LeadingAge PA Award Winners Recognized
Phoebe is excited to announce that LeadingAge PA has awarded three Distinguished Service Awards to Linda Plunkett, Michelle Posch, and the Spirit Alive™ program.
LeadingAge PA is an association representing more than 370 aging services providers in Pennsylvania, and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Spirit Alive™, Phoebe Ministries’ proprietary spiritual care program for individuals with dementia, has been selected to receive LeadingAge PA’s 2023 Distinguished Service Award for Innovation of the Year. Spirit Alive™ is a hands-on experiential spiritual program developed and led by Rev. Dr. Scott Brooks-Cope, Regional Director of Pastoral Care for Phoebe Ministries, and draws on the real cognitive effects of dementia, pastoral care practices, and spiritual direction theory to create an interactive, small-group spirituality experience. The program utilizes sensory experiences, creative arts, interpersonal spiritual direction, and familiar stories to facilitate expression among individuals with dementia. Spirit Alive™ is recognized as a program that serves as a model of innovation and excellence, contributing significantly to the quality of life for older adults.
Linda Plunkett, Administrative Assistant for Phoebe Allentown, has been selected to receive LeadingAge PA’s 2023 Distinguished Service Award for Staff Member of the Year. Plunkett has been a dedicated Phoebe Allentown employee for over 25 years. During this time, she has been instrumental in many successful projects, including the Allentown Basket Social, which has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars directly benefiting seniors of Phoebe Allentown.
Plunkett also led efforts to create lifesaving equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a volunteer effort to cut and sew thousands of masks and hundreds of gowns for her team members. Plunkett is recognized as an individual who has exhibited excellence within her role and enhanced Phoebe Allentown through exceptional service to staff, residents, and families.
Michelle Posch, Regional Manager-Staff Development for Phoebe Ministries, has been selected to receive LeadingAge PA’s 2023 Distinguished Service Award for Manager of the Year. Posch, a hands-on leader who enthusiastically tries new initiatives, organized a program to creatively train existing employees and recruit potential employees to become temporary nurse aides during staffing issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Posch took on the management of Phoebe’s Temporary Nurse Aide (TNA) program without hesitation.
Additionally, she supervises a team instructing more than 300 nurses, nurse aides, and many other front-line employees across four eastern Pennsylvania counties. She also plays a significant role in new employee orientation. Posch is recognized as an outstanding manager who has coached, counseled, and encouraged others in personal and professional development.
Phoebe Ministries congratulates the recipients of this statewide honor and recognition.
