HOSPITAL UPDATE

Garfield County Hospital District (GCHD) is pleased to announce April's Employee of the Month, Dusty Durfee. She was nominated by her co-workers who proudly state, "She is a great worker and does an excellent job." Dusty, a native of Garfield County, was raised in Pomeroy and graduated from Pomeroy High in 1994. After graduation Dusty began working at Lower Granite Dam as a fish marker for Corp of Engineers in April of 1995.

In this position, Dusty identified salmon and steelhead fish while tagging them before they went through the channels of the dam. Each season began in the spring from April and ended in June. She continued working for the next 23 years in this field which she enjoyed very much. "I loved that job," she said.

In the year 2000, Dusty was hired fulltime, as a housekeeper for the hospital and at the same time continued to supplement her income while working as a fish marker. This worked well with her schedule, and she did this until 2005. She took a sabbatical from work to pursue college courses.

In 2006–07, she attended online classes at the University of Phoenix to earn her Associates in Business in order to "open up the door for more opportunities." In late summer of 2019, she accepted a fulltime position at Garfield County Hospital District. Many staff have commented what a great benefit Dusty is to GCHD.

Nursing staff who work alongside her on a regular basis have taken notice of her work ethic stating she is "Always willing to help" and have said, "You never hear her complaining." Her quiet spirit and kind demeanor has a calming effect on the patients and staff. "She is a lovely human" says one nurse. "Never complains about cleaning up my messes" and "works with a purpose." Several CNAs remarked about Dusty's work performance, stating even when she is "scrubbing floors on her hands and knees or deep cleaning rooms, she is always polite and never complains."

When asked what she likes best about her job Dusty replied, "the people I work with. We have fun, actually, but we get our work done." Among her daily tasks and duties, she has helped out in the Laundry Department when needed and even volunteers to feed the squirrels outside the Activity Room. This brings joy to the patients as they watch the wildlife outside their windows.

In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, traveling to national state parks and makes time to visit her favorite local destinations such as Wallowa Lake.

Please join us in congratulating Dusty for being as an outstanding employee and a fantastic asset to our Hospital District.