SSM St. Mary's Health Center's Valencia McLaurin is one of eight area health care professionals honored by the St. Louis American with a 2014 Salute to Excellence in Health Care award. McLaurin is the Lead Social Worker on Behavioral Health Unit 2, where she has served for the last seven years.
McLaurin's main responsibilities include supervising the social workers, recreational therapist and case manager, while managing her own patients, which includes meeting and completing assessments within 24 hours of admission, developing treatment and discharge plans, and conducting group therapy, individual and family sessions, as needed.
"Val is an exceptional health care professional with a wealth of knowledge that ensures that our patients have every opportunity to receive support and resources both during their hospitalization as well as after they are discharged," said Sarah Lohse, director of Behavioral Health Services for St. Mary's Health Center. "She is committed to advocating for the continuity of care for patients to ensure an improvement in their general health and well-being, resulting in an improved quality of life."
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McLaurin also is a graduate of SSM's Emerging Leaders program.
"When I first found out I had won this award, I was totally amazed. I wasn't even aware that I had been nominated," explained McLaurin. "I now feel honored and humbled that someone thought I deserved to be nominated for this exceptionable award. This really has motivated me to want to work harder at being an exceptionable leader for my department and community."