ER Team Recognizes Their Heroes

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Nurses, physicians, and other emergency room staff are getting a lot of recognition these days for the extraordinary work they are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This afternoon at Salinas Valley Health Medical Center, the Emergency Department staff wanted to recognize their heroes – the Environmental Services team that work alongside them keeping the hospital a clean, sterile and safe environment.

“Our housekeeping team is made of true heroes,” says Carla Spencer, RN, Director of Emergency Services. “With amazing passion and dedication, they work hard to keep us all safe.”

Four housekeepers in particular have a regular schedule in the ER and were the focus of a brief presentation. Each one shared how much they enjoy working in the ER and thanked the rest of the staff for the respect and teamwork they feel every day.

“This organization is amazing and we are all in this together,” said Dolores Gonzalez, a 19 year employee of the Environmental Services department. Through tears she told the group, “I feel lucky and I love you guys.”

Like Dolores, the other three Environmental Service Aides have worked at Salinas Valley Health for many years. Myra Alvear joined the hospital in 1996, Monica Jimenez has worked at the hospital for 16 years and Roxana Torres joined the team in 2014. Between them, they share 65 years of service at Salinas Valley Health. About 100 people make up the dedicated Environmental Services Department.

It’s important to note that NO patients exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are ever brought into the ER. All potentially positive COVID-19 patients are screened in special isolation tents and if needed, transported to a special unit in the hospital designated for positive patients. The clinical team is currently caring for two positive patients.

In addition to today’s ER recognition of the Environmental Services staff, the community continues to send letters and notes of encouragement and gratitude to everyone working at Salinas Valley Health Medical Center. Some of the nurses and other hospital personnel took time today to place more of those notes to a fence located near the Alternate Care Site for patients potentially positive with the virus.