Maria Sullivan was nominated for providing exceptional care
Maria Sullivan, a post-op registered nurse at Vail Health, has been named the 10th recipient of the Vail Health Elevate Award. Vail Health created the Elevate Award in June 2022 to allow patients and their families to nominate and thank employees who have touched their lives in some way.
Sullivan likes to ski, snowboard, hike, read and go to concerts, and she moved to the Vail Valley from Boston because of her love of the mountains and Vail Health's appeal as a community hospital.
"I really enjoy being able to take care of my neighbors and locals in our community," Sullivan said. "I greatly appreciate the relationships I am able to form with patients and coworkers. Vail Health, as a community hospital, allows me this opportunity. A city hospital has more of a clinical feel, and here is more community."
Sullivan has been with Vail Health for eight months and has already made a tremendous impact on her patients, including on Terry Giasson's father. Giasson, from San Antonio, Texas, nominated Sullivan following her father's hip replacement surgery.
"While my dad was in surgery, his wife, who had been in hospice, passed away," Giasson said. "When Maria called me back to sit with him, I told her what had happened, and she was very compassionate and supportive. Once I relayed the news, Maria was so supportive, allowing him to go on and on with stories, and she was able to make him laugh as they reminisced."
Giasson raved about Sullivan's attentiveness to her father's needs, including bringing him warm blankets and making him cocoa when he was cold, providing a phone charger when a cell phone battery was low, and even offering Giasson a mini flashlight to walk back to the hotel alone after dark.
"This all goes beyond her nursing duties, where she also provided phenomenal support," Giasson said. "We wanted you to know how much we appreciated Maria's support, service, compassion, and professionalism."
The Elevate Award directly aligns with Vail Health's mission of elevating health across the mountain communities it serves.
Patients and family members are encouraged to nominate staff who made a meaningful difference in their health care experience. Nominees can work in any area of the Vail Health health care system -- including admissions, laboratory, surgery centers, Howard Head Sports Medicine, Shaw Cancer Center, Colorado Mountain Medical, Eagle Valley Behavioral Health and more.
To nominate Vail Health, Colorado Mountain Medical, Eagle Valley Behavioral Health, Howard Head Sports Medicine and Shaw Cancer Center staff, visit http://www.vailhealth.org/ElevateAward>">VailHealth.org/ElevateAward<http://www.vailhealth.org/ElevateAward