Sparrow Ionia caregiver receives award for speaking up for child

LANSING, MI -- A caregiver in Sparrow Ionia Hospital’s Emergency Department who recently raised the alarm about a child suspected of being in a harmful situation has been honored with the Sparrow Speak Up Award for advocating on behalf of patient and caregiver safety.

Patient Access Specialist DrewAnn Gladding noticed the child had a black eye and that the father did not know the patient’s birthdate or the correct spelling of their name. Gladding immediately contacted an administrator and the police. The situation was investigated and authorities determined there was no foul play. The patient was accurately identified by the mom, treated appropriately, and discharged from the hospital.

“We encourage all of our caregivers to speak up when something doesn’t seem right,” said Sparrow Ionia Hospital Patient Access Manager Angela Keehn. “Patient Access Specialists are the first people to have eyes on every patient, so speaking up with concerns and observations can greatly impact a patient’s care, and even save a life.”

The Speak Up Award is given quarterly to a Sparrow caregiver or team for speaking up on behalf of patient and caregiver safety. The health and safety of our patients, caregivers, and visitors is always our top priority.

Gladding has been a Patient Access Specialist at Sparrow Ionia for two years.

“I think speaking up is important because there are times where others may not be able to use their voice and those are the instances where we need to use our own voice to speak up for them,” she said.

For more information about Sparrow’s quality care, visit Sparrow.org.

Photo courtesy of Sparrow Health System