January MVP — Shanita Harris
| Congratulations to Shanita Harris, our January MVP of the Month!
Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, presents Shanita Harris with the January MVP award.
A patient services associate on F7 Stem Cell Transplant who has worked at UAMS for 15 years, Shanita’s co-workers offered several reasons she is this month’s MVP:
“There is no one more deserving to be recognized for this award than Shanita Harris. Shanita is a true example of UAMS core values and shows this every day. Her compassion for the patients and staff on F7 is amazing. She is the glue that holds us together!
An example of her selflessness was on Halloween and Thanksgiving. Many of our patients are local and holidays are especially sad for them being away from home. On Halloween, Shanita arranged a Halloween party, and paid for the entire party out of her own pocket. On Thanksgiving, she arranged a dinner for all of our patients and their families, which brought tears to many of us when we observed how grateful the patients and families were.
In December, she organized a Christmas movie night for the patients and families. She bought the movie and provided snacks. It was a great success and all the patients and families were able to come together for a fun time. She also purchased stockings for each patient and gathered all the goodies to fill them. We had a young mother on our unit with a very poor prognosis. She has a 5-year-old little boy that the grandmother has been taking care of at home. This trip to the hospital there was no one to care for him so he was here with her in the room. It did not look promising that he would be home for Christmas, so Shanita rallied all of us together to get gifts and clothes for him. Shanita also arranged a visit from Santa for him.
These are just a few examples of Shanita’s passion for her job. She is the most giving and compassionate person that I know.”
Do you know someone who should be the next MVP? Nominations are being accepted. Any employee can nominate someone, and all employees are eligible to be nominated. The nomination form is available online or paper copies can be picked up in the Office of Communications & Marketing in Ward Tower next to Doc Java.