Provider Earns Recognition
BERLIN — Jordan Braniff, a nurse practitioner and primary care provider at TidalHealth Primary Care in Berlin, was recently honored with the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses for his compassionate and skilled care.
A colleague at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional nominated him for the award, saying, “Over the past year, our nursing floor has seen lots of COVID-19 patients die alone, our nursing staff being the hand they’re holding instead of their families. Last night, we had a COVID patient on comfort care. The family of our patient chose not to come visit him, but asked us to play music for him. We had our phones on Pandora for him as requested.
“Around 6:30 pm, I walked down the hall and saw Jordan gowning up to go into the patient’s room. Jordan was this patient’s primary care provider. When he got the alert that he was passing, and was alone, he said, ‘I told my wife I needed to come in and be with him, because I didn’t want him dying alone.’ He knew this patient very well from the office, and went out of his way, above and beyond. He sat with the patient and talked to him for over an hour. The patient wasn’t responsive, but we knew he knew we were with him. This may seem like a small act of kindness, but it speaks volumes to who Jordan is as a person and a practitioner.”
Braniff was honored with the Daisy Award on Friday in a ceremony before his colleagues. He received a certificate commending him for being an extraordinary nurse, which reads, “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” He also received a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
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Hospice Board Changes
Byron Braniff
SALISBURY – Coastal Hospice has announced the election of five new members to its Board of Directors, including Filippa Etherton of Tidal Health, Morgan Fisher of Williams, Moore, Shockley & Harrison, LLP, Dr. LaKeisha Harris of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Dr. Sharon Milbourne Washington of Tidal Health and Dr. Tina Reid of the Salisbury University School of Nursing.
Leaving the board is Byron Braniff, a dedicated member who served the maximum three terms of three years each, culminating in the position of vice chair.
“Board changes are always bittersweet,” said Coastal Hospice President Alane Capen. “While we are sad to see those like Byron, who has meant so much to the organization depart, our feelings are tempered by the excitement of having new members join with new ideas and enthusiasm. These five women will make such a difference to our patients, families and organizations and we are excited to move ahead.”
The owner of a retail company for 45 years and a property management company in Ocean City for 35 years, Braniff brought a strong business background to his board seat. He was instrumental in the creation of Stansell House, and he and his wife Anne sponsored the Admissions Office.
“Coastal Hospice is a highly regarded organization that has touched so many lives,” said Braniff. “It was a pleasure and honor to serve.”
Several board members have changed positions on the executive committee. Steve Farrow has graciously agreed to another term as chair. Richard Laws (previously treasurer) has stepped up to vice chair, with Madalaine How (previously secretary) filling the treasurer spot. Immediate Past President Mike Dunn has filled the role of secretary. A new position, Member at Large, has been created and is being filled by Board member Wiltssy Payero-Edeen.
Returning board members are Colleen A. Bunting, David A. Dykes, Parisa Gholamvand, Roger L. Harrell, Andy Kim, Robert M. Purcell, Anthony Sarbanes and Margaret M. Whitten.
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Leadership Posts Filled
BERLIN — Geoff Failla, chair of the Board of Directors for the Grace Center for Maternal and Women’s Health, announced several new leadership positions have been filled. A new executive
Jasmine Dennis
director, Jasmine Dennis, and a new program panager for the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance R.I.S.E. program, Leikia Hallett, has joined the center.
Dennis is in the unique position of knowing the inner workings of the center from the inside out. She has been a client, volunteer, junior board member, vice chair of the board and now Executive director. She is a life-long resident of Worcester County. She holds a B.A. in Business Management from Salisbury University and Marketing from Jones International. In addition to the work she has done for the Grace Center, she has a long employment history in the area having served as the front desk manager for the Francis Scott Key Family Resort (2012-2016) and assistant general manager/events coordinator for NRG Sports/Food Services (2014-2020).
Leikia Hallett
Hallett comes to the center after 10 years of experience working for Verizon Wireless in a variety of positions including technical support manager, customer experience manager, executive relations analyst and senior analyst business operations-executive relations. Her role at the Grace Center is to coordinate all activities connected with the workforce development grant from the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance for R.I.S.E. (Raising. Independent. Skilled. Employees.) she is responsible for supervising the two full-time and two part-time career advancement coordinators associated with the program.
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SU Employees Recognized
SALISBURY — Salisbury University recently recognized some 133 employees with more than 2,000 years of service to the University at the annual Service Awards reception, held in a virtual format.
Those recognized for the longest service included Drs. Michael O’Loughlin (political science) and Paul Scovell (Communication), honored for 40 years.
Dr. Kashi Khazeh (Economics and Finance) was recognized for 35 years of service.
Marie Bradford (Student Affairs), Wanda Dale (University Dining Services), Dr. Diane Davis-Hayes (Medical Laboratory Science), Gloria Horner (Career Services), Cheryl Morris (Payroll), Pamela Penuel (Registrar’s Office), Bruce Pryor (Physical Plant), Sandra Ramses (Biological Sciences) and Sherman Wood (Athletics) were lauded for 30 years.
Also recognized for 25 years of service were Jeffrey Canada (Procurement Office), Charisse Chappell (Psychology), Eleanor Coleman (Student Counseling Services), Dr. Mary DiBartolo (Nursing), Raymond Fantini (Information Technology), David Jones (Physical Plant), Dr. Deborah Mathews (Social Work), Karen Penuel (Physics), Candice Polk (University Dining Services), Iva Riggin (Conference Planning), Gaylord Robb (SU Libraries), Jill Stephenson (Athletics), Dr. Bart Talbert (History) and Judy Twilley (University Dining Services).