Cross Named April 2019 ALMH Employee of the Month

[April 20, 2019]  Alissa Cross of Atlanta, Illinois has been named the April 2019 Employee of the Month at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln. Cross is a registered nurse in the acute care department and has worked at ALMH for almost seven years.

A 2012 graduate of Olympia High School, Cross’s path a career in nursing began by attending Heartland Community College to obtain an associate’s degree in science. While enrolled at Heartland she worked at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital as a certified nursing assistant.

At that time she received the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation’s healthcare career scholarship to complete a Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University in 2016 and began to work at ALMH full-time.

Cross was nominated for the employee of the month honor by co-workers who wanted to recognize her for always being the first to jump up when she hears a bed or chair alarm going off.

“Alissa continually looks out for the safety of patients and staff on the acute care unit. She is always willing to help her co-workers and never thinks she is above doing any task. Alissa raises the standard for everyone on acute care and we are all better staff because of her,” said the nomination.

The nominations for this honor made it clear her co-workers are grateful to work with Cross. And Cross is equally grateful for her co-workers.

“ALMH is a wonderful place to work because of my coworkers and patients. My peers have the uncanny ability to make even the toughest nights conquerable. They come every day to give it their all so our patients get the best possible care,” said Cross.

But like every excellent nurse, its care for the patients that motivates her daily.

“Every day is different in the life of a nurse. That is one of the things I love about it. I love spending time with my patients and hearing about their lives. I have learned so many wonderful things from them,” said Cross.

In addition to providing high quality care, Cross is involved in several nursing councils at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

ALMH is a 25-bed critical access hospital located at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln, Illinois and is an affiliate of Memorial Health System. For more information about ALMH, visit ALMH.org.

[Angela Stoltzenburg]