Congratulations to Alexandra (Allie) Jones, child life specialist, for being selected as the 2023 Employee of the Year for Oishei Children's Hospital (OCH).
Allie always goes above what is required of her and helps to make things better for our hospital! As a child life specialist for the hematology/oncology department, she is always looking for new ways to keep our patients engaged and active.
During the summer, there were a lot of long-term active school-aged children in the unit who were going through challenging treatments. For families, facing these types of medical uncertainties and giving up their summer to spend time at the hospital for treatment can become emotional.
With this in mind, Allie designed a summer activity calendar for the inpatients on the unit. She thought of many creative, fun, age-appropriate activities for the patients. These activities give our patients something to look forward to and get them out of their rooms. They participated in sandcastle building contests, potato chip tasting challenges, s’more building, movie afternoons, hallway games and many other fun ways to spend time while in treatment. These activities have also given the parents the opportunity to see their children happy during hard times, which is worth more to those families than we could ever express.
These activities have been crucial for the nurses on the unit. Caring for very sick patients can be emotional for the staff, and watching the kids get a chance to be kids again can ease some of the distressing feelings that staff have while witnessing some of these sad situations.
Allie is known to be very respectful to her coworkers and a pleasure to work with. She ensures an inclusive environment in the playroom for the children, and although some children can be a little bit challenging to work with, she always acts professionally, no matter how she is treated. She has a keen ability to make stressful situations easier for families experiencing the most difficult days in their lives. She not only supports the patients, but she also supports the families. She holds herself to a high standard and truly cares for the patients that she works with.
In her free time, Allie has volunteered for the PUNT Remembrance Weekend, which is for oncology families who have lost a child. She also enjoys boating and spending time on the lake with her family.
Thank you, Allie, for all you do in caring for others. We are proud to name you the 2023 Employee of the Year for Oishei Children’s Hospital!