Angie Montgomery is the glue for the Behavioral Health Team at the Zanesville CBOC, a satellite facility of the VA Central Ohio Health Care System. She does her job without complaint and is always going above and beyond for our clinic. Not only is Angie completing the job of a nurse, but she also triages all of our walk-ins and assists Primary Care in navigating access to Behavioral Health and responses for positive suicide screens. Due to her skillset and history at the VA, Angie knows our patients and is often able to provide insights into consults or ways to improve their experience with Behavioral Health. Not only does she assist with the Zanesville facility, but she also recently helped train new nurses at other satellite facilities. Thus, Angie is often the “go-to” person on our team. She makes our clinic run so much better; we often joke when she takes leave that we must prepare for a rough few days.

Not only is she an excellent team player and nurse to the team, but she is also great with the Veterans. She truly listens to them and helps them however she can. A patient recently told me that she is a “gem,” and we must keep her here. Angie is an essential element to Behavioral Health at this clinic, especially within the last few years due to provider transitions. In my opinion, these transitions happened smoothly because of Angie’s work and desire to help.

Her compassion extends beyond her typical patients. A new employee had just started at the clinic and Angie made her feel welcome and connected in what is a mostly rural and somewhat isolated clinic. This new employee knew no one in Zanesville, and her husband was commuting for work. This employee found herself needing an emergency c-section and being alone and scared. Without hesitation, Angie left her home and came to the hospital, staying with the coworker until her family arrived. Angie was a calm presence in a terrifying situation. The coworker has stated that she is forever grateful for the compassion that Angie exhibited. Angie's list of amazing qualities could fill a book. Angie Montgomery deserves so much more than recognition. This recognition emphasizes how much she means to our team, our hospital, our patients, and the healthcare community.