The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center recently presented its BEE Award to Red Coat Ambassador Kevin Haggett, according to a press release from the hospital.
The BEE Award stands for Being Exceptional Every (Day) and was adopted by the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in 2021. It is designed to be the DAISY Award counterpart for nursing assistants and health technicians. Since its inception, the facility expanded the award to include health aides, medical instrument technicians and telehealth clinical technicians.
While the DAISY Award is for nurse practitioners, RNs and LPNs, the BEE Award goes hand-in-hand with it, said Associate Director for Patient Care Services Chandra Miller.
“The DAISY cannot survive without the BEE, and the BEE cannot survive without a DAISY,” Miller said.
Haggett, who has served in his role as Red Coat Ambassador for three years, currently works at the main facility’s north entrance, where he offers assistance, guidance and a helpful hand to all who enter the building.
While Haggett is known throughout the medical center, his nomination for the BEE Award came anonymously. His unnamed nominator said “Kevin is one of the hardest working employees at the JJPVA. He greets every single person that walks past him with a cheerful smile. I have not met one person that has not spoken the highest regards about him.
“Kevin is one of the most respectful people you will ever meet. He is friendly to anyone that he encounters. He treats everyone the same no matter if they are a veteran, front-line staff, or management. You can hear him often thanking the veterans for their service and what they have done for each of us. He goes out of his way to make sure veterans feel welcome and comfortable while they are visiting our hospital.”
Haggett, who prefers to deflect accolades, was surprised to receive the award.
“It's a pleasure and it's an honor to serve those that truly know what it means to serve,” Haggett said.
Haggett’s supervisor, James Collins, said he is a shining example of what caring for Veterans should look like.
“Kevin constantly amazes me with his dedication to our veteran population. When I am at the north entrance where he works, I see veterans entering our facility and Kevin knows them by their first name and knows what’s going on in their life,” Collins said. “He genuinely cares about our veterans, who they are and what they need. He is a great example to us all as to the very reason we are here.”
Said Mark Gewinner, RN clinical evaluator: “(Haggett is) always respectful, helpful and useful. He simply makes your day just to talk to him. He has great little helpful ‘tips’ about the facility and is very safety orientated. As a Red Coat, he is one of the best.”
Lee Willard, a peer support specialist at the facility, echoed Collins and Gewinner's sentiments.
“From my own personal interactions with Mr. Haggett, and every veteran I see that has encountered him, has the same thing to say — that he is amazing, helpful, and kind,” Willard said. “I believe that having him on the first floor and being the first person the veterans get a chance to interact with sets a positive tone right away with the veterans’ impression of VA.”