PARIS, TN – Henry County Medical Center is proud to announce the partner of the month for December in the Stars of Excellence program is Jennifer Cary, Henry County Healthcare Center Resident Financial Coordinator. Eight others were also nominated for the Stars of Excellence program.

Cary was nominated by her director for her utmost professionalism and empathy. She recently received a referral for a patient to live out her remaining days at HCHC under hospice care. She made phone calls to the insurance payer and completed tasks usually done by the family, all to ensure the daughters would have as much time with their mother as possible. She cared for this family out of pure empathy, compassion, caring, and respect.

HCMC also awards star partners of the month. The star partners for the month of December are Jennifer Underwood, HCMC Environmental Services; Debbie Justice, HCHC Environmental Services; Jon-Marc Gowen, Home Health PTA; Mary Lacy, Auxiliary Volunteer; Kathy Goins, Materials Management; Krista Matthews, HCMC Business Office; Cynthia Alexander, HCMC Environmental Services; and Sandra Girard, HCMC Environmental Services.

These HCMC partners were nominated by patients and coworkers for their hard work and dedication towards this hospital. Their work does not go unnoticed here at HCMC and the hospital is glad to be able to honor them with the Stars of Excellence program. They were nominated for the following:

Jennifer Underwood: Nominated by a department director for going above and beyond in displaying what teamwork should be. She took on the responsibility of cleaning returned equipment while the department was going through a complete turnover in staff. She worked tirelessly to ensure returned equipment was cleaned, maintained, and logged in keeping the department compliant. Additionally, she volunteered to come in and strip and wax the floors prior to a visit from Joint Commission and Medicare. We are proud to have someone of her caliber that supports not only our department but the entire organization as a whole.
Debbie Justice: Nominated by a fellow partner and administrator for her dependability and for always giving 100% when she is on the job. She can always be found helping the HCHC residents whenever possible such as answering call lights for tasks that can be performed by non-CNAs. Her demeanor and work ethic is like none other and deserves to be recognized.
Jon-Marc Gowan: Nominated by a patient for his kindness and gentleness. He is always professional yet compassionate and has a great personality. He always suggests ways to make the home safer for walking with a walker and the patient made great progress since he started working with him.
Mary Lacy: Nominated by a department director for her display of love and compassion to a family member of a patient. When walking the patient and family member to their hospital destination she asked if she was okay, when the family member said no she gave them the biggest hug and took a few minutes to talk and reassure them that everything would be okay.
Kathy Goins: Nominated by her department director for her positive attitude and her pride and ownership in her work. She is always reliable and responsible and exceeds the expectations we have in our department. She recently organized our shipping office and constantly makes positive adjustments to the storeroom which helps our department better serve the organization.
Krista Matthews: Nominated by a department director for her ambition and dedication. HCMC’s Hyperbaric Clinic was in need of some TLC. She understood that the goal was to make this service available to previously denied patients. She took it upon herself to learn about the service and educated herself on the language use by insurance providers. She has become our expert in getting authorizations and we are so fortunate to have a team member that understands the vision and wants to make sure the community is educated about this type of care.
Cynthia Alexander and Sandra Girard: Nominated by their department director for their work ethic and willingness to learn. They each embody respect as they address patients and partners alike. They show professionalism daily by having a great attitude, work ethic, are extremely reliable and take full responsibility for their actions.

To nominate a Henry County Medical Center partner for the Stars of Excellence program, utilize the Dear Lisa or WOW cards located in the Partners in Your Care bags given upon inpatient admission to HCMC. Additionally, the Star Partner forms are available on our website under quick tabs – Healthcare Hero.

About Henry County Medical Center

Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution. For more information: www.hcmc-tn.org.