Theresa Penix is the supervisor for the Utilization Management Nurses, Accreditation Nurses, and Inpatient Case Managers. As our supervisor in Utilization Management, it’s not just about the tasks and deadlines but about the employees she leads and the culture she cultivates. She serves as a mentor, motivator, and guide to her staff. She inspires her team members, helping them grow and achieve their own objectives while ensuring that the team’s goals are met. She acknowledges and celebrates the accomplishments of her staff. Her strong communication and active listening skills foster an environment of trust and respect. She has the unique ability to act decisively, with fairness and empathy. She has encouraged employee growth as we now have a new Yellow Belt with the process pending to continue to a Green Belt. She has already given her support and time for a staff member to achieve her Black Belt. She has continued to ask staff how to work smarter instead of harder and has a project continuing to adjust the work schedule for a more complete coverage of the work seven days a week.

In Case Management, she has helped with creating teaching for IV antibiotics outpatient care. This decreases the time a Veteran must be hospitalized for treatment. A new Tub Feed system was introduced to the hospital floor and then sent home for our Veterans' use. She, with her staff, created a new teaching for our Veterans and their families to use and troubleshoot issues that may come up. This continues to support our facility's mission to support and care for our Veterans, as well as preventing readmissions, unneeded hospital days, and ensuring proper nutrition for their healing bodies. She coordinated with her staff to provide wound vacuum outpatient care, which also decreases the time for infection care and possible decreased health due to the increase of infection throughout the body of our Veteran. Her coordination with staff in the Case Management includes multiple disciplinary teams to include Nutrition, Wound Care, Medical staff, and many others, and has advanced the care that is given for our Veterans and their families.