The smiley one

Angela Peck was chosen as the CHIRPs spotlight recipient for this week for many good reasons. Angela works at Envoy of Westover HIlls, in Richmond, Virginia. Her career started in 1994 when she became a CNA. Fast forward to 2009, when she joined the team at Westover Hills. Angela went on to become an LPN, but decided that she prefered the hands-on work over the paperwork required of LPNs. In April of 2016, Angela was promoted to Central Supply.

It’s not surprising that Angela chose health care for her career. She had always been fond of taking care of others, and even learned CPR when she was just 16 years old. The caring tendencies run in the family too, because both Angela’s mother and grandmother were nurses.

Dottie Norris, a human resources coordinator, has seen Angela rally to the call. “Angela is our Central Supply Coordinator who has maintained her CNA license and CEU to ensure she can help when the need is there.” Angela’s flexibility and willingness to help where needed have been an invaluable asset for sure.

There is no lack of motivation for Angela. She loves to care for the residents and help them any time she can. In central supply, she is able to provide for both the staff and the residents. She continually asks the CNAs, “What can I do to make your job easier?” Dottie Norris said that Angela “has a good working relationship with our outside vendors and can make sure we have the supplies we need before we even know we need them!”

Envoy of Westover Hills is truly a home away from home for Angela. She said that it feels like a family at the care center. Many staff members have worked at Westover Hills for over 20 years. Like any situation, she said, “There are bad days and good days, but they all work as a team to get the job done.” She also mentioned that her co-workers refer to her as “the smiley one.” She loves to make her co-workers laugh, and encourages them to do their best work and to make it a good day for the residents. She said that the cheerful attitude makes the whole day better. And at the end of the day, she can go home feeling great because she knows that she did her best.

Angela gave us an example of what really makes her feel great about her job. After a few years on the job, Angela met a patient who came to the care center with a lot of physical challenges. She said he worked extremely hard in rehabilitation, and was finally able to walk himself out the care center door to go home and live independently. “I was so proud of this facility,” Angela said. To this day, the patient will walk back in the front door to visit, and she is reminded of the terrific success story.

When we asked Angela about the challenges of the job, she mentioned that you need to adapt to the different personalities of the residents. Angela has a great strategy for this that she has learned from doing it for so long. She said that she usually takes a day or two to let the new residents adjust. She observes them closely and gets to know them. Once they have settled comfortably, she can hone in on meeting their specific needs and work with their differing personalities. According to Dottie Norris, “She has made it her business to know our residents and their needs.”

Angela believes that all of Consulate’s Core Values are important. Angela demonstrates compassion by helping homeless residents. She said that she will go through her own closet to look for clothes she can donate to residents. She will also buy wigs and other hair supplies for residents in order for them to feel pretty.

Angela’s plans for the future include “continuing to provide the best quality care and providing the needed supplies to continue to help make the building great.” Thank you, Angela. Your smiling face, fantastic work ethic, and good deeds are appreciated by all who know you.