Administrators at the Schneider Regional Medical Center honored their own at an employees’ recognition event held Wednesday in the lobby of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital. It was an awards ceremony celebrating longevity, dedication and service in challenging times.
About 50 staffers cheered each other on while settled in their seats. A technical crew used a video camera and laptop to stream the ceremony to those who could not attend.
Organizers recognized — among others — the hospital’s physician of the year, nurse leader of the year and 2025 Employee of the Year, Vernester Cyrille-Hodge. Hodge, an administrator in the Hemodialysis Unit, was praised by Nursing Director Delphine Olivacce for recruiting and training hemodialysis technicians from different divisions within the hospital, including the cafeteria.
Anniversary certificates were handed to employees who completed five, 10, 20, and 25 years of service. Recent retirees were greeted with applause.
Medical center Chief Executive Tina Comissiong pronounced the theme for this year’s National Hospital Week. “This year’s national theme … is a symphony of compassionate care, and I just love that theme because I think it perfectly captures our team right here at SRMC,” Comissiong said. “So, it takes all of us to run this hospital. Just like in a symphony, every department, every role, every person, every individual has a part to play in what the outcome is.”
Officials also honored their new information technology director and his staff for guiding Schneider Hospital through two cyberattacks last year. Among those recognized was IT Nurse Emily Henderson, who was also named Nurse Leader of the Year.
Henderson was cited for going “above and beyond to ensure patient safety, data integrity and continuity of care” despite disruptions caused by the cyberattacks, Olivacce said.
And Interim Chief Medical Officer George Rosenberg introduced Internal Medicine Chief Lisa Forrester as the 2025 Physician of the Year. “She’s one of those people that whenever something needs improvement, whenever anyone needs help, Lisa is always there,” Rosenberg said.
Comissioning took time at Wednesday’s recognition ceremony to hand out her CEO Star Awards and Excellence in Service Awards to several more staff recipients.
Tributes to medical center staff are set to continue Thursday on St. John at the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic.
