Meridian Rock Stars

2024-25 Rock Stars: October 1st – March 30th

2023 -24 Rock Stars: October 1st – March 31st

2023 Rock Stars: April 1st – September 30th

Linda Skalsky VP, Chief Nursing Officer I would like to nominate Linda Skalsky as a Rock Star.  She has been going above and beyond testing SmartCare ensuring that she understands how it should be used, she is providing essential feedback to the EMR team to correct issues and work through flows.  She has really championed the psychiatric topics and has been conducting trainings with providers in advance of End User training so that they will be more comfortable when we go live.  She has expanded our reach and really pitched in.   She is a team player, and we need more of her!  Nominated by Melisa Urrutia	Tina Harkness Program Director, MRT Lake City I would like to nominate Tina Harkness as an absolute Rock Star.  She has been going above and beyond testing SmartCare ensuring that she understands how it should be used, she is providing essential feedback to the EMR team to correct issues and work through flows.  She has really championed any area that she is working in and going beyond by testing areas that she no longer oversees.  She is a team player, and we need more of her! Nominated by Melisa Urrutia I Am Merdian Award Recipient	Yolanda Franqui    Clinician-Bridgehouse The name of the Rock Star nominee: Yolanda Franqui   Why I am nominating them: She is always available for the clients that need her and truly seems to understand and care while also giving her clients the what for when necessary. Yolanda is full of love even when weary and tired. Whenever a client is going through a tough time with themselves, so much so that they are willing to jump back into the source of it in the world outside, their comfort, she gets it, and she goes into savior mode. Yolanda is just such a lovely soul to be around. Yolanda is an inspiring combination of professional and caring at once. She is always ready and able and available. She is just a truly great counselor for the women she serves. Nominated by Chelcie Tellez
Philip Flint   RN-Primary (CCBHC) He is a primary care nurse here in Lake city, but has gone out of his way to help other departments (Mat bup &MTD clinic lake city and live oak, Bridge house and PCP in Gainesville, Recovery center and William manor in lake city) by teaching staff and getting the correct medication completed over the last 4 weeks for the smartcare EMR. This is not part of his job, but has not complained once and I think most people he has trained have done well with the new system.     -Since the new SMARCARE computer EMR went live- he has gone over to the recovery  center  and William manors in lake city to help assist to get the medication update and in to the new system at least 1-2 times a week.     -the weekend before the SMARTCARE launch June 26th he came to the clinic to help the staff ( DOCUMENTS TEAM FOR LAKE CITY i.e TX plans etc ) to get documents uploaded in the system of SMARTCARE.   -Many of the tasks completed -he  did not know the jobs, so he would work with a variety of staff members from different departments  to get all the correct codes scanned for each document. Nominated by William Seay   I nominate Sir Philip Flint  I am Orchid Nantes Nurse Phil is very dedicated in all he does for his work, and he has a heart for all the clients here in Meridian. I Am Merdian Award Recipient	Valerie Pasquale    Director-Prevention I would like to nominate my supervisor, Director of Prevention, Valerie Pasquale.  Valerie has a can-do personality and was hired with very little onboarding training for her position. She jumped right in and started teaching Life Skills Trainings in Baker County when we were short staffed, while trying to acclimate to Meridian’s and CPG’s systems, policies, and procedures. She is always open to suggestions and very supportive in aiding with our Prevention Department’s needs. Valerie is truly amazing in learning to become a MHFA Instructor and learning and helping with the Marketing aspects as well.     Valerie is a joy to work with, supportive, understanding, and encourages us to excel when learning new systems like Smart Care. Meridian is lucky to have her and she deserves Rock Star recognition.  Nominated by Brooke Lupinacci I Am Merdian Award Recipient	Teresa Edwards    Talent Acquisition Specialist I would like to nominate Teresa Edwards as a Meridian Rock Star. She is currently a Talent Acquisition Specialist and joined our team back in January this year.     Why I am nominating her/Example of her Rock Starness:    Teresa is one of the most hard-working, humble human beings I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She has played such a crucial part in building a strong foundation for the Talent Acquisition Team. She is always the first to volunteer a helping hand and jumps feet first into anything that gets thrown her way. Anytime we add or change something to our process, she immediately starts thinking of the next steps and gets to work right away. She’ll be in the middle of building a new spreadsheet or document right after the idea gets pitched to the team because that’s the kind of worker she is. She has the amazing ability to see something that needs to be done and just does it without hesitation – a very rare quality to have in an employee these days. Taking initiative and putting in the hard work is secondhand nature to Teresa. She comes in early, stays late, works through lunch, and rarely takes time off. She truly enjoys what she does and takes pride in her work; she knows how important it is. The results and milestones she has achieved here are substantial. Teresa demonstrates outstanding dedication and expertise in her role day in and day out. I am overjoyed to have someone like her on our team who is willing to go above and beyond to get the job done. Thank you, Teresa, you are incredibly appreciated. Nominated by Chaise Champion I Am Merdian Award Recipient
Robert Rogers    Supported Employment (PRN)    (Gainesville)   I want to nominate prn Robert Rogers in the Supportive Employment Program on the Gainesville Campus.   (I can get a better-quality picture if you need it)   Over the past year, Meridian’s Robert Rogers in the Supportive Employment Program assisted in assembling close to 2000 Client Care Backpacks filled with a fleece blanket, an aluminum water bottle, a bottle of water, and a snack bar. The packs were distributed to several of Meridian’s outreach programs and donated to community nonprofits that serve people needing encouragement and support. Nominated by Cat Adams	Ayana Archer    Clinician    Starke I would like to nominate Ayana Archer with MRT for rockstar for her efforts with crisis intervention during hurricane relief.    Ayana volunteered to work the disaster relief. We worked together for a week and a half. In that time Ayana helped to load and unload resources for those caught in the Hurricane. She provided mental health support to each person she came into contact with. She carried water and supplies to vehicles for those who could not. Her and I visited a trailer park in the area and supplied those who could not get out with food and water. Ayana maintained a smile and a great attitude while working the 12 hours every day.    Ayana has showed compassion and concern for the community of Live Oak. Helping to provide them with the necessities and connecting the community with resources. She has worked 12 hrs during these days and has still shown up every day with a smile on her face and a go get ’em attitude.    Her and I stood in the heat to pass out flyers for DCF so those who were suffering hardships from the hurricane would have the information to get supplies and mental health support thru this trying time.  Ayana stood up and represented Meridian to the fullest.  Nominated by Lori Jacobs	Lori Jacobs    Peer Specialist   Macclenny I would like to Nominate Lori Jacobs with MRT for the Rockstar award for her efforts with Hurricane Crisis Relief in Live Oak. Lori has worked tirelessly at the Live Oak destination assisting distraught customers. Whether the need is for food, diapers, water or Meridian services she is in the mix of things giving 100% at all times. Many times, she has been a comforting presence for people who just needed to talk to someone. She has consistently offered information about the services Meridian provides and has assured people that those services are available throughout the year not just in emergency situations. She is a credit to the organization and a positive, calming influence for customers who are going through one of the most difficult times of their lives. If anyone deserves this award for their hard work and dedication to Meridian, it would be Lori Jacobs. Nominated by Ayana Archer I Am Merdian Award Recipient
Allyson Stewart    Care Coordinator     Gainesville I would like to nominate Allyson Stewart as a rockstar.   She has trained me as a new employee and has managed a large caseload of at least 40 clients since March of 2023. She continuously provides support to not only clients but employees as well. Since I’ve started in May 2023 at least 6 different employees have been provided shadowing. Not only this, but she provides continuous support and a helping hand to the forensics team.   Due to grant changes this year for the first time in 12 years, we have been met with different challenges in getting clients services that they need. However, due to her strong work ethic, teamwork, and creative problem-solving the department has been able to overcome them. For instance, out of all of over 50 clients that we serve, only one has been considered homeless.  Nominated by Hannah Williams I Am Merdian Award Recipient	Elizabeth Peck (Liz)   LPN – OTP/MAT   Gainesville Elizabeth Peck (Liz) is an awesome employee. She is polite to all the staff and clients. She goes above and beyond for the clients. She is a great asset to all the MAT programs. I am grateful to have Elizabeth on my Team. I am nominating Elizabeth Peck for a Meridian Rock STAR. She has become a vital asset and she’s always completing extra duties for the MAT Program. The entire Methadone clinic and staff witnessed her dedication to her position. She is an awesome employee. She is polite to all the staff and clients. She goes above and beyond the call of duty for the clients and staff. She takes lead on projects for MAT with great detail and accuracy- She mentors other staff. Liz have helped setup the new clinics. She also assists the Providers with Smartcare, if they have an issue. I am grateful to have Elizabeth on my Team. This is her dedication to her professionalism. Nominated by Dedrie Godbolt   I think Elizabeth should be nominated because she goes above and beyond for the company and program. She arrives to work early and leaves late assisting with work associated with audits or billing. She covers shifts anywhere and everywhere when asked, she works in multiple clinics. She assists with questions or problems anyone has. She is fun to work with and will help when you have questions. She also goes above and beyond for the clients, if they have issues, they come find her wherever she may be to get her to help. She is just an excellent staff member and coworker and I believe she should definitely be nominated.  Nominated by Jessica Albritton	Kennidra Rossin   Manager-Administrative Services   McCall Building-Lake City   I, Mercedes Caparelli nominate Kennidra Rossin for rock star. I have only been with meridian a few months but Kennidra has been the best boss I have ever had. She makes sure I get what I need to do my job as well she makes sure to always be respectful. I feel if she didn’t go out of her way to make me feel appreciated as an employee that it definitely feels like she has.   If any position is vacant in the department, Kennidra step and fill the void until the position is filled. She is always going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure the success of customer service.   If I had to sum it up to one time it would have to be the most recent. I was struggling with some family situations and Kennidra was amazing. Not only was she able to allow me the time off to handle what I needed but did not make me feel bad for having to lose hours from work. I was able to handle everything and she checked up on me when I got back to my office my next scheduled day. Nominated by Mercedes Caperelli I Am Merdian Award Recipient
Tia Jones  Supervisor – CMA Gainesville Tia Jones has been a fundamental component of our Med Services operations. She’s worked diligently to ensure her team can continue accommodating clients despite issues out of her control. A prime example of her commitment to Meridian was displayed during the hurricane. Tia’s birthday fell during the same time we had the hurricane. One of her CMAs was impacted by the hurricane, leaving a gap in the flow of work. Without asking, TIA came in (Although she requested this time off months in advance) and worked on the floor to ensure clients could be seen. I insisted Tia take a day off the following week, but she refused and wanted to ensure her team was cared for. This type of initiative is just one of many examples. Nominated by Alexis Day   I would like to nominate Tia Jones. She is always willing to go the extra mile and help when anyone has questions. She listens when you complain and will always try to help you find the silver lining. Nominated by Jennifer Tuck	Carla Roberts-Baker   PRN-Nurse – OTP/MAT   Ocala I am nominating Carla Baker-Roberts. Carla is a PRN nurse and she started working more hours after June 1,2023. Carla has become a vital asset and she’s always completing extra duties. The entire Methadone clinic and staff witnessed her dedication to her position. During the month of August, the computer system and Tower were not working properly. Carla would stay over daily to prepare methadone take home bottles. This is her dedication to her professionalism. Nominated by LaTanya Williams	Brittany Wlodarczyk   Customer Service Specialist   Macclenny   I would like to nominate Brittany Wlodarczyk.  I was completing an intake on a child who was struggling with engaging in session, had some safety concerns, and was hungry.  She found the child a toy to help keep her engaged AND a snack (with parent permission of course).  She went above and beyond in making sure my client was comfortable, reaching out to get additional MRT support when needed and coordinating follow up appointments.  She really went above and beyond to help this child feel comfortable and make sure she had what she needed to engage in today’s appointment.     I really appreciated the extra effort she put in with this little one today, it made a big difference.  Nominated by Jennifer McNamara
Carrie Rusin   Clinician   Ocala I would like to nominate Carrie Rusin for Rock Star. I have a mile-long list of why and I’ll do my best to condense it here. Carrie is a Clinician based in Ocala, FL with the MAT Clinics. Individually she has a stellar work ethic in that she carries and maintains a growing caseload, currently at 260 clients. Carrie performs 2 – 4 intakes in Ocala, Chiefland and Palatka while managing this caseload weekly. Carrie remains up to date in all areas such as treatment plan updates, FARS/ASAM updates, GPRA follow ups, BIO updates and manages to keep her Relias trainings in compliance.   As a member of the MAT TEAM, Carrie is the epitome of the words, “Team Player.”  She consistently volunteers to assist her co-workers when she sees them struggling, helps them to become up to date and provides them with support in anything they need, without complaint.   My personal experience with Carrie is, she has worked hard to earn her MCAP, she is a strong support and excellent role model to her peers and even when the internet is out, she has no phone that is operational, and cannot do anything online work related…she will call me, her supervisor, and ask if there is anything she can do for me or for her co-workers. Carrie is a powerhouse and NEVER gives up! Carrie’s team and clients cannot say enough positive things about her. She’s the employee everyone wants to work with, the Clinician every client wants to be on caseload with and a true asset to Meridian as a whole! Nominated by Michelle NesSmith	Chelbony Paxton   Recovery Specialist   Bell Building-Lake City I would like to nominate Chelbony Paxton as a rock star. Chelbony is a Recovery Specialist at the Recovery Center in Lake City. Chelbony goes above and beyond in every way possible, and it is shown through the admiration of the youths housed in this center.  Chelbony goes above and beyond every day in Meridian’s mission of hope, recovery, and wellness. In a tight budget, Chelbony Paxton took a youth for a haircut that she paid for out of pocket, and his confidence absolutely skyrocketed. Chelbony often brings special items from home, purchased out of pocket, to make a youth’s day. This ranges anywhere from bringing an Icee after extra chores, to bringing each child their own personalized “journal.” Chelbony often brings candy or an extra snack for the youth here, and is always going the extra mile to ensure the troubled youth Chelbony has been a Meridian employee for about 8 years and has gone above and beyond in Meridian’s image and mission. Nominated by Lindsey Imhof

CONGRATULATIONS! I ROCK STARS!

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