Jewish Geriatric Services honors employees for exemplary service

Date: 4/19/2010

Longmeadow -- At Jewish Geriatric Services (JGS) the President's Award is given annually to two employees for their exceptional service on behalf of elders. This prestigious award is based on nominations by family members and colleagues and is presented in conjunction with the tenure awards which are given to employees who have reached five-year increments in their time at JGS. The "tenure" award for years of service also includes those who have completed their first year with the company.

Over 100 employees were honored for their hard work and dedication at the recent employee awards ceremony at the Julian J. Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home.


Lisa Robinson of Springfield, a CNA with Spectrum Home Health and Hospice, a member of the JGS family for over a decade, was a recent recipient of the JGS President's Award.

The President's Award was established in 2000 to recognize employees throughout the JGS campus for their high level of care and service on behalf of elders. This year, two employees were chosen for this honor.

Pierina Murphy of Enfield, Conn., a care manager at Ruth's House, brings her calm, compassionate manner to work with her each day. Her kind and pleasant demeanor has won everyone over. Murphy takes a personal interest in the Ruth's House residents. She recently lent out her own CD player so that a resident would not "miss her music." She understands that a person's living environment is important to their well-being and has taken it upon herself to be certain that a resident's room is cheerful. At the end of each shift, Murphy makes a point to check in with each resident to see if they need anything. Though Murphy has only been with Ruth's House for a year, she makes a big difference every day.

A home health patient was very leery of having a "stranger" come into her home to provide care. Lisa Robinson of Springfield, a CNA with Spectrum Home Health and Hospice, has a friendly, accommodating attitude which has made her visits a much anticipated part of the week. Robinson makes an extra effort to know her patients and tries to accommodate their needs so they don't have to always ask. Robinson's exceptional skills and compassion have resulted in her accepting additional work as she also serves as part of the hospice team. Robinson started with JGS at Ruth's House 11 years ago and subsequently joined the Spectrum team. We appreciate her work and loyalty to Spectrum and JGS.

Another group of employees were feted for their years of service. Those with the longest tenure included: Joanne Moran for 30 years of service and John Roy for 25 years of service as JGS employees.

JGS is a healthcare system serving elders and their families. For more information about JGS programs, please call 567-3949 ext. 1321.