SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Nicole Christenson, RN, a pediatric nurse at Regional West Medical Center, and Adrian Jantzi, PTA, a physical therapy assistant in the hospital’s rehabilitation department, were selected as Regional West’s GEMs of the Month for June.

Christenson, who has been employed at the hospital since June 2005, was recognized for recently saving a child’s life.

"If it wouldn't have been for Nicole's quick thinking and assertiveness, our son might not have made it in time to receive the immediate care he needed," said the parents of a pediatric patient. "Our son has been diagnosed with SVT (supraventricular tachycardis) … Nicole was not only extremely professional, she was a beacon of light, a light of kindness in the most darkest hours of our lives."

Jantzi, who has been nominated over a dozen times since the GEM program began, was chosen as GEM of the Month for his enthusiasm and commitment to his profession. Jantzi has worked at the hospital for almost 11 years.

"Adrian enjoys a challenge so he will usually take on our most difficult and involved patients with compassion, as well as firmness," said Jantzi’s supervisor, Amy Mikesell, PT. "Adrian has a way of persuading the sickest patients to participate and the weakest patients to walk. Adrian gains the respect of nearly every patient he works with."

Christenson and Jantzi each received a gift for their dedication to Service Excellence and are now eligible for GEM of the Year, which will be announced in early 2008.

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,400 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, Regional West offers care that spans more than 40 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is one of only three Level II Trauma Centers in the state of Nebraska.