HOSPITAL UPDATE

Garfield County Hospital District is proud to announce October Employee of the Month, Penny Spooner, RN. She was nominated by her co-workers who state, "She is a great asset to GCHD."

She was born and raised in Lewiston, Idaho and graduated from Lewiston High School in 1985. Her first job after graduation was working at a local newspaper, at the Clarkston Eagle where she performed typesetting and some journalist work, an experience she gleaned from while in high school reporting for the school newspaper. She remained employed with Clarkston Eagle until the owner retired in 1986.

Penny's next employment venture took her to Enterprise, Ore., working for the Forest Service on the Trail Crew for the next three summers. She thoroughly enjoyed this position as it allowed her to ride horses, one of her great passions, and soak up the natural beauty of Eaglecap Wilderness in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. Shortly after this position ended, she married and she and her husband started their own company, Spooner Drilling. Together they drilled and blasted rock all over the Northwest for the next 12 years. "We moved mountains-that was great-and it was so much fun!" Their work will forever remain a part of Pomeroy's history as it was Spooner Drilling that created the rock query on the hill above McGregor's. After selling their drilling company, they began a new business in cabinetry and remodeling homes for the next few years until her husband's passing in 2007.

Penny's introduction to the medical field began when a good friend suggested she take classes to become a certified basic EMT and shortly after, began working for a year in Pierce, Idaho. This experience lead her into pursuing a nursing career through Walla Walla Community College. During the first year of nursing school, she spent her summer employed as a CNA and said, "This was helpful. You get to see their side of things and the kind of work they put in. They work exceptionally hard." She graduated in 2011 with a nursing degree and began working at Tri-State Memorial Hospital (TSMH) in the Medical Surgery Unit. After one year, she advanced to the ICU/telemetry unit where she gained valuable experience in heart-monitoring and specialized medications. She later transferred to the Emergency Department (ED). Her patients used to tell her, "When you come on shift, the atmosphere changes in the ER." Penny added, "It doesn't need to be a dreary dull place. I like to have fun, but I can be serious when I need to be."

In March of 2020, she joined the Hospital District alternating between the Swing Bed Unit and the ED. Penny was quickly recognized by the staff for her friendly disposition and witty sense of humor. "She is amazing at her job! Always positive! Everywhere she goes she brightens up the room with her presence. She is wonderful with the residents and employees."

Among her favorite aspects of her job is the diversity of alternating between medical and ER. Penny admits, "working with the residents is so me and so up my alley. Being able to stop and sit down to visit, I love it, just love it! And the people I work with are so awesome." Please join us in congratulating Penny for being an outstanding employee and a valuable member of our nursing staff team.