Stan Bowman wanted to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but he was having “a devil of a time” scheduling one in Chester County, where he lives.
Thank goodness for Betsy from WellSpan.
Betsy (Stan did not know her last name at the time) was the caring, upbeat secretary at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital who had helped Stan get the results of a COVID-19 test he needed to have before he underwent an outpatient hand procedure in late March at the hospital.
The 81-year-old retired math teacher and grandpa liked Betsy instantly.
“She makes you feel comfortable when she’s talking to you,” he says. “She just seems to go beyond whatever she has to do.
“She’s such a helpful person I thought I would call her to see if she could help me get a vaccine appointment. And she said, ‘Oh sure!’ ”
Of course, Betsy Cloyd, unit secretary in WECH Pre-Hospital Assessment Service, went beyond what she had to do once more. She could have just provided the WellSpan COVID-19 hotline telephone number that Stan needed to call to schedule his vaccine. But she called the number herself, figured out that Stan would need to press one twice to get to the vaccine scheduler, and then called Stan and told him exactly what to do.
“In one phone call, I had my appointment,” a delighted Stan recalls.
This is Patient Experience Week, a nationally recognized commemoration designed to celebrate team members such as Betsy, who provide excellent patient experience at all levels of an organization.
“This is a tremendous example of our team members who go above and beyond to create a positive experience for our patients. Her actions helped this gentleman improve his overall health by getting vaccinated,” says Clifton Shanklin, WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital nurse manager of the Short-Stay Unit, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and Pre-Hospital Assessment Service.
Stan was so delighted by his experience that he asked Betsy if the two could meet at his first vaccine appointment.
“The highlight for me was when he told me he drove 29 miles to get his vaccine,” Betsy says. “I thought that just spoke a lot about the hospital and the awesome experience he had the first time with everyone, that he wanted to come back here for his vaccine. That made me so happy.”
And Stan was so tickled that when he returned to Ephrata for his second dose of the vaccine, he brought his wife, Heidi, with him.
“I wanted my wife to meet Betsy too,” he said. “She is an exceptional person.”
Want a schedule a shot? Go here.
