Finger Lakes Health held its annual Employee Recognition dinner on May 16 at Club 86 in Geneva, honoring employees for almost years 2,200 years of service to the community and thanking them for their contributions and dedication to the ongoing success of the health system.
The recognition honored 12 employees, with more than 339 years of service, who retired in the last year. Six employees received the Morton Orlov, M.D. Education Award for completing a degree program within the past 12 months. This award is in recognition of personal commitment to education through use of the health system’s Education Assistance Programs.
Members of the Administrative Team presented milestone years of service awards to employees who have completed 5 to 50 years of service with Finger Lakes Health.
Two special awards were presented to employees who consistently exceeded the requirements of their jobs in the workplace: the James J. Dooley Leadership Excellence Award and the Employee of the Year.
The James J. Dooley Leadership Excellence Award recognizes outstanding performance by a leader who is committed to Finger Lakes Health’s mission, values and the healing environment, as well as the leader’s overall job performance and leadership skills. This year, Doug Wills, Director of Facilities, was honored as the 14th recipient of this celebrated award. He has been employed with Finger Lakes Health for the last five years.
Wills is the kind of leader who has a “make it happen” attitude. He is attentive to details, follows up in a timely manner, and offers good advice. He addresses issues with appropriate coaching for improvement, and is highly regarded by his staff. He actively embraces FLH’s values through multiple committee participations, his everyday communication, and recently purchased and donated a new Christmas tree to the organization.
The Employee of the Year Award recognizes an employee that sets the standard for excellence. This year’s award was presented to Dena Prete, Unit Clerk, at Living Center at Geneva South, on Unit 1. She has been with Finger Lakes Health for the last thirty years.
Prete’s team describes her as hard-working, dependable, courteous and respectful. She is always happy and is willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it. The positive energy that she radiates can change the mood of the entire unit. She takes the initiative to assist nursing by making beds, tidying rooms, and transporting residents so that the nursing team can focus on nursing duties that only they can perform.
Prete was selected from among the outstanding field of 12 Employees of the Quarter who were recognized each quarter in 2022. The program recognizes those employees who consistently demonstrate organizational values and whose performance clearly exceeds the requirements of their positions.
Photos from the evening can be viewed on Finger Lakes Health’s Flickr page.