All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Buckhannon resident named SJMH Employee of the Month

Amanda Ball
Amanda Ball

Amanda Ball, of the nursing department, has been selected as the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital Employee of the Month for January 2019. She came to SJMH in April 2008 in nursing and works on the SJMH Medical/Surgical Unit.

Ball is a graduate of Buckhannon-Upshur High School. She received an Associate Degree of Nursing from Davis and Elkins College, in Elkins. Before receiving her college degree she received training as a nurses’ aide from Fred Eberle technical school, in Buckhannon. 

Her parents are Randy Chidester and Delories Karickhoff, both of Buckhannon. She and her husband, Michael, have three children – Kaiden, 14, Kayson, 12, and Kynzie, 6. The couple own Triple K Kustoms, in Buckhannon.

Amanda had several nominators for her honor.

One wrote, “Amanda is always offering and willing to help anyone.  She is kind and compassionate to her patients. Her smile and funny personality always make my day better. She is a joy to work with.”

Another nominator wrote, “You can be having the busiest day ever and Amanda ‘always’ has a positive attitude and a smile on her face. It is a pleasure to work with her.”

Amanda’s supervisor related, “Amanda is charge nurse of the department and runs the department efficiently and has the respect of all the physicians. She will take a patient assignment if needed, along with her charge nurse duties. She receives nothing but compliments from patients, co-workers, and physicians.”

The honoree was equally complimentary of SJMH and noted that she truly enjoys everyone with whom she works.

“This is a real family atmosphere. We come together and work well with each other. I couldn’t ask for more,” she said.

With three children, Amanda and her husband spend a lot of time with their children’s extracurricular activities and sporting events. She loves to spend time with her family and especially loves camping in the summer. In the little time left, she helps her husband with his shop. 

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