Virginia Clayton said she sees the hard work her fellow employees put in every day to care for patients at Pioneer Community Hospital, but feels like their work often goes unrecognized.

So when the time came for a team of doctors, nurses and housekeepers to care for her mother, Clayton and her sister Lisa Hughes decided to say “thank you” in a big way.

Clayton and Hughes treated approximately 100 employees from Pioneer, Blue Ridge Therapy, and Jeb Stuart Rescue Squad to lunch, catered by The Landmark Center, on February 13 at the hospital.

“I am so proud to work with everyone here,” Clayton told the group, as she thanked them for caring for her mother Linda Burke. About six weeks ago, Burke, 74, was rushed to the emergency room with chest pain and labored breathing. She spent five days at Pioneer before being transferred to Blue Ridge Therapy Connection.
Clayton works in housekeeping at Pioneer, and she wanted to recognize everyone who helped with her mother’s care – from the EMS responders to the nurses and physicians to housekeeping and maintenance to the Blue Ridge staff. Clayton said that Jeb Stuart responded in less than one minute to her 911 call, and an ambulance arrived in four minutes.

Clayton particularly thanked housekeeping manager Donna Barnwell for her flexibility in allowing Clayton time off from work; plus the emergency room staff on duty the night her mother arrived: Dr. Carl Hanks; Jim Barnard, RN; and Matthew Stanley, EMT.