Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center named John Daugherty, APRN-CNP, of Poncha Springs its fourth-
quarter TRAC STAR at a hospital ceremony on Jan. 29.
TRAC STAR is an acronym for the core values that guide HRRMC employee performance: teamwork, recognition, attitude, customer service, safety, talent, accountability, and respect. The TRAC STAR award recognizes outstanding employees and is presented quarterly.
Daugherty has worked as a family nurse practitioner at the HRRMC Buena Vista Health Center since 2014. He was praised by his colleagues for being the first clinician to commit his time to working at the new Saturday walk-in clinic at the health center. “Being a nurse practitioner is not a career for him, it’s a part of who he is,” wrote one of the employees who nominated him for the award.
Another colleague described him as “being calm in emergencies yet definitive in approach” and “humble, kind to all.”
Hospital CEO Bob Morasko presented Daugherty with a $200 gift check, a fleece jacket with the hospital's TRAC logo, and a certificate to be professionally photographed. A plaque with his photo will be displayed in the hospital café.
Morasko also acknowledged the other two finalists for the quarterly award, Bob Dimmitt and Bette Thielges, both of Buena Vista.
Dimmitt, a maintenance tech who has been employed by HRRMC since 2010 and works primarily at the Buena Vista Health Center, was praised for providing solutions when problems arise. “He can do anything you ask of him—always with a smile,” according to one of his nominators.
Thielges, a registrar at the HRRMC Buena Vista Health Center for the past six years, was praised for her great customer service skills. She is “eager to help out and volunteers for fundraisers, food drives, etc.,” according to her nomination.
HRRMC employees can nominate any of their colleagues for the TRAC STAR award. Members of the hospital's Communications Team review all nominations and then cast individual ballots to determine the finalists and winner. All finalists are eligible to be named TRAC STAR of the Year.
