Merrimack Valley Life Care associate wins division customer service award

Michelle Cabral, payroll coordinator at Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley in North Billerica, Massachusetts, received Life Care Centers of America’s Northeast Division Whatever It Takes And Then Some Award on June 30 for her dedication to customer service.

Life Care awarded Michelle a $1,000 cash prize during an awards ceremony at the facility. Facility leadership surprised her, who was told she needed to watch a training video. When the video started, it was actually a video of fellow associates at the facility, as well as residents, talking about what they appreciate about her.

“I’m speechless – I did not expect this at all,” Michelle said. “It’s an honor, but I just did what everybody else did. I just did what I had to do.”

Michelle was an integral part of the facility’s team during the pandemic. As COVID-19 started spreading throughout the country, she served on the facility’s planning committee, and when the facility went through an outbreak, she secured PPE for the facility as well as for other local Life Care buildings. She took care of scheduling to ensure adequate coverage for residents and even worked as an aide on the COVID unit. She herself contracted COVID, but she asked permission to work remotely from home so she could continue to staff the building while she recovered.

 Even today, Michelle assists with more than just payroll – infection control, central supply, staffing, recruitment and retention.

“Michelle, when I think of you, I think of a superhero,” said Karen Babb, executive director. “You’re brave. You’re strong. You’re wise. You’re energetic.”

One of the residents added, “You make everybody happy and smiley. Congratulations on the award from the bottom of my heart.”

When asked what motivates her to do what she does, Michelle said, “This is just how I am. It’s how I was brought up; I was raised to help others.”

Michelle was chosen from among thousands of associates in the Northeast Division and was one of only eight associates from Life Care’s more than 200 facilities nationwide to receive the award.

Life Care’s Whatever It Takes And Then Some program rewards associates for extraordinary acts of kindness. Monthly awards are presented in Life Care facilities nationwide based on nominations from fellow associates, family members, residents and guests. Each facility then chooses an annual winner, from which the divisional winners are selected.