08/07/2025
We want to recognize the team of Tina Geffers, Dr. Barbara Boyer, Dr. Oghomwen Sule, Clint Geffers, Peggy McLaughlin, Colleen Rooney, Bryce Edington, Delanie Kilawee, and Ashley Krall at Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua for living out our mission.
They were jointly nominated for employees of the month. Parts of the nomination read (some information removed for patient confidentiality): "When patients are admitted to the inpatient unit in Minocqua, initially we may know nothing about them or their history, or the circumstances or struggles outside of the hospital that they must navigate every day to survive. Recently a particular patient came to our attention during conversations with their surgeon, Dr. Barbara Boyer.
They presented to us through the ED in need of medical care, hygiene, and personal care.
Dr. Boyer had known this patient for some time. She was discussing the patient’s circumstances with some of our inpatient care team including Dr. Sule and the nursing caregivers. Based on further interactions and care of this patient, it was clear that they needed help, though trying their best to improve their situation on their own. The patient was in dire need of help cleaning and decluttering their house but was so embarrassed by their circumstances, they did not want to ask for help.
Step in Tina Geffers. As Tina was listening to Dr. Boyer, she couldn’t help but empathize with the patient’s situation. As usual, she just wanted to know how she could help.
Tina, always known to provide excellent patient care, was assigned to the patient that day and stepped in and went to work. She started to develop a relationship with them and got to know more about their circumstances. Her first order of business was to take care of the personal hygiene. She went above the normal duties in helping to get them cleaned up and spent over an hour gently cleaning their feet and legs. She did this daily, and this alone lifted the patient's spirits. Initially this patient was going to be scheduled for wound debridement on their legs, but thanks to Tina’s remarkable efforts, according to Dr. Boyer, they no longer needed the debridement!
As Tina continued to develop her relationship with them, the patient opened up and shared much of their life story with Tina.
Tina, hearing about the situation this patient was in, offered to help clean their house. With the patient’s permission, Tina shared their story with some of our other caregivers. Tina was able to put together a team of people from the unit that volunteered to help clean the patient’s house. Dr. Boyer even offered to purchase a dumpster for the event.
The team included Dr. Boyer, Tina Geffers and her husband Clint, Dr. Sule, Peggy McLaughlin, Colleen Rooney, Bryce Edington, Delanie Kilawee, and Ashley Krall. While Tina’s husband went to work on the outside yard, the rest of the crew tackled the inside. Multiple bags of garbage and debris were removed from the property with the patient’s oversite and permission. All told, these 9 people spent 6 hours cleaning, and made an extraordinary impact in this person’s life.
This whole experience helped bring a smile and comfort to a patient that was in dire need of help and compassion. It also brought the unit together as a whole as they shared a wonderful experience giving of themselves to help a community member in need. The patient has sent many messages of thanks since that time and will be forever grateful for the help they received from the team at Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua.
I know this is for an Employee of the Month, but truly all those that participated should be recognized for their efforts. They took a day of their lives to give back. If this doesn’t exude living our mission, vision, and values, I don’t know what does."
