Lakeland, FL – Tammy Caldwell, Recreation Therapy Assistant at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, is Florida’s Caregiver of the Year, announced by the Florida Hospital Association during its annual Awards Dinner tonight.
Ms. Caldwell started her healthcare career in Housekeeping at Palmview Hospital in 1987. Someone suggested to her that she would excel in Behavioral Health because she was such a patient person. She transferred to the role of Mental Health Assistant in the Mental Addictions Recovery Unit at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in 2001. Her love for mental health recovery led her to learn more about the field of recreation therapy, taking on her current role in 2010.
“Since that time,” Ms. Caldwell said. “I can tell you that I haven’t worked a day since. If you truly love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. Every day, I wake up and ask God to give me the words to help at least one person that day. This has kept me coming back to work for more than 30 years.”
Ms. Caldwell has taken on the role of facilitator for patient groups, providing therapeutic activities for adults and adolescents. Earlier this year, she took the initiative to establish and facilitate Changing Lives, a monthly support group for survivors of sexual abuse that meets at a local church. As part of her support group’s mission, Ms. Caldwell stresses that every time you share your story it makes you stronger than you were before. She writes in the brochure, “I want to tell you a little about how this support group came to be. I am a survivor of sexual abuse. For many years, this affected my life in many ways that I didn’t understand at the time was because of the abuse. I can say I am stronger than I have ever been … My hope is that by coming together and supporting each other, you can start to heal and take back your power.”
“We are so honored that Tammy Caldwell is being recognized as the top caregiver in the state,” said Timothy J. Regan, MD, President, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center/Chief Medical Officer, Lakeland Regional Health. “Tammy is a special member of an entire team of compassionate, thoughtful and inspirational behavioral health nurses, therapists and physicians, who understand how vital this care is for our Medical Center and our greater community.”
Each year, the Florida Hospital Association offers a Celebration of Service Awards for Caregiver of the Year, Innovation of the Year, Best Hospital Workplace, Trustee of the Year, Community Benefit Achievement and Leadership in Quality and Patient Safety. Lakeland Regional Health earned Best Hospital Workplace in 2018, Leadership in Quality and Patient Safety in 2017 and Innovation of the Year in 2014.
About Lakeland Regional Health
Not-for-profit Lakeland Regional Health reaches beyond its hospital walls to promote wellness, education and discovery in new places and new ways, providing a wide range of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services at its Medical Center, Hollis Cancer Center and ambulatory care locations. Lakeland Regional Health earned Most Wired Advanced and Most Wired status four times since 2013 from the American Hospital Association and has earned workplace awards from Forbes, Gallup and Becker’s Hospital Review. Its 892-bed comprehensive tertiary referral hospital, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, operates the Jack and Tina Harrell Family Institute for Advanced Cardiovascular Medicine; a Level II Trauma Center; the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children, which includes a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; and the Bannasch Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation Medicine.
About the Florida Hospital Association
The Florida Hospital Association comprises over 200 hospitals and health systems from across the state. Through representation and advocacy, education, and informational services, it supports the mission of its members to provide the highest quality of care to patients. For more information, visit www.fha.org.