All Pawtucket All The Time

             Cumberland resident Muriel Quinn

PAWTUCKET – “Time has passed quickly, notes Cumberland resident Muriel Quinn, registration supervisor at Notre Dame Ambulatory Center, Central Falls. “It seems like only yesterday that I started to work.” Muriel was recognized recently for 65 years of service. “I enjoy my work and the people I work with,” she says. “That’s what truly makes the difference. Memorial employees are the foundation of the hospital. They convey to the public what the hospital stands for and what we want to achieve.”

Nationwide, 58% of Americans have been working for their current employer for less than 7 years. At Memorial Hospital, 94 employees have achieved 20 or more years of service. Longevity is vital to businesses to facilitate continuity and stability.

The Forty-third Annual Service Awards event, recognizing 139 valued employees for continued service, was held at Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, February 23.

Muriel Quinn began her career at Notre Dame Hospital as a teenager working part time for the hospital administrator. Muriel did a wide assortment of jobs including taking care of the administrator’s dog.  She also worked in the laundry at a time when the bed linens were hung on clothes lines to dry!  In 1972, she was given a permanent position in the business office.  In 1976, she became the business office manager.

With the merger of Notre Dame Hospital and Memorial Hospital, Muriel became the central registration supervisor for the newly named Notre Dame Ambulatory Center. “I think it was great for the community when Memorial and Notre Dame joined in 1989. People in the area were still able to get care close to home,” she added. “It was also good for the employees of Notre Dame, who were able to continue working with a smooth transition to Memorial Hospital,” said Muriel.

45 YEARS OF SERVICE

Left to right, Linda Travers, L.P.N., Center for Rehabilitation, Francis Dietz, president and CEO, both celebrating 45 years of service and Muriel Quinn, registration supervisor at Notre Dame Ambulatory Center, 65 years of service. Missing from the picture are Dorothy Lamarche, microbiology department and Marie McVeigh, RN, senior team leader, maternity, both with 45 years of service.

President and CEO of Memorial Hospital and Seekonk, MA resident, Francis R. Dietz, has championed healthcare in the Blackstone Valley over a generation’s time during a period of profound change and progress. He has served as hospital CEO at the same institution longer than any other CEO in the country.

Mr. Dietz is a Pawtucket native with an accounting degree from

Providence College and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. He joined Memorial Hospital as controller in 1964, was promoted to assistant administrator in 1965 and became hospital president in 1966.

His dedication to ensuring access to health care for the underserved and his focus on primary care and prevention has had a dramatic effect on the citizens of Pawtucket and the surrounding community.

Under his leadership for more than four decades, Memorial Hospital has grown from a community hospital into a major teaching and research center affiliated with The Alpert Medical School of Brown University and, in 2009, with Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Cumberland resident, Marie McVeigh, RN, senior team leader, maternity, graduated from Memorial Hospital’s School of Nursing. She started as a staff nurse in the pediatric unit and later became nurse manager of that unit.

In 1982, Marie transferred to the obstetrics department as a staff nurse. She became an expert in antenatal, labor and delivery, women’s health, neonatal and specialty care newborn health practices. Marie’s leadership skills promoted her to team leader in 1999.

She has played a huge role in mentoring and educating the majority of obstetric nurses at Memorial. Her clinical expertise has proven an invaluable resource to physicians and her co-workers, who turn to her for guidance regarding complex issues.

Cumberland resident, Linda Travers, licensed practical nurse, Center for Rehabilitation, went to school in Boston. She began her career at Memorial in the area then known as Sayles North. In 1987, she transferred to Wood 5, later to MacColl and then to the Center for Rehabilitation, where she works today.  Linda has been able to meet the challenges of the changes that have taken place in her department through the years. Her stories of Memorial life over the years keep her co-workers laughing. 

Employees were honored for the following years of service: 11 employees at 35 years; 18 employees at 30 years; 26 employees at 25 years; 34 employees at 20 years; 10 employees at 15 years; and 35 employees at 10 years.