CHC NURSE NAMED STATEWIDE CAREGIVER OF YEAR

Fort Johnson - Donald Wagoner of Fort Johnson, will receive statewide recognition this month as the outstanding professional caregiver of the year by the New York State Association of Health Care Providers, Inc.

Wagoner, a licensed practical nurse, is a veteran employee of Community Health Center, the home health care agency that cares for more than 500 patients in their homes in Fulton and Montgomery counties each week.

NYS HCP, the statewide association representing home and community-based care, awarded Wagoner the prestigious prize based on how he met the criteria of skills, service and industry image.

He will receive the award this month in front of colleagues from all across the state, at a special luncheon ceremony at the NYS HCP annual conference in Happauge, Long Island.

Wagoner's nomination for the award stated that he “is always willing to go the extra mile. More than once he has been called upon at the last minute to visit patients before 6:30 a.m. And he always comes through without complaint. He just says, “I'll do it,” adding extra patients to an already full schedule.”

Wagoner recently became a certified wound care specialist, and is the only LPN on CHC's wound care team.

The nomination said, “Donald is known for providing ‘home care' to his wife, who suffers from illness, and he is somehow always there for CHC, and always there for her as well.”

In June, 2006, during the terrible flooding in the Mohawk Valley, Donald and his family lost their home and most of their possessions. “On that day, “ the nomination said, “he still went to work. He knew that his patients needed him, and may be suffering from the flood as well. He was torn between his loyalty to his patients and the agency, but also needed to attend to the task of rescuing his wife and cats at home. He did both, and all were safe after the water subsided.”

After the flood, CHC officials said, it was Wagoner who needed some help. “He and his family were forced to live in a motel, while he worked at his job, cared for his family, worked tirelessly as a volunteer, and kept some semblance of his family life together. Staff members at the agency rallied around him, offering suggestions, donations and contacts with realtors and acquaintances so that he might quickly find a new home.”

Wagoner is an emergency medical technician and president of a volunteer fire department, and works at a second job in addition to his work in home care. The nomination stated, “His positive attitude in the community can do nothing but present the home care industry in a positive light, as he exemplifies the criteria we hold valuable.”

In May of this year, Wagoner was presented with the prestigious “Nurse of Excellence” award during the Fulton / Montgomery Nurse's Recognition Celebration, an annual event hosted by Community Health Center that honors all regional nurses for their skills,   commitment, leadership ability and innovation in health care.

“He asks for no reward,” the nomination said,”and that's why Donald Wagoner is a hero in our community, and for his family, co-workers and patients.”