Beatitudes Campus Employee Receives Prestigious Stella Parrish Award

PHOENIX – What does 28 years of experience, unwavering patience, and a high level of compassion for older adults equate to for Beatitudes Campus staff member and CNA, Nora Yohn? It is a culmination of many years of dedicated service and the honor of receiving the most prestigious Stella Parrish Lifetime Achievement Award, granted by the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA).

In late September, Yohn was acknowledged for her 28 years as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) who is a team member at the Beatitudes Campus Health Care Center (HCC), in north-central Phoenix. The Stella Parrish Achievement Award is NAHCA’s most prestigious designation and is given to a CNA with 20 or more years of experience, is an outstanding quality of care provider, displays a positive attitude, serves residents by respecting their rights, and has above-average attendance. Yohn embodies all of this and more.

CNAs are responsible for basic care services for Campus residents including bathing, grooming, assistance with meals and mobility, and social and emotional support. In addition to her duties as a CNA, Yohn is an outstanding part of the nursing team. She is a Quality Mentor, serving as a resource to new CNAs and leader in her work team. She also keeps the nurses on their toes by providing resident status reports and updates regarding the declining health of a specific resident before any issues are known by other staff. In addition, Yohn is a certified Restorative Nursing Assistant (RNA) and works with the physical therapy team to support and work with residents who are staying at the HCC for rehabilitation.

 “Being a CNA is challenging work and not very glamorous,” says Yohn. “You have to have a lot of patience and really care about the person you are working with. The glory that you get from working in this profession comes from the compassion you feel for the resident, as if you are taking care of your own family member.”

Yohn joined the Beatitudes Campus team in October of 1981 and had many goals. One was to perform a job she could feel good about but another was to fulfill a promise to herself. As a teenager, she helped to care for her grandmother who suffered from cancer. During this time, Yohn witnessed the lack of knowledge about the disease and the lack of care her grandmother received from medical staff at the end of her life. Yohn was determined to work in the health care field, make a difference by providing education about cancer and other diseases, and provide quality care for our elders who deserve dignity, compassion, and respect.

Karen Mitchell, Campus Director of Nursing said of Yohn, “We are so proud of Nora for receiving the Stella Parrish Award. Her fellow co-workers feel she has accomplished her goals and fulfilled the promise she made. We know she will keep making a difference in the lives of residents and staff alike.”

About the Beatitudes Campus

For more than 40 years, the Beatitudes Campus has served as an all-inclusive Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Support. Through our programs and services, our Campus offers a true community that recognizes and nourishes the spiritual, physical, social, and emotional needs of our residents.

The Campus is sponsored by the Church of the Beatitudes, a United Church of Christ congregation. The Church of the Beatitudes also founded the following related nonprofit organizations: Beatitudes Agelink, an intergenerational child development center located on site of the Campus; and Duet: Partners In Health & Aging, serving homebound adults, family caregivers, nurses in faith communities, and grandparents raising grandchildren.

For Information Contact:
Christie Munson, Beatitudes Campus, 602-995-6139, cmunson@beatitudescampus.org
Michelle Just, Beatitudes Campus, 602-995-6120, mjust@beatitudescampus.org