Valubility of the Month: June 2017
July 24, 2017 • valubility, VOTM
The June recipients of Valubility of the Month bring stories of going the extra mile to collaborate and serving others first.
These recipients of the Valubility of the Month honor were selected from among dozens of nominees that a UNTHSC committee reviewed.
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Janice VillarrealIn her work as an Enrollment Services Assistant in Student Affairs, Janice Villarreal is a tremendous source of information and training for her team. She’s always ready to share her knowledge, jump in and work with the team to meet any challenge. Her nominators wrote that she in addition to serving others first and collaborating, she’s respectful and pleasant, no matter how busy she is when asked to assist a team member. “She wants us to learn and make sure that we retain that information so we can properly assist our students,” her nominators wrote, also praising her talent for creating “a positive vibe.” Wrote one nominator, “I value how she encourages us all to be better when she helps us through tasks.” Villarreal has deep knowledge of the Registrar’s procedures and shares her knowledge with her team, working with them to find solutions to challenges. “That makes her a great team leader,” her nominators wrote. “She has the knowledge base and experience to provide guidance and answer questions quickly and accurately.” Her workload is never so large that she won’t make time to help the team work smarter. Nominated by Ana Villarreal (no relation) and Mayra Garcia |
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Lori Saunders, UNTHSC Police Department, Seth Willmoth & Facilities Team, Brandi Lara, Matt Moncus, Jeff Carlton, Fort Worth Police Department and Ashley FinchThis cross-sectional team from five UNTHSC departments, plus the Fort Worth Police Department and TCOM student Ashley Finch, worked together to make Fort Worth’s local March for Science not only a success but also a growth experience and an opportunity to partner with nearby businesses. The April 22, 2017 march began on our campus and attracted 800 people — community members as well as our students and team members. Finch, one of the organizers, reached out to Student Services Assistant Director Lori Saunders to discuss hosting the march. Since the university has hosted few First Amendment activities, and the march was not actually an HSC-sponsored event, it was a learning process for all. The nominator wrote that “the entire team kept going back to Our Values every time we had a question about what we could and could not do for the group.” The nominator also said, “In my 10 years at the HSC, I’ve always been impressed and motivated by the collaborative efforts made across campus, but on Saturday, April 22, 2017, I witnessed a team effort that was guided directly by Our Values.” Seth Willmoth and the Facilities Team were proactive, making arrangements beyond what was required. The nominator wrote that they served as “good stewards to us and our surrounding community by providing trash cans and restroom facilities to the participants. Their first concern was our campus” and how 800 people could impact it. “This is truly serving others first.” Emergency Management Associate Director Brandi Lara and Safety Director Matt Moncus “are the epitome of integrity,” the nominator wrote, using their expertise to make constant improvements in processes and fostering transparency by involving others in decision-making. Their guidance provided a foundation for bringing together various departments and external groups that could be affected by this large-scale event. Before the march, Media Relations Director Jeff Carlton and UNTHSC Police Lt. Jeff Arrington walked to neighboring businesses to personally inform them of how the event could affect them. Many of our community partners expressed gratitude, and Carlton’s and Lt. Arrington’s extra effort will continue to strengthen relationships in the future. The UNTHSC Police worked closely with the Fort Worth Police Department in planning for the march, not framing it as a negative event but giving insight into how it could be a positive experience. On the day of the march, both police departments were on hand to ensure safety for our campus and the community. Nominated by Trisha VanDuser |
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Danielle RohrDanielle Rohr, Senior Program Manager in Behavioral and Community Health, goes the extra mile to collaborate and serve others first. She does this not only for her team of students and staff who conduct community needs assessments and program evaluations, but also for community organizations working to support healthy behaviors. Rohr’s team often must meet tight deadlines. Her nominator wrote that she “fosters helping one another by maximizing each person’s strengths.” And whether it’s writing funny notes or planning celebratory events, she makes the workplace friendly and productive. Rohr does extra work to empower partner organizations “to use their data for decision-making and building community capacity,” her nominator wrote. In Fort Worth’s Historic Stop Six neighborhood, Rohr’s team completed a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Study. In addition to meeting contract requirements, Rohr spent time getting to know the CBPR participants and helping them with other projects. This included participating in Fort Worth ISD’s Historic Stop Six community partnership and planning meetings, as well as showing up on a weekend to paint a beautiful mural outside a convenience store transitioning into a place for healthy snacks for teens. Some of Rohr’s team’s community partners operate large and complicated databases that present problems they lack the resources to solve. Although Rohr isn’t contractually obligated to, she jumps in to help. An example: The poverty-fighting Pathfinders of Tarrant County is working to improve documentation of its mentoring services. Rohr spent several hours consulting on how Pathfinders can use the telephone application they selected to their best advantage. Nominated by Emily Spence-Almaguer |
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Danielle RohrCari Hyden was living the Values every day long before the university codified them. All her work shows that she seeks the success of the team rather than her own advancement. There are many instances of her being exceptionally flexible and adaptable in order to serve others. Her nominator wrote, “I recently was hospitalized unexpectedly. Cari made sure my work got done, as well as her own. I know that she put in many extra hours. While I was recuperating, she enabled me to work from home. She did many things to facilitate this. An example is that she arranged for me to conduct a meeting via teleconference.” She goes to bat for people who find themselves in very challenging situations, but she still protects their privacy. Also, she never takes advantage of information that is entrusted to her. Often working behind the scenes, her job is to make it look like no one had to break a sweat in order for good things to happen. A few examples:
Serving the university for eight years, she possesses much institutional memory. Yet she unfailingly measures her instincts and observations against the viewpoints and expertise of others. She never assumes she has all the answers. Hyden has conceived and launched many new programs. With the Solutions Fair, five years ago she created an opportunity for all team members to understand what it means to be One University. She also identified the need for, and implemented, the Communications Survey, which has guided many of the efforts of the Office of Communication and the university as a whole. Nominated by Betsy Friauf |
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STEP teamThis group overcomes big challenges to help the underserved elderly recuperate at home after leaving the hospital. STEP stands for Safe Transitions for Elderly Patients. In the team’s nomination letter, one of the program’s medical directors wrote that the group is made up of “very motivated, compassionate health care providers committed to care for the very sick, underserved elderly in our community, who for various reasons struggle to access health care through mainstream avenues.” The interdisciplinary team makes house calls to Medicaid and Medicare patients ages 50 and older. Their nominator wrote, “In spite of multiple obstacles, including poor quality housing situations, insect infestations, biting dogs, unsafe neighborhoods, limited transportation options and poor insurance coverage for medication and support services, this team does not take ‘no’ for an answer. They personally call insurance company case managers, meet with housing authorities, partner with UNTHSC College of Public Health for pest control and generally do what it takes to gain safer conditions for their patients.” Occasionally when the team identifies a patient with a need for which there is no other solution, they band together and donate personal time to move in donated furniture, change out an unsafe mattress for a bed-bound patient or even, as the nominator wrote, “clean an apartment for a handicapped patient in danger of being evicted due to his inability to maintain his own apartment.” The STEP team is a powerful source of quality care, resources, advocacy and “sunshine” for their patients. Since June 2014, STEP has provided high-quality transitional care services to more than 1,000 patients in Tarrant County. It has averaged more than 28 new patients a month over the last two years. STEP has been effective in reducing 30-day hospital readmissions since its inception, consistently keeping the rate well below the average in the comparable population. These providers use their multiple specialties and talents to overcome difficult situations that would otherwise severely limit their patients’ recovery. Said their nominator, “They truly represent what can be accomplished by a group of a committed people working together.” STEP Team members: Nominated by Patricia Connally |
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