HRHCare Outreach Worker Wins Planetree Award

HRHCare, a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center offering a range of medical services throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island, is proud to announce that outreach worker Mario Fernandez has been presented with the Planetree Spirit Award for excellence in patient care. HRHCare’s Planetree Institute presents these awards to employees who go above and beyond to make health care more personalized and create a warm and welcoming environment for all.

As an outreach worker at HRHCare’s Alamo Health and Farmworker Community Center in Goshen for more than three years, Mario Fernandez has worked tirelessly to provide access to patient-centered medical care and community events for everyone, especially the vast migrant farmworker population in the Black Dirt Region. Known for his extraordinary warmth, Mr. Fernandez builds instant trust with each person who walks through the doors of the Health Center, whether a regular patient or a first time walk-in. His energy, patience and sense of humor make him popular with everyone, especially the children who eagerly vie to catch a ride in the van he uses to shuttle HRHCare Alamo patients to medical appointments and community events. Giving far more than is asked of him, Mr. Fernandez facilitates nearly every event or field trip within the reach of the Alamo Health Center, whether he’s scheduled to work that day or not. On the rare occasion that he finds some time off, Mr. Fernandez enjoys to dance and play soccer.

“Mario Fernandez consistently goes above and beyond the scope of the expectations of his job to accommodate the needs of patients and co-workers alike,” said Jay Manzo, a fellow colleague at the HRHCare Alamo Health Center. “Without his empathy, compassion and driving work ethic, many of our special events would not have been possible.”

Planetree is the global leader in advancing patient-centered care solutions, integrating the technology of modern medicine with the healing dimensions of compassion, comfortable surroundings, shared knowledge and the freedom to make educated choices. HRHCare has been an affiliate since 1996 and remains the only Federally Qualified Health Center to be a part of this alliance. The HRHCare Planetree Institute was established in 2012 and provides state-of-the-art training to prepare all staff in delivering passionate and personalized care. The HRHCare Planetree Spirit Award honors employees who have been nominated by their colleagues for going above and beyond to provide individualized patient care and enhance health care services in their respective facility.

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