Island Health hosted its annual Employee Recognition Banquet at the Swinomish Casino last month. This annual event honors staff for their years of service and recognizes exceptional dedication to Island Health through the CARES All-stars award.

The pinnacle of recognition at Island Health, the CARES All-star award, is not easily earned. All employees who were nominated as CARES Champions in the past year were considered. The CARES Champions program is an in-the-moment, peer-to-peer recognition intended to recognize a team member who lives the Island Health CARES values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Stewardship.

From a pool of over 450 nominations, a selection committee comprised of Island Health leaders and Morale, Wellness and Recognition (MWR) Committee representatives, meticulously reviewed each one to select the five most deserving winners.

Island Health is thrilled to announce the 2025 CARES All-stars along with their nominations from fellow co-workers!

Compassion: Ashley Chess, BSN, RN, Surgical Services
“We were on our way through the ED when Ashley spotted an elderly couple, one of which was in a wheelchair trying to get into the restroom. Without missing a beat, she asked if they needed help and offered to help them get in and offered to assist in any way she could. The most amazing part was when we were heading back, she stopped by the restroom, knocked and made sure that the couple was alright. Ashley is always setting an amazing example and is truly a blessing to our department.”

Accountability: Andrea Woodley, Patient Access
“Andrea always goes above and beyond her job to help others and her fellow coworkers. She steps up when needed and makes sure the team is running smoothly and handles any issues that come about with calmness. She is not only a leader but is also patient when it comes to training and making sure the new employees have the knowledge and power to do their job with excellence. I appreciate you for all you do. You’re a great asset to the organization.”

Respect: Lauren Niven, MSW, Emergency Department
“I would like to take the time to highlight Lauren and all that she contributes to the ED. She is compassionate towards everyone she encounters, takes accountability, and solves all issues that come in every day. She treats everyone with respect and kindness especially those who might feel the most marginalized in the community, exudes excellence by completing all tasks sent her way, and has been a steward of advocacy in the Emergency Department. She does a lot of the work that is noted as ‘behind the scenes’ and I hope she knows that the work she shows up for day in and day out makes all the difference.”

Excellence: Jarica Quick, RN, Island Primary Care – 24^th Street
“I feel like this nomination could come from my entire department, because I think each of my coworkers and I have had the good fortune to reach Jarica when we call triage for assistance with patient orders. She is so kind and even answers the phone before the clinic is open to help us get orders in for patients, eager to have their labs drawn in the early morning hours. We know all the clinical staff are busy each day and we appreciate each of them, but Jarica always makes it seem like it’s no inconvenience at all to have her processes interrupted to help us out and we are grateful.”

Stewardship: Larry Patterson, Environmental Services
“With the cold weather and heavy de-icer traffic through the building, keeping the floors presentable has been a big task. Larry took it upon himself to research alternate floor-care products for use with our auto-scrubber that could be more impactful in cleaning up the chemical reaction caused on the floors by the de-icer. We were able to take that information and source a vendor who we’ve now placed an order with. Now, we’re able to have this product on hand consistently moving forward for use during the winter/cold months.”

“This recognition program is driven by the staff. They have the opportunity to call out their peers for living our CARES values. It is extremely rewarding to read the nominations each week and have the amazing work of our team members recognized,” said Island Health CEO Elise Cutter.

Island Health is proud to honor the 2025 CARES All-stars with a formal recognition and monetary award.