Ceca Foundation was founded by the Matthew and Rosemary Lawlor family in honor of Mary Lawlor to recognize caregivers and celebrate their exceptional acts of care. |
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Announcing: Ceca Caregiver of the Year Awards |
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We are very excited to announce our Ceca Caregiver of the Year Awards! Three exceptional healthcare workers have been selected for this highest honor after making a tremendous impact on their healthcare communities. After yet another challenging year, amid significant burnout and staffing challenges, the dedication that these caregivers exhibit is something to be celebrated.
Join us in congratulating:
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April Eckman, Patient and Guest Representative, Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway
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Don Okusaga, Licensed Practical Nurse, Stoddard Baptist Nursing Home
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Rick Price, Chaplain, West Virginia Caring
These three individuals were selected for their willingness to go far above and beyond their regular job duties, to be patient advocates, to become close friends with residents, to provide exceptional support to their teammates, and so much more. Read more in our press release.
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A Message from Ceca President, Nate Hamme
"I would like to add a special thank you to all of the amazing caregivers in our midst for your dedication and commitment not only to those you serve, but to your teams and the healthcare industry. To those that have survived these last few years and keep going--we appreciate you! Here at Ceca, we strive every day to recognize your work, and the Ceca Award is given out to hundreds of caregivers throughout the year for that purpose. We look forward to reading the heartfelt nominations submitted throughout the year, and we recognize the impact that you make every day."
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Second Chapters: The Matthew Lawlor Story |
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Co-Founder Matthew Lawlor was interviewed for Authority Magazine, a monthly online publication with a readership of over 21 million, as part of a series called “Second Chapters.” The series focuses on successful people from business, sports, film and technology who reinvented themselves and encourages them to share their stories and help empower others. Matt talks about his journey through the business world and the story of his mother, Mary Lawlor, that led him and his wife, Rosemary, to create Ceca Foundation to celebrate and honor healthcare workers.
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Arosa Caregiver Featured for National Caregivers Day |
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Caregiver and Ceca Award Honoree Denise Cox was recently interviewed by The Desert Sun. Denise works as a Lifecare Manager at our partner Arosa and has a passion for serving others that comes from her unique story and background. In the article, she talks about what her work, her clients and her team mean to her. It also includes praise for Denise from Leslie Saller, Office Manager at Arosa in Palm Desert. Ceca Foundation President Nate Hamme is also quoted on his insights into the impact that employee recognition has on healthcare communities and why they should celebrate workers year-round, not just on holidays.
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Labor Shortage in Healthcare Interview with Goodwin House |
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ABC 7 NEWS in Washington, DC featured our partner Goodwin House and highlighted how they have thrived during a time of chronic staffing shortages through some of their innovative practices. Ceca has worked with the team at Goodwin House since 2018 to recognize, reward, and inspire their team members providing care to residents, home health and hospice families. As a result, the Ceca Award has become part of their workplace culture fabric, and the message is clear: Employee appreciation efforts improve retention and promote resilience in care teams. Watch the TV spot to hear from Goodwin House Chief People Officer Fran Casey and Ceca President Nate Hamme.
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Program Updates and Other News |
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Two Hospital Executives Join Ceca's Board |
Ceca Foundation recently elected two top hospital executives to our Board of Directors, Duane Erwin and Paul Grenaldo. Duane is a healthcare system executive with 40 years of multi-disciplinary leadership experience in operational-clinical quality improvement, physician integration, and strategic growth. Paul has over 35 years of healthcare executive leadership, most recently having served as President of Doctors Community Hospital. Both have served as accomplished healthcare executives at multiple hospitals and have an acute understanding that an engaged workforce is key to providing an exceptional patient experience. Join us in welcoming Duane and Paul to our board.
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The Ceca Staff have been busy in the new year on a variety of projects and working with our partners. We have been thrilled to see facilities opening back up, and we have been able to attend some in-person Ceca Award celebrations. It’s been great!
Ceca President Nate Hamme has hit the road again. Recently he has:
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Attended the Georgia Health Care Association conference to participate in their Stars in Long Term Care Awards event,
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Presented at the United Methodist Association HR Peer Network meeting on the importance of recognition for service professionals, and
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Authored a piece for the American Society for Healthcare Human Resource Administration (ASHHRA) HR Pulse journal and partnered on their Healthcare HR Week recognition efforts.
The conference schedule is filling up for the Spring and Summer—look for more to come.
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Partner Spotlight - Celebrating Caregivers Day |
To spark renewed energy in the Ceca Awards, we invited our partners to treat their staff to something special during Employee Appreciation Week (February 28 to March 4) this year—a “Celebrating Caregivers Day” event. Partners each received $100 to purchase food, party supplies, decorations, and games and were encouraged to come up with other creative, fun and inexpensive ways to celebrate their staff. Employees at Providence Place Senior Living of Drums, PA, enjoyed a morning iced coffee bar and an afternoon fiesta with nachos. In addition to food and fun, caregivers received assistance in registering accounts and nominating coworkers for a Ceca Award.
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Program Highlight - New CecaTV Format |
We are thrilled to debut our new layout an all CecaTVs as of the beginning of March. The new layout keeps emphasis on caregivers that have recently been nominated with a live feed and gives viewers information about what the Ceca Award is with easy ways to nominate. A new widescreen format for rotating images and videos is our biggest improvement, which features photos from recent award celebrations, important reminder, care tips, and key information about the program and facility. |
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The Ceca Blog has more great caregiver stories featuring Denise Cox (Arosa)—who pulls from her family and cultural values for her compassionate caregiving; Marsy Shattuck (Knollwood Life Plan Community)—a creative and artistic mind who grew up running the grounds of Knollwood and now works there; and Charita Wells (Carroll Manor)—a woman with an amazing voice who puts her talents to work for resident activities and entertainment. Also, read our Top Tips for Creating a Fun Celebration, in light of Employee Appreciation Week/Day last week.
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Ceca Foundation is located at 1875 K Street NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20006
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