Honoring Our Heroes

2021 World Class Employees of the Month and Employee of the Year

JANUARY

Cora Rodgers, Clinical Pharmacist – Lead

Cora is always full of positive energy and thoughtful to all she works with. She takes incredible ownership of her work, and makes a difference every day for our patients and team. She collaborates effectively with medical staff to manage medications and spends time educating patients and their families. Cora is an absolute joy to work with and makes a difference each day.

FEBRUARY

Monica Bolton, Occupational Therapist III

Monica has worked for Kaweah Health for 25 years. She is an expert in treating neurological patients and cares for each person with clinical excellence. Monica ensures her patients have the tools to succeed and return to the highest quality of life after an illness or injury. She is a mentor to staff, a passionate community educator, and a perfect example of providing world-class care.

MARCH

Robert E. (Blake) Pierce, Registered Nurse

Bob joined 5Tower in early 2020 while facing extreme adversity: a new unit during a global pandemic. Still, Bob brought his very best every day. He provides safe patient care and uses a solution-oriented approach to make positive changes in his work unit. Bob is encouraging, honest, and uplifting. He is intentional in his desire to make everyone feel welcomed, appreciated, valued, and most of all, loved.

APRIL

Annette Padilla, Licensed Psychiatry Technician

Annette is simply amazing. Her energy and bedside manner are outstanding. She makes every patient feel great about themselves, never leaving anyone out. If a patient is aggressive or sad, you can always count on Annette to uplift their spirits. She truly cares for our patients and our team is lucky to have her. You just know it’s going to be a good day when working alongside Annette!

MAY

Liset Magallanes, Registered Nurse

Liset provides nothing short of world-class care to every patient, every time. She advocates for her patients and always carries a smile on her face, even under the most troublesome circumstances. She exemplifies our mission and is an empowering nurse who provides an ideal work environment, delivers excellent service, and comes to work every night to serve others.

JUNE

Larissa Dodson, Senior Financial Analyst

Larissa has gone above and beyond by assisting outside her job duties. She helps during staff shortages and always does so with a positive attitude. Larissa is an outgoing team player and a great mentor in the department and organization. She takes pride in her work and makes sure others are always taken care of. We are thankful to have her on our team.

JULY

Jodi Chaires, Application Analyst III

Jodi is the personification of a team player. She approaches everything with a “can do” spirit, never says no, and always goes the extra mile for her customers. She is appreciated by everyone she works with. Jodi’s expertise during the pandemic was indispensable. She is essential to the work done by the Revenue Cycle Support Team and respected by all.

AUGUST

Renee Crain, Registered Nurse

Renee is an amazing nurse who is loved by her patients and their families. Her work in the Hospice Department is truly her calling. Her compassion and professionalism never waivers, and her patients often express their appreciation for her on their final journey. She is kind, generous with her time, and advocates for better care practices. It is evident that Hospice care is Renee’s heart and passion.

SEPTEMBER

Alice Vega, Patient Account Specialist

Alice always has a smile on her face and performs her work to the very best of her abilities. She is willing to help others any time and goes out of her way to ensure patient insurance needs are taken care of. Her compassion for others always shines through and her friendliness is appreciated by every person she interacts with. Alice is selfless, a role model to others, and a professional woman of integrity.

OCTOBER

Wendy Walters, Community Care Coordinator

Wendy’s personality, presence, and love of helping others makes our organization a better place. In her role, Wendy supports her leadership and is a training resource for new employees. She is a wealth of knowledge about community resources for patients and goes above-and-beyond for others, carrying out her job duties with excellence. Wendy embodies our mission statement and is a pleasure to work with.

NOVEMBER

Brisana Flores, Social Worker

Brisana is a strong, intelligent, compassionate social worker who thrives on advocating for our most vulnerable patients and families. Her knowledge and understanding of the social worker profession help her navigate our most challenging cases with a graceful professionalism that helps everyone involved feel better about the services provided. Brisana is a true blessing who positively impacts many lives.

DECEMBER

Maria Aguilar

Maria is a very knowledgeable charge nurse. She is a role model for others and a great leader. She is also an amazing team player who is ready to help her coworkers when needed. Her communication skills are impressive, which her patients and their family members appreciate when in her care. Maria is down-to-earth and kind to everyone she meets. She is professional, detail-oriented, and appreciated by all.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Molly Niederreiter, Director of Rehabilitation Services

Molly is a therapist who has faithfully served Kaweah Health patients since 1994. For the last four years, she has managed the therapy department (promoted to director in late 2021), while also providing direct patient care at the bedside.

Throughout the pandemic, Molly worked seven days a week to ensure patients with COVID-19 received therapy, and was one of the first therapists to pioneer the road to recovery for our COVID-19 patient population. She is a leader, educator, and advocate within the walls of the hospital. Her selfless nature is also evident in her contributions to the community. She has coached local sports teams and opened the doors of her own local business to help alleviate childcare challenges at the peak of the pandemic.

Molly leads by example with grace and integrity, and inspires her team to be their best. She is a resilient leader whose kindness, strength, and positivity have a profound impact on her patients, team, and the community we serve at Kaweah Health.