CHH employees celebrate Hospital Week 2011 by paying it forward
Hospital Week 2011 at Cabell Huntington Hospital will still be a week of celebration and recognition for the hard work that takes place at the 313-bed academic medical center, but the tone this year will be a little more about giving than getting.
Cabell Huntington Hospital employees will work their way through Hospital Week May 16-20 as "Healthcare Superheros" with special events, meals and giveaways to honor the heroic efforts that take place throughout the facility each day. The generosity and caring spirits of employees will be demonstrated during the first-ever "Pay It Forward Fair" on Tuesday, May 17. Employees and members of the public will be given the opportunity to pay it forward and make a difference for a person or an organization through donations.
"What I love about the Pay it Forward concept is how it changes people," said Barry Tourigny, Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Cabell Huntington Hospital. "From the moment you take that first selfless step to help another person, you set off a chain reaction that, days, months and years later, continues to impact lives. We are truly blessed to work for an employer that does the right thing for its employees while fulfilling its mission to provide the highest level of services for our community."
During the week, employees will be given Cabell Cash that they can use to spend in the hospital cafeteria or gift shop to make purchases for themselves. Or, employees can turn that money around and donate it toward pay it forward projects that include opportunities to provide a co-worker to a special treat; thank a soldier with iTunes gift cards or phone cards; donate to the Huntington Area Food Bank; support the needs of cancer patients through the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center's Good Samaritan Fund; donate to the CHH Children's Hospital Project or support the hospital's emergency relief fund that helps employees in need due to extreme hardship.
"This year instead of buying some unmemorable trinket that employees stick on a shelf and forget about, we are giving them the chance to direct money to their favorite charitable organizations, servicemen serving overseas or their own employee relief fund, utilizing the Pay It Forward concept," Tourigny said. "Sharing our success is a random act of kindness. I don't believe that we should hold these things so tightly and not share them. It is about creating a positive community; it is about sharing and paying it forward."
The week's high point is the annual employee recognition event when employees celebrating service anniversaries with Cabell Huntington will be honored.
National Hospital Week, which took place May 8-14 but is celebrated at Cabell Huntington Hospital May 16-20 this year, is the nation's largest healthcare event and is a celebration of the history, technology and dedicated professionals that make healthcare facilities beacons of confidence and care, according to the American Hospital Association.