Jeanie Banks, a personal care assistant at St. Mary's Highland Hills Village, received the Catherine McAuley Award at the health care system’s annual event to recognize employees for their service, held June 5 at The Classic Center. The award is St. Mary's highest honor.

Banks, who resides near Nicholson, received the 13^th Annual Catherine McAuley Award in recognition of her dedication to St. Mary’s Mission and Core Values, including reverence for each person, commitment to those who are poor, justice, stewardship and integrity. The award is named in honor of the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, the legacy sponsors of St. Mary’s.

Banks was honored in front of nearly 300 of her colleagues and their guests by Sister Patricia Pepitone, RSM, of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy in Denver, NC, and a member of St. Mary's Board of Directors. Don McKenna, President and CEO of St. Mary’s Health Care System, assisted in the presentation.

“There is so much we could say about Jeanie, who joined Highland Hills in 2001," Sr. Patricia said. "Jeanie's loving kindness and gentle demeanor allow her to share her servant heart with residents and their families. She exhibits nothing but the spirit of doing for others on a daily basis."

As an age-in-place retirement community, Highland Hills has residents, not patients. Sr. Patricia noted that Banks is loved for the compassion and tenderness she gives those residents on a daily basis.

"When a resident came back after falling at a grocery store, Jeanie took her to an urgent care clinic and stayed with her until her daughter came," Sr. Patricia said. "And when another resident was taken to the ER with chest pain, Jeanie drove his wife to the hospital and stayed with her, comforting her in the true spirit of Catherine McAuley, until the family arrived. None of these acts of mercy are in her job description. She helped these people out of the goodness of her heart."

Banks was selected for the award from among the most recent recipients of St. Mary’s monthly Spirit of Mercy Award. All recipients are selected by St. Mary’s Values in Practice Rewards and Recognition Committee, a peer-level group that handles all aspects of the nomination and selection process. In addition to Banks, the Spirit of Mercy Award recipients for the past year were:

• Yodonna Collins, pre-registration coordinator, Patient Access Services
• Tina Couey, MRI tech, Sacred Heart Hospital
• Greta Dudley, pre-registration coordinator, Patient Access Services
• Meg Dukes, hospitalist coordinator, St. Mary's Hospital
• Ashley Griffith, RN, St. Mary's Hospital Short Stay Unit
• Ella Mines, CNA, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical/Surgical Unit
• Van Phan, nuclear medicine tech, Outpatient Imaging Center
• Scott Porterfield, physical therapist, St. Mary's Rehabilitation Services
• Beth Ricketson, physician liaison, St. Mary's Orthopedics Unit
• Susan Welch, executive assistant, Good Samaritan Hospital

Monday's event also honored St. Mary’s staff for their years of service in 5-year increments. In all, 235 active employees and 13 recent retirees – with a combined total of 3,697 years of service to St. Mary’s – were recognized.

“Whether you have been with us for five years or 40 years, you are a vital part of who we are and what we do,” McKenna told those assembled for the ceremony. “Because of your dedication, we are able to make a real difference in the lives of the people we serve. You are what makes St. Mary's great. Thank you!”