Morris Hospital Fire Starter contributes to patient care in multiple ways

MORRIS – Lori Stevens is proof that when you love what you do and you’re committed to the organization you work for, it’s easy to shine. For 30 years, the Morris resident made a difference as a registered nurse on Morris Hospital’s 2 East inpatient unit. Today, she uses her nursing knowledge and computer expertise to enhance the quality of patient care as an information technology clinical applications specialist. Described as an extremely positive person who always has a smile on her face, Stevens was honored as Morris Hospital’s Fire Starter of the Month for December.

Stevens began her career at Morris Hospital in 1987 as a CNA on midnight shifts. After graduating from nursing school in 1990, she accepted an RN position at Morris Hospital just as the new 2 East wing was opening. As the hospital started preparing for a brand-new computer application called Meditech in the late 1990s, Stevens was asked to serve on the core team to help develop computerized nursing documentation for the very first time in the hospital’s history. Her special niche in the IT world never went away.

“I started training new nurses as they were hired, and as computerized documentation continued to evolve, my involvement just kind of kept going,” said Stevens, who also served as a charge nurse when she was working on 2 East. “I had a dual role of IT and nursing – really the best of both worlds. Two years ago, when we started preparing for the transition to our next electronic health record system, I decided it was time to turn my full-time focus to the IT world.”

Although Stevens’ perspective as both an RN and IT specialist has proven to be invaluable for the internal customers she serves, there’s more to Stevens than her clinical and computer expertise. John Biesen, IT applications manager at Morris Hospital, said Stevens is simply a joy to work with.

“Lori has an amazing work ethic and is always willing to step in and help out wherever needed,” Biesen said. “She is very compassionate, and we are extremely lucky she is part of our team.”

When asked what’s most rewarding about her work, Stevens said, “I just love my job, and I’m happy to have my job. I have literally grown up here [at Morris Hospital], so this is my second home – my second family. We are a small community hospital with employees who have big caring hearts and who do great things. I have a huge loyalty to Morris Hospital.”

In early civilizations, fire starters were individuals who had the important job of keeping the flame alive. With more than 1,400 employees, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers is the largest employer in Grundy County.