Outstanding members of Ohio’s Hospice staff are recognized each quarter with the Bouquet of Recognition Awards for Excellence. Honorees personify the qualities found in the mission and values of Ohio’s Hospice and are the foundation upon which remarkable patient experiences are built.  

These honorees consistently demonstrate excellence through their expertise and extraordinary care of patients and families. They are recognized as outstanding role models in the Ohio’s Hospice community. These are the recipients for the first quarter of 2024. 

Carnation Award – Karen Davenport 

Kindness is a simple but demanding expectation. When families face the unbearable loss of a loved one, kindness is the most critical component of our mission. But keeping the energy going to provide superior care and superior services is not easy, so having a teammate like Karen Davenport helps tremendously. 

As one of her teammates explained, Karen is a deserving winner of the Carnation Award, because she is top-of-the-shelf when it comes to mission support. 

“The kindness of Karen in the cafe was so warming. On Easter, Karen was in the café and made a fresh pot of coffee. Although my cup was fine, Karen wanted to be sure that I had hot and fresh coffee. She even offered to bring the coffee to me. The kindness in Karen’s eyes, smile and tone of voice touched my heart. This seemingly small effort was grand and so appreciated by my husband and I.” 

Congratulations to Karen for being recognized with the Carnation Award and thanks to her for her support of our mission!   

DAISY Award® – Todd Heffner 

Ohio’s Hospice is proud to be a DAISY Award® partner, recognizing nurses with this special honor quarterly. At Ohio’s Hospice, DAISY Award honorees are nurses who consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care.   

Todd Heffner is an incredible asset tour team and a huge blessing to our patients and families. There isn’t just one situation that explains why Todd is deserving of this award. 

According to his supervisor, it is Todd’s consistency time after time in the care he gives. He is a very knowledgeable and skilled nurse and a wonderful role model but is humble and never afraid to ask questions. He is always looking for ways to learn and grow. 

As a shift leader, he often must be the one dealing with difficult situations and issues with patients and visitors.  

Regardless of the situation Todd is put in he never fails to show compassion and respect to those around him. This extends to his interactions with teammates who have expressed their appreciation of him and the way he handles his position.  

He recently received the following message from a teammate, “I just wanted to thank you for handling some hard situations lately at the IPU. You never seem to get flustered or overwhelmed when dealing with complicated families or patients. We appreciate your dedication to the team and how you have stepped up to be a leader. Thank you for all that you do!”  

His response showed his character and his heart: “My pleasure! I never feel alone in those situations, always strengthened by the professionalism of our team.”  

Todd is an example of what makes Ohio’s Hospice such a unique and special place.  

Tulip Award – Theresa McLennon 

At Ohio’s Hospice, we strive to be a reliable touchstone for our communities and an institution worthy of community trust. Providing superior care and superior services to families facing life-limiting illnesses is our only mission. Chaplain Theresa McLennon exhibits warmth and kindness in all of her duties with our organization. 

Kindness can help change our turbulent times into individual moments of compassion that outweigh uncertainty and doubt. Kindness is the beginning of all that is good and worthwhile in our lifetime. 

Theresa’s teammate said, “I witnessed Theresa doing a special recognition ceremony for a patient who had been a pastor. His family was thrilled and so thankful.  

Other family members came and were so sad that they missed this and Theresa did not hesitate, she went in and did it again.  

The family absolutely loved her and were so thankful. Theresa shows kindness to her coworkers and listens to our concerns, and she will pray for the patients and families so beautifully.  

I am so amazed at her ability to show compassion for what she does so beautifully and appreciate her so much. She will even pray for staff if we are in need. She is truly amazing!” 

Sunflower Award – LaTora Lemons 

LaTora Lemons, a personal care specialist, is acknowledged for her outstanding dedication and for providing exceptional care to the patients of the Carlyle House. 

LaTora goes above and beyond to provide care to hospice patients. Even the most difficult and challenging patients do not affect LaTora’s kind and caring disposition.  

LaTora interacts well with family members, listening and providing reassurance. Recently, at the facility in the memory care unit, the hot water heater stopped working. That did not stop LaTora from providing exceptional care to patients in the 600 unit. LaTora carried hot water from the kitchen to the unit upstairs for every patient who could not be wheeled downstairs for a shower. 

LaTora did not complain once, keeping her smile and positive attitude the entire week. 

LaTora is very knowledgeable regarding our patients. Most days, when she has completed care, you can find LaTora feeding hospice patients and spending time visiting with them. The facility staff often joke and tell her that she is not allowed to take vacation because she is missed when she is not here.  

Ohio’s Hospice is fortunate to have LaTora representing our organization!