Caring Award Winner
Jena Yager, LPN
Community Health Center of St. Mary’s Healthcare and Nathan Littauer Hospital
Johnstown, NY
Jena Yager, LPN displays a level of commitment that defines “a life’s caring calling.” Ms. Yager will let no barrier prevent her from delivering care. She is selfless and humble, resourceful, but also a “rock” for patients and her organization, CHC, who greatly trust and admire her.
With a full schedule of patients on New Year’s Day, she wouldn’t let a leaky car tire stop her from delivering care, as Ms. Yager continually spot-repaired and refilled the tire between visits – just one of many examples where she’s overcome any obstacle in her path.
A few days later, she received a call to a patient with catheter problems. When she arrived, it was late in the evening and very dark. Making her way up the front steps, Ms. Yager tripped and fell down hard on the bridge of her nose. Gutting through the pain and a bloody nose, she knocked on the door and carried on, attending to the patient’s critical needs with a wet bandage to her face.
At the Emergency Department later that evening, she received six sutures on what turned out to be a fractured nose. She never complained about the pain or the unfortunate nature of her circumstance.
Ms. Yager’s injury kept her out of work for a short period of time. When she returned, no injury could hide or outshine her beautiful smile.
The Caring Award
The Caring Award recognizes a staff person of an agency who has exhibited the compassion, skills and service that sets his or her contribution apart and/or whose actions on a particular day or over a period of time exemplify caring in home care.