Cordova Community Medical Center Materials Manager Vivian Knop received an award for exemplary workplace safety performance. Knop was selected by the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association for its annual Quality and Patient Safety Awards, which are used to recognize outstanding health care work in hospitals, nursing homes and communities around the state. Knop received a Frontline Staff Award for her work facilitating the collaboration between CCMC and other organizations during the city’s pandemic response effort.
As well as serving as materials manager, Knop is CCMC’s emergency preparedness coordinator, pharmacy technician and mortuary services director. Knop said she was surprised to find out she’d won the award.
“I didn’t really know how to respond!” Knop said. “I had no clue.”
Knop said she felt she was accepting the award not just for herself, but on behalf of CCMC and of Cordova as a whole. The work for which Knop was awarded was a team effort, she said.
“In these unprecedented times when we have all seen the incredible responses and sacrifices by our healthcare workers, we are especially honored to recognize this year’s awardees for their hard work, innovations and compassion,” ASHNHA CEO Jared Kosin said. “They are individuals, teams and organizations who are leading the charge to continually improve quality and patient safety for all Alaskans.”
Other Quality and Patient Safety Awards distributed to Alaska health care professionals included the Golden Stethoscope Awards, for commitment to safe patient care, and the Beacon Award, for quickly organizing drive-through novel coronavirus testing. New award categories introduced in 2020 included the Innovation to Address Social Determinants of Health Award, for commitment to eliminating health care disparities. Charlee Gribbon of Bartlett Community Hospital also received a Frontline Staff Award.
