Bon Secours Rappahannock General Hospital recently announced Jill Bessler, RN, is a Bon Secours 2018 Dedicated Service Award (DSA) recipient.
The Dedicated Service Award recognizes Bon Secours’ outstanding employees who help carry forth the health care ministry of the Sisters of Bon Secours and Bon Secours Ministries. Award recipients have been nominated and selected because they have demonstrated dedicated service, an untiring commitment in living the Bon Secours’ values and mission, and have consistently been “good help to those in need.”
The annual DSA recipient is one who embodies the spirit of the Bon Secours Health System Mission to “…bring compassion to health care and to be good help to those in need, especially those who are poor and dying. As a system of caregivers, we commit ourselves to help bring people and communities to health and wholeness as a part of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.”
The recipient is also one who guides their home and work life within the scope of the values of Bon Secours.
Bessler began her career at RGH more than 23 years ago as an emergency room nurse. In 2008, she became nursing informatics liaison and in 2010, she took on her current role as a nursing project analyst.
As a project analyst, Bessler is responsible for implementing technology-driven clinical transformation at Rappahannock General Hospital. During this past year, she was instrumental in opening an inpatient sleep laboratory, as well as leading the hospital through critical access conversion, which allows the hospital to provide transitional care.
Comments from her peer nominations read: But to know Jill is to know her commitment to her team and the Bon Secours mission. She consistently promotes the self-esteem of her team members and treats everyone she encounters with the same level of respect. She also displays a strong commitment to the well-being and comfort of others, especially the vulnerable and underserved.
“I have personally known Jill to donate funds for equipment needed by our patients and she makes every attempt to advocate for others to look at their work through the lens of a patient, no matter what their role,” said Ann Gumina, vice-president, Patient Care Services and Bessler’s supervisor.
When colleagues have difficulty maneuvering technical applications like the Bon Secours employee wellness portal entitled “Be Your Best,” Bessler is there to help them enroll and maximize their benefits. As a result of her efforts, the hospital has the highest rate of participation, 60.8%, across the system for completing the first three steps of enrollment.
Bessler is committed to being a good health partner to all community members. She recently joined the Interracial Conversation initiative in the Northern Neck, where she participates in conversations among the community and her peers. These conversations help raise awareness and promote the sharing of personal stories that inspire and encourage meaningful discussions.
Bessler was recognized and treated to an all-inclusive weekend in Baltimore along with other Bon Secours award recipients in early August.
