Interview:

Josh decided to become a firefighter after 9/11. He had a business degree at the time and felt he wasn’t in the right field. Josh searched for another career where he could spend time outdoors instead of at a desk as well as help others.

As a firefighter, Josh is a first responder, helping those in need. He signed up to fight fires, but he says often times it comes back to what the community needs at the moment. Sometimes the firefighters are responding to car accidents and medical calls, other times they are removing ducks from drains.

Although COVID-19 hasn’t changed what Josh and his fellow firefighters do on a daily basis, it has changed how they do it. Josh and his company now take extra precautions on their calls, although when the pandemic began there wasn’t enough personal protective equipment to go around and Josh risked his health to help others without the proper gear. When the supplies weren’t there, the firefighters still got on the truck and did their job. Now equipped with the equipment they need, Josh and company work hard not to take any illness home to their families after calls.

Nomination:

I am nominating Josh Ziemer as he is a firefighter in Denver, Colorado. During the pandemic quarantine, he served his city by responding to emergency calls by those people that were experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19. Being a first responder, he was one of the first people who would treat many of the COVID-19 patients. Since Denver firefighters are called and respond to emergency calls before paramedics, doctors, and nurses, they are the first people to attend to people experiencing symptoms. Josh selflessly served on the front lines in getting patients stabilized and to the hospital quickly. Even during the beginning phases when personal protective gear was sparse among first responders and hospitals, Josh knew that serving the citizens of Denver was a priority. Thank you for considering Josh for this award.

– Ashley Ziemer

Interview:

Rebecka has been in healthcare since she was fifteen. Her oldest brother was in a bad accident and, although he is fine now, there were a long couple of months where she helped take care of him. Rebecka found that she was good at caregiving and decided to pursue healthcare as a career and never look back. She started as a nurse’s assistant and then became a nurse before taking on the role of Director of Health and Wellness at Balfour at Riverfront Park. In this position Rebecka oversees all the nurses and caregivers who take care of their residents every day.

During COVID-19 the residents have really missed their families. It has been hard on them emotionally, though the staff is thankful to have no cases at Balfour. Rebecka is so thankful for her staff during this time. They have stepped up to be their residents’ family. The staff members are also giving haircuts to residents because their salon can’t open. They also take the time to simply sit and talk with our residents. Rebecka is so proud of them!

Nomination:

Rebecka is our Wellness Director at Balfour Riverfront Park! Rebecka is responsible for the health and wellness of our residents and she is a true superhero! She is there, not only for our Assisted and Memory Care residents, but their families as well. She makes tough decisions, holds difficult conversations and does each with a smile and empathetic nature. Tough days are more frequent than good days but you wouldn’t know by speaking with Rebecka. She holds her tears for behind closed doors because although she is human, she puts other’s needs above her own. She’s the first to ask how YOU are doing even though you know she had a difficult day. She’s spirited, cares immensely about her care staff and THEIR families and above all, she’s in senior care for the right reasons. COVID-19 was something we never expected and we all had to choose whether to “fight or flight” and Rebecka chose “Fight.” We need more Rebeckas! : ) Thank you for hosting such a wonderful event for our healthcare staff!

– Shelley Fladry

Interview:

Michele chose to become a population health manager because she found it fit with her values and what she felt good doing on a daily basis. Through volunteer work during college she was led to do something that was meaningful to her, becoming a population health manager.

Michele’s team works on overall population health for Charles Drew Health Center, Inc. focusing on chronic disease care, immunization, cancer screening, infectious diseases (including COVID-19) and other public health concerns. She manages this team and tackles reporting, data, grants, and improvement projects to increase their success in the community.

The clinic sees patients regardless of their ability to pay and during the pandemic they have offered drive-up testing by appointment at no cost to the patient. Underserved and minority communities are at a higher risk to contract COVID-19 and Michele’s clinic gives them a place to go for testing.

Michele says the term ‘essential worker’ is a kind way to describe what they do. She feels that there are a lot of areas that don’t get the credit a health center does. A lot of her colleagues are in the clinic on the frontlines and Michele wants to give them a lot of credit. She truly believes all essential workers are important to the community and nobody want COVID-19 to set the community back.

Nomination:

Michele Kalal provides excellent community support as the public health manager at Charles Drew Health Center. Michele and her team focus on reproductive health for the community, and focus on individuals such as the homeless, and those less fortunate to have traditional care. Their work sites provide treatment across North Omaha’s more urban areas. Michele has organized and ran the Charles Drew Health Center program “See, Test, and Treat” for the last four years. This program provides free preventative health screenings for breast and cervical areas. Michele and her team also provide a mobile mammography van multiple times a year to those less fortunate in the community as well. She works tirelessly with her team to support all those less fortunate to bring them all up and help her fellow human. Michele has helped Charles Drew earn several grants in public health and other areas to further aid their goal of providing free or low-cost health care to the community that needs it. Over the last 4 years at Charles Drew, Michele has transformed the public health section of their organization vastly to further branch out and adapt new programs and new hires to better help our community. Every year Michele helps out or supports local charity events and organizations, such as Omaha Gives, to make sure to not only promote Charles Drew Health Center, but to further elevate her peers to helping every man, woman, and child in need. Her team as well provides vaccines and immunizations across the community for all those in need. In conclusion the North Omaha community owes in part a thank you to Michel Kalal, her public health team, and all the staff at Charles Drew Health Center for reaching out, providing great programs, and providing free, or low-cost health care. Thank you, Michele.

– Christopher Diehm