April 2021
Rebecca
Clevenger
,
LPN
Mental Health
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks
In the Year of the Nurse, and amid one of the most challenging times in our history, Rebecca Clevenger embodies what it means to be a nurse, and selflessly cares for those who cannot care for themselves.
Ms. Clevenger provides outstanding Veteran-centered care every day! When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, an email was sent out by our facility leadership to find volunteers to deploy to the New Orleans VAMC, to assist in providing patient care during a heavy patient surge. Ms. Clevenger volunteered to deploy within minutes of receiving the email. She was not even a DEMPS volunteer at the time, but quickly completed the training & other requirements. She was selected, and deployed to New Orleans within a couple of days, for a 2 weeks assignment providing pandemic relief, working the night shift on a medical unit. Ms. Clevenger normally works the day shift on the inpatient mental health unit at VHSO, but accepted whatever assignments & responsibilities were necessary to accomplish the mission on her deployment. Just weeks after returning from her New Orleans Deployment, Ms. Clevenger accepted another deployment to provide relief to a facility in Arizona, but that deployment was canceled, just as the team was preparing to travel.
In addition to her devotion and service to Veterans during deployment, Ms. Clevenger is a leader and role model on 1A. She leads by example, going above and beyond for her patients on a daily basis. Once, when she was working closely with a female Veteran admitted to the unit, Ms. Clevenger realized that there was a significant need for better quality female hygiene and clothing products on the unit, as the products provided by the organization are of a quality that barely serve the basic purpose, while providing no comfort for the patient. Ms. Clevenger took it upon herself to create a donation box for higher quality female clothing & hygiene products for the patients of 1A. Ms. Clevenger sought & received buy-in from her managers & colleagues, and now the 1A staff make sure the donation box is regularly replenished, to ensure the units ability to provide comfort to our female patient population. In the Year of the Nurse, and amid one of the most challenging times in our history, Rebecca Clevenger embodies what it means to be a nurse, and selflessly cares for those who cannot care for themselves.
In addition to her devotion and service to Veterans during deployment, Ms. Clevenger is a leader and role model on 1A. She leads by example, going above and beyond for her patients on a daily basis. Once, when she was working closely with a female Veteran admitted to the unit, Ms. Clevenger realized that there was a significant need for better quality female hygiene and clothing products on the unit, as the products provided by the organization are of a quality that barely serve the basic purpose, while providing no comfort for the patient. Ms. Clevenger took it upon herself to create a donation box for higher quality female clothing & hygiene products for the patients of 1A. Ms. Clevenger sought & received buy-in from her managers & colleagues, and now the 1A staff make sure the donation box is regularly replenished, to ensure the units ability to provide comfort to our female patient population. In the Year of the Nurse, and amid one of the most challenging times in our history, Rebecca Clevenger embodies what it means to be a nurse, and selflessly cares for those who cannot care for themselves.