to right, first row: Remona Minton, 23 years; Faye Paris, 20 years; Rose Mary Goins, 22 years; Madelyn Kane, 21 years; second row, Nancy Kipper, 25 years: Pam Langdon, 26 years; Donna Miller, 25 years; Anita Bratcher, 25 years; back row,  Linda Whobrey, 21 years; Janet Shartzer, 23 years; Marla Cantway, 24 years; Bonnie Embrey, 21 years; Betty Johnston, 22 years; Mona Fulkerson, 20 years; Betty Milam, 23 years. Not pictured: Lois Stone, 33 years; Juanita Porter, 30 years; Merry Lynn Green, 20 years; and Dorothy Smallwood, 20 years.

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