The Portsmouth Regional Hospital Awards of Distinction winners for 2022, presented on May 2, 2023, from left: Mark Mailloux, Frist Humanitarian Award – Employee; Jillian Richmond, Frist Humanitarian Award – Volunteer; Graham Phelps, RN, Nursing Excellence – Compassionate Care; Caroline Scoones, MD, Frist Humanitarian Award – Physician; Chelsie Portlock, RN, Nurse of the Year; Rebecca Cain, RN, Colleague of the Year; and Donna Marie Everett, RN, Nursing Excellence – Professional Mentoring.
Portsmouth Regional Hospital Honors Employees with Annual Awards of Distinction
Portsmouth Regional Hospital (PRH) recently honored several colleagues for their outstanding commitment to patient care, the patient experience, their colleagues and communities, as well as their dedication to humanitarian and volunteer activities. Each winner was nominated by their hospital peers.
Among the Awards of Distinction presented to the employees were three Frist Humanitarian Awards. The Frist Humanitarian Award was created in 1971 to honor outstanding individuals for their humanitarian and volunteer activities. Named in honor of HCA Healthcare founder, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr., this award recognizes hospital employees, physicians, and volunteers who serve the community and those in need, and whose daily dedication and caregiving epitomize the highest standards of quality and personal commitment.
“These employees represent the best of the best at Portsmouth Regional Hospital,” said Dean M. Carucci, market president, HCA New England Healthcare, and CEO of Portsmouth Regional Hospital. “Being nominated by their peers is a testament to their commitment to care for their communities, as well as their leadership and teamwork. They all have made outstanding contributions to improving the patient experience, and we’re proud to have them on our team.”
The award winners are, with information from their nominations:
Awards of Distinction
Frist Humanitarian Award – Physician
Caroline Scoones, MD, of Portsmouth
Women & Children’s Services
Dr. Scoones, who joined Portsmouth Regional Hospital in 2012, is a strong and quiet leader, she has led her providers to contribute to quality initiatives alongside the Women & Children’s team, first as a peer, then Chief of Obstetrics, and now as Chief of Staff. A nurse leader peer who nominated Dr. Scoones for this award wrote, “Never in my 33-year career have I had the pleasure to work with someone like Dr. Scoones, who is so collaborative and genuinely cares for her peers, our patients and my team.” If you ask any physician at PRH to describe Dr. Scoones, they would use words such as “intelligent,” “humble,” “compassionate and caring leader.” Dr. Scoones is a volunteer at her children’s school, and enjoys supporting local organizations including The Music Hall and Prescott Park.
Frist Humanitarian Award – Employee
Mark Mailloux of Kittery Point, Maine
Director of Outpatient Therapy and Occupational Health
Mark has worked at Portsmouth Regional Hospital for more than 30 years, currently leading teams in outpatient therapy and occupational health. He epitomizes the true values of a servant leader, and his kindness and compassion are demonstrated every day not only through his work at the hospital, but as the president of the Krempels Center Board of Directors, and president of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association. Mark volunteers at several community organizations, and his employees often join in, volunteering alongside him at places such as Crossroads House where he cooks and serves meals for the residents.
Frist Humanitarian Award – Volunteer
Jillian Richmond of Portsmouth
Jillian isn’t your typical Frist Award winner. She’s 16 and a junior in high school. She started volunteering at Portsmouth Regional Hospital when she was 14, much younger than the hospital’s typical volunteers. Jillian supports patients and families, she assists in nursing stations, and works on projects usually reserved for college students and beyond. At the age of 15, she became the primary trainer for university volunteers. In addition to being in numerous clubs at school and being at the top of her class at Portsmouth Regional High School, she excels in three sports and is captain of the lacrosse team. She also will be part of PRH’s summer cohort of the Healthcare Exploration Program internship.
Additional Awards of Distinction:
Innovator of the Year
Amy Lester of Durham
Director of Volunteer Services
Amy came to Portsmouth Regional Hospital as a volunteer, and before she knew it, she was running the program as the director of Volunteer Services. She is committed to our patients, and our community, managing programs such as Project SEARCH, and launching the No One Dies Alone program. Amy recognized the need for an additional pipeline of future healthcare workers and launched new partnerships with local schools to develop two highly successful internship programs, the Healthcare Career Exploration program for high school and college students, and the Extended Learning Opportunities program for high schoolers. These programs have re-energized the hospital, improved relationships with the community, resulted in additional hires, and provided an additional level of support throughout the hospital. Amy is not only committed to our mission, she is always willing to push the envelope and try new things to support her colleagues and our patients.
Nursing Excellence – Compassionate Care
Graham Phelps, RN, of Durham
Intensive Care Unit
Graham became an ICU nurse at Portsmouth Regional Hospital at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He not only learned how to be a nurse in an extreme environment, but he learned how important it is to provide compassionate care. At that time, nurses were not only providing medical care to patients, they were support systems for patients who were separated from their loved ones. Since then, Graham has not only continued to provide high-quality, compassionate care, he has thrived, earning new certifications and additional training to help him better care for his patients. Graham truly loves being a nurse, and it shows through his patient outcomes and in the feedback from his patients’ family members who consistently show their appreciation for his compassion during very difficult days.
Nursing Excellence – Professional Mentoring
Donna Marie Everett, RN, of Dover
Case Management
Donna Marie is committed to providing patients with excellent care from the time they are admitted until the moment of discharge, and she makes sure that those she trains develop the same passion and commitment to patient care. Her dedication to mentoring her colleagues while helping them to be the best caregivers and advocates possible is unparalleled, and her mentees are grateful for her leadership and support. She is an avid gardener who shares her gift with others by bringing her beautiful peonies into the hospital to help brighten the days of her colleagues and our patients, is involved in her local community, and is always willing to help others.
Colleague of the Year
Rebecca Cain, RN, of Dover
Stroke Coordinator/Nursing Support Specialist
Rebecca has worked at Portsmouth Regional Hospital for 28 years, and is a champion for stroke survivors and their families. Her compassion and dedication to her patients and colleagues is limitless, and she is a wonderful role model. Her leadership and investment into our stroke program is reflected in the quality of critical care that we provide to our stroke patients. She identifies barriers and process gaps, and is consistent in problem solving and brainstorming better approaches to care. She is not only hardworking, dedicated, and thoughtful, she is energetic and passionate, and goes the extra mile for her patients, including helping to celebrate their successes through participation in community events.
Nurse of the Year
Chelsie Portlock, RN, of Hampton
Surgical Services
Chelsie has been a nurse at Portsmouth Regional Hospital for nearly eight years, and has worn many different hats. She is a mentor and role model, and is always willing to go wherever there is a need. Her work ethic is exceptional, she is known for picking up shifts or taking on call shifts to cover for colleagues rather than leaving her team short. She consistently works to improve herself through continuing education, as demonstrated by her rapid achievement of her CNOR certification within months of completing her perioperative nurse training. She is not only loved by her nursing colleagues, but frequently is requested by our surgeons.