Memorial Health System’s (MHS) February Featured Employee of the Month is Lisa Wright, Pharmacy Director, for Memorial Health System in Abilene.
Lisa has worked at MHS for 15 years this fall. She came to MHS after leaving the pharmacy at Dillons in Junction City. That job at Dillons wasn’t a good fit for her, and she wanted to be close to home because her four kids were in grades 2 through 7 and were very busy. “I didn’t expect this new job to last, or to like it,” stated Lisa. “I figured it would be transient, a bridge to something better. I never found anything better, and turns out – I love it! It taught an old dog new tricks and it sharpened my clinical skills.”
Her job responsibilities include ordering and stocking the facility with medications, supplying medications for department needs, and verifying orders are the correct strength, dosage, and compromised physical state. Favorites of her job include working with almost all facets of the health system. “I enjoy working with a wide variety of departments…ER (Emergency Room), OR (Operating Room), Outpatient, Inpatient, BHU (Behavioral Health Unit), employees of MHS, Hospice, and Village Manor,” Lisa said. “I get to work with different people with different backgrounds, different problems…making a difference in someone’s life every day, and no two days are the same,” she continued.
Lisa is from Kingman, where she graduated high school from, and is a graduate of the University of Houston. Lisa has been married for 31 years and has four grown sons living in Seattle, Washington; Duluth, Minnesota; Golden, Colorado, and Ellsworth.
A personal story that Lisa shared is one where she was working in a pharmacy that once exploded! The explosion, in Cheney, was caused by a natural gas leak. “I do not recommend this experience,” she said. There were two other employees there with her but she was the only one inside the building. It was the end of the workday, and the other employees were just outside of the building when it exploded. They had the most severe injuries, and were taken from the scene by helicopter. Lisa had more minor injuries, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The good news is, all of them recovered from their injuries.
Lisa’shobbies include potted plants (flowers) and their pets. “I overwinter about 200-plus plants inside – I live in a jungle. They move out to the back pergola from May through September…that’s my happy spot,” Lisa stated.
The MHS Featured Employee of the Month has been selected by the Employer of Choice Council from the list of On the Spot Award winners received in the previous month. On the Spot awards are given to employees who show up to work, work hard every day, and go above and beyond their normal job duties. This monthly feature is designed to help you get to know the faces that make MHS a great place.