Christian Health Care Center Employee Honored as Legend of the Year

Marjorie Walker, Lead Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) on The David F. Bolger Post-acute Care Unit at Christian Health Care Center (CHCC) in Wyckoff and a resident of Paterson, was recently surprised at CHCC’s 23rd Annual Service Awards Banquet at Macaluso’s in Hawthorne, when it was announced that she was the recipient of the Center’s 2015 Legend of the Year award.

Staff of CHCC nominate co-workers as Legends as part of the Center’s service-excellence initiative. This spring, Ms. Walker was honored as the second quarter Legend Quarterly All Star. She was honored for exemplifying the mission and values of CHCC in an outstanding and easily recognizable manner, contributing exemplary service for the benefit of those served at CHCC and beyond, and for demonstrating behavior above and beyond expectations. Ms. Walker was nominated by Eva Artopee, Heritage Manor West Unit Clerk.

“Ms. Walker has been a dedicated employee at CHCC for eight years,” said Nancy Mericle, RN, Heritage Manor Nursing Home/Southgate Nursing Services Director. “She has natural leadership abilities, commitment to her residents, “can-do” attitude, and an excellent reputation as a caring CNA to her residents and a nurturing mentor to other staff. Ms. Walker recognizes that everyone has different needs and she treats everyone as unique individuals. She takes time to focus on each resident as she cares for them. She is an excellent advocate for all of her residents and for the unit in general. The needs of her patients always supersede her own. She is efficient and effective in resolving any issues regarding the residents, residents’ families, and staff. She is always readily available to speak with families and is a constant cheerleader for staff.”

Recently Ms. Walker was coming from her car in the parking lot of her apartment complex when she heard a woman yelling that her baby couldn’t breathe. Ms. Walker ran over and took the baby in her arms and saw that he was turning blue. She immediately gave the baby CPR. He started to breathe, but Ms. Walker didn’t like the fact that he wasn’t crying. She didn’t want to wait for an ambulance, so she and the mother rushed the baby to a nearby hospital where he was examined and declared healthy. When asked if she was scared, Ms. Walker said that she wasn’t, but she just knew she had to help. That story alone certainly exemplifies the quality of a Legend!

In addition, several years ago, New Jersey’s Health and Senior Services Commissioner visited CHCC and was interested in learning about the then new electronic medical record system being utilized. Ms. Walker was specifically chosen to demonstrate the use of the electronic hand-held devices used by the CNAs for their documentation. The commissioner and the staff were very impressed with how professional, knowledge-ble and articulate Ms. Walker was as she led the demonstration.

“If we could only clone Marjorie,” said Peter Peterson, LNHA, Heritage Manor Nursing Home/Southgate Administrator. “She’s everything we could ever ask for in a CNA. She is warm, compassionate, an effective leader, and a highly skilled professional.”

CHCC provides a broad continuum of high-quality, compassionate care, offering superior senior-life, short-term rehab, and mental-health services. As a non-profit organization, we deliver care to our community based upon the Christian principles on which we were founded more than a century ago.

For more information, visit ChristianHealthCare.org.

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Pictured, from left, are Sandra Ondrof, Legends Committee Co-chair; Mary Mariconda, Legends Committee member; Marjorie Walker, Legend of the Year; Joan Katz, RD, Legends Committee Co-chair; and Douglas A. Struyk, CPA, LNHA, Christian Health Care Center President and CEO.