On Monday, November 13, Doreen Rowell was presented with the 2023 ID/DD Excellence Award at the annual Ohio Health Care Association I/DD Summit held in Westerville, Ohio.

Doreen Doreen Rowell is a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at the Hattie Larlham Aurora Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) home and was nominated by ICF Program Director Okey Ekechi, who wrote, "Doreen has dedicated her life to Hattie Larlham and the people we serve. Doreen works 10pm-6am, but you can always count on her to come in early and stay late any time she is needed. Doreen does not hesitate when called & will frequently come in on her days off to ensure coverage and active treatment at the home. Doreen has been at the Hattie Larlham Aurora house 8+ years and takes very good care of the residents who reside there, as if they were her own family. She is always willing to make sure that they have everything that they need. The Aurora home can always rely on Doreen to get everything done when she is on shift and then some. During Covid and times of very short staffing, Doreen would work 7 days per week and would always say "someone needs to be here for them." Even when she was tired, her quality of care never wavered.

Doreen recognizes that the residents of the home are medically fragile . She has taken it upon herself to go to the hospital after working multiple hours on multiple days to ensure that the residents when in the hospital were provided personal care and was comfortable.

During her time at Hattie Larlham, Doreen obtained her delegated medication administration certificate and has passed meds on countless occasions for Aurora home. Doreen is so knowledgeable about the residents and the med pass that she has been able to assist new and float nurses any time they have a question or need to locate something. Doreen has even gone over to the home next door to help administer tube feeds, give medication or obtain a set of vitals.

Doreen carries herself as a leader any time she is in the home, and she will let the supervisors and the Program Director know when there are issues with the residents that need addressed. When the home had openings during a shift, Doreen would assist the managers by calling her fellow co-workers and encouraging them to pick up a shift with her. Doreen also trains many new hire employees within the home. The last employee she recently trained on the routines and characteristics of the home and residents was voted employee rookie of the year this past December for the entire Hattie Larlham agency. Doreen does well to ensure that the employees are trained the right way to ensure continuity of care. Doreen holds herself and all of the employees at Aurora home to a high standard and the home is always clean, the residents' clothes are well cared for and happy. Doreen picks up on nearly every holiday, helps make the home festive and fun and assists in cooking a holiday meal. Thank you, Doreen, for all that you for the residents of the Aurora house, you are a huge asset to the Hattie Larlham team!"

Doreen exemplifies the values of Hattie Larlham and shines as a member of our team, working with compassion and commitment to fulfil our mission. Congratulation to her, and to all of the 2023 award winners who have made an impact in the lives of Ohioans with disabilities!

To learn more about Hattie Larlham's ICF program, click here.