“I Am Meridian” Award Recipients – 2023-24
Shakerra Hill, Clinician
Nomination Criteria: ☒ Excellence ☒ Innovation ☒ Integrity
Shakerra has gone above and beyond her job duties each day that she steps into an office. She is willing to help out in any way that she can and is always eager to learn new skills. She assisted in FEMA/DSNAP disaster relief, worked the Meridian table at the Lake City fair, and is one of our clinicians who is providing services in the schools. She has taken on any new task that she is asked to do including group services and accommodating clients’ work scheduled by allowing after hour appointments. She puts the clients first to ensure they are getting the best possible services the company can provide from an outpatient clinician. Shakerra displays a “what can I do to make your experience better” attitude.
Shakerra displays all of these characteristics daily as she provides excellent service to clients and even lends a helping hand to staff members who need assistance. She displays innovative thinking as she has created and provided an “easy user friendly” guide to MEND for new staff. She is not a “sit around and do nothing” person. She takes the initiative to get things done when she sees an incomplete task or sees someone in need of help. She displays high morals and integrity when it comes to the client, especially. There have been countless times when I’ve seen her interact with clients who typically would not have returned for services. Shakerra came to me after seeing a client upset about the services they were receiving. When she got to me everything was already handled. The client was very upset, yet she was able to calm them down and persuade them to continue services. I can also recall a moment when Shakerra stepped in to see a new client after observing they had been waiting for a long period of time and the younger siblings were becoming restless. Altogether, she meets and strives for excellence in every area.
Michelle Ballard, Dietary-Food Service Coordinator
Nomination Criteria: ☒ Initiative ☒ Integrity
Michelle constantly speaks positively to the clients when they come into the dining room. Reminding them to keep going, on a good or bad day. Clients often come to her for advice and reports when they find jobs, when they have their babies, when they’ve reached a new level within their treatment plans. Michelle is very nurturing within her own department. I’ve seen Michelle pour into our team on a good or bad day. Michelle is constantly going above and beyond her call of duties, ensuring we all have what is needed for the clients and peers. Whether it’s a smile, words of encouragement or constantly seeking ways to improve our meals.
She is truly a light within the organization and her team!
Anna Lindsay – Clinician
Nomination: Criteria: ☒ Excellence ☒ Initiative ☒ Innovation ☒ Integrity
Shareholders give praise for her work in the community. Clients in multiple programs, Anna remind clients of their upcoming appointments, ask clients about their medication side effects and help with scheduling appointments. If a client has a need outside of her scope, Anna will go the extra mile to find out who
the client needs to contact or provide resources to help the client. Anna has driven to Lake City from Macclenny to print a document that a parent of a client needed to sign for their next appointment since the printers were down at Macclenny. Anna is always willing to help/train her colleagues. Whenever Anna notices a problem, she is quick to offer a solution and begins the process for change. Anna ensures that she is always meticulous and precise with her documentation and gathering information
Linda Skalsky, VP/Chief Nursing Office
Nomination Criteria: ☒ Excellence ☒ Integrity
Linda was delayed in arriving to work due to construction on the roadways. She pulled to the side of the roadway and saw her patients via Mend in an effort to keep their appointment times as scheduled and not delay their care. She demonstrated initiative in being able to adjust her appointments to Mend and see patients remotely to maintain seeing them in a timely fashion.
Robert Luce, Care Coordinator (CCBHC)
Nomination Criteria: ☒ Initiative ☒ Innovation ☒ Integrity
Bob helps everyone on his team. He is very supportive, caring and trains everyone without me asking him too. He totally took over ACT program and Dr. Pinkett reported to me “he is wonderful. He is funny, witty professional and gives 110%”. He ensures client needs are met without hesitation. He follows protocol. Takes pride in his work.
Jessica Jones, Peer Specialist – CCBHC – “Extraordinaire”
Nomination Criteria: ☒ Excellence ☒ Initiative ☒ Integrity
Jessica is an excellent Peer Counselor constantly showing her clients care, compassion, and support. Additionally, she strives to create efficient strategies that benefit the FACT LATTERS team, which in turn benefits our clients. These qualities are demonstrated clearly as she strives for the best results for our clients. She took it upon herself to create an organization system that aids in detailing the clients’ needs and continues to keep it up to date. Excellence is defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Excellence is also a mindset, a subconscious desire to do things well so that we don’t only meet but exceed our goals. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude. People are not born with excellence. They cultivate it over a period through hard work, wise work, and smart work. When I think of Jessica Jones excellence comes to mind. Jessica goes above and beyond to ensure that every client she services is treated with kindness and integrity. Jessica is very passionate about her clients. Jessica is a leader; she is proactive in identifying areas for improvement and takes steps to continuously learn and develop. Jessica is willing to go the extra mile to help her colleagues and contribute to the success of the team.
Jessica is dedicated to delivering the best possible work and care for her clients, to ensure they have positive outcomes. Jessica is committed to excellence in everything that she does. Many claim to have integrity, but few show the qualities of integrity. Jessica Jones consistently acts with integrity. She holds true to her beliefs no matter the risk. She doesn’t waver in her actions and honesty. You can rely on her to be there for team members and clients. She creates a positive work environment and helps keep others engaged and motivated. Her knowledge, abilities, skillsets, and experience make her an invaluable and intangible asset for our team and Meridian!
Innovation is described in five strategies, “Curious” this describes Jessica from the minute you sit with her. Jessica is trying to show you why she loves working for the FACT LATTERS Team, you could see it in her eyes when she has just reinvented her own way of thinking and has just set her sights to a new level of thinking. “Creative” seems to be her middle name, she thinks of ways of allowing everyone around her to be and find success with the clients that she works with. “Calm” the best way to describe Jessica as a clam and thinking on the spot is Jessica is always willing to say yes when she really wants to say no, since she knows that she was going to be helping someone get better. Jessica has always been seen as a “Clear” thinking individual in many ways but the best way to describe that is speaking about how Jessica is true her role as a Peer, and she is always willing to take feedback and apply it and is always willing to apply it. Jessica’s “Collaborative” Style is seen as she is always walking out with someone else from the team to either show them something new, or to assist with a difficult client that the team member has spoken about during the morning meeting. Jessica believes that all clients have that small detail that they can change, she believes in baby steps and will take someone by the hand and guide them if need be.
Jennifer Goedeck, Peer Specialist (CCBHC)
Nomination Criteria: ☒ Initiative ☒ Integrity
Jennifer goes way above the call of duty making sure our clients’ needs are met. Tracking down clients to make sure they get the services they need. She has trained new staff without hesitation. Works weekends when hospitals call. She never complains and truly cares about program. She works many hours to get her job done, even when she was sick, (nothing contagious). She tracks clients down in the community when they don’t answer calls.