Sarah Marsh (pictured above) has always been proud to work at our ministry. In fact, she recently transferred to executive services after previously spending her days assisting fellow team members who called the associate services center looking for everything from benefits information to scheduling a flu shot.
Helping others is what Sarah does, but it’s when her family needed help that Sarah experienced even greater appreciation for her work family.
Sarah is very close with her mother, Connie. So, years ago when Sarah became engaged and moved to Cincinnati from Mechanicsburg, Ohio, it was only natural that Connie made the move, too. In fact, Sarah’s fiancé, now husband, bought Connie a home only seconds away from theirs.
“He knew I wouldn’t be happy until she was near me,” Sarah says, calling the living arrangement a “true blessing.”
Health is also a blessing, and Connie had been fortunate in that regard. She had only had three occasions in her life that required a night in the hospital, and each of those were for the births of her children.
Unfortunately, illness, as it can, changed things for her.
Sarah describes her mother as “very shy and private,” so the family prefers not to discuss publicly the details of the battle being fought. However, it’s Sarah’s Mercy Health team members fighting alongside of them that the family cannot say enough about.
When Connie needed care, Sarah knew she didn’t need to look further than the individuals she encountered daily through her own work.
In fact, Sarah’s familiarity and admiration for our ministry began prior to her employment, back when she and Connie lived in Mechanicsburg. When it came to locating care near their new homes, Sarah and Connie chose The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health.
Since February, Sarah has encountered numerous health care professionals who are co-workers that she’s meeting for the first time. And each of the physicians, nurses and other team members have left an impression. These positive impressions are so strong that Sarah was compelled to reach out to our ministry’s CEO, John Starcher.
The letter Sarah sent calls out individuals who had gone above and beyond, starting, literally, at the front door with the valet team.
Sarah shares how she felt the need to reach out to John because health care can be a tough job, and she knew those that were taking care of her and her mother were different in all the most wonderful of ways. Sarah recalled a rare moment at The Jewish Hospital when she was unable to fight back a breakdown. It was then that a team member took the time to comfort her, letting her know that “we love you guys, especially your mom.” Sarah knew she needed to inform John of not only the compassion demonstrated, but of the pride Sarah felt as an employee.
“I mean, where does this happen?” Sarah says. “You don’t get that feeling just anywhere. The ministry is special, very special in that regard.”
Sarah also expressed appreciation for those at the associate services center, writing that “my manager, Laura Smith, and my team have been so supportive and understanding and I could have done none of this without them.”
Sarah closed her letter to John by stating, “I’m blessed beyond measure to be an employee of Mercy Health.”
“Looking at things from a caregiver’s perspective certainly sheds a different light on things, so I wanted you to know that all is well at The Jewish Hospital. The facility and all the team members who make the dream work there are a true blessing to the ministry.”
The note made an immediate impression on John, who thanked Sarah and assured her he would make sure all those mentioned in her letter would receive word of their positive impacts on the family. Good news travels fast, and the family’s appreciation was shared with Michael Kramer, president of The Jewish Hospital. He in turn shared Sarah’s message with his teams so that they knew of the difference they were making.
Sarah reports that her mother is maintaining her sense of humor and benefiting still from the care of the team at The Jewish Hospital. As for Sarah herself, the whole experience has given her added insight into her own work.
“I have always wanted to do my best for our employees, but this has opened my eyes even further,” she says. “Kindness matters, as cliché as it sounds; you really never know what someone is dealing with in the background. This experience has retrained my brain. I want to treat each employee as if they are the only ones that matter, even if it is a benefit issue that I have solved hundreds of times.”
This holiday season, we are celebrating by spreading the good news! Read more feel-good stories, like this one, that feature our team members, patients and the wonderful communities we are blessed to serve.
