Oconee’s Jordanie Mertil wins MLK award

 

 

An employee with Oconee Memorial Hospital was named the recipient of the Greenville Health System’s 9th annual Martin Luther King Diversity Leadership Award, while an innovative program serving Oconee County families received the departmental award. The awards honor a GHS employee and department that exemplify the values of Dr. King, said Kinneil Coltman, chief diversity officer for Greenville Health System. “Dr. King empowered everyday people to realize their potential to make a positive difference in the world. The GHS Martin Luther King Diversity Leadership Awards serve as a wonderful way to recognize employees and departments at GHS who honor Dr. King’s legacy of promoting equity by having a significant impact on patients, communities, and beyond,” said Coltman. The recipients were named on Friday, Jan. 15. Jordanie Mertil, Oconee’s catering coordinator, won the individual award after bringing the Oconee community together to raise money for Mertil’s village in Haiti. Employees at Oconee Memorial Hospital donated more than $4,000 to the fund. In total, nearly $7,000 has been raised by the greater Oconee community over the past two years to help Old Le Tant Village in Haiti. Donations helped buy clothes, shoes, medical supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Community support has been widespread, with the Rotary Club of Walhalla also spearheading efforts to help send Christmas toys to the children there. “When I came back from a trip to Haiti in 2014, it was like going from one extreme to the next,” said Mertil.“I was shocked at the condition the people of Haiti were living in: no clean water, men, women and children walking around dirty with no clothes on their backs and nothing to eat. That’s why I was compelled to use my resources to help them. I am honored to live in a community that doesn’t see just the needs in this community but is willing to help abroad those that don’t have the some resources that this community has.” “To quote Dr. King, ‘As Long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich,’” she said. The department award was won by the Nurse-Family Partnership. Nurse-Family Partnership, led by nurse manager Elena Huston, supports first-time, low-income mothers. Nurses begin home visits to moms during their pregnancies and continue regular home visits until the babies are toddlers. The program, started by GHS obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Amy Picklesimer, served more than 300 families in Greenville, Oconee and Pickens counties in 2015 alone. Said Huston, “Growing up in the intercity, my career path was uncertain; however, I knew I wanted to break the circle of poverty around me. My dream became a reality when a nurse visiting my home gave me the encouragement, direction and resources I needed to become successful. After completing my undergrad, I went on to complete a master’s in nursing and a master’s in business.”
“Now I have the privilege to serve as nurse manager to a wonderful team of nurses who are dedicated to the success of this program. I have the opportunity to give back what was given to me and much more. My job among other duties is to inspire, encourage and equip our nurses. Although it has been proven with more than 30 years of research, experiencing the positive outcomes first hand is priceless.” “Our nurses are making a difference one family at a time.” said Huston. “Nurse-Family Partnership nurses do not change bandages, we change lives.”