Boise nutrition coordinator wins Northwest customer service award

Dee Fullington, nutrition coordinator at Life Care Center of Boise, Idaho, received Life Care Centers of America’s Northwest Division Whatever It Takes And Then Some Award on July 24, 2021, for her dedication to customer service.

Life Care awarded Dee a $1,000 cash prize during an awards ceremony at the facility. Facility leadership told her 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.

“That was completely out of left field,” Dee said. “This means I am appreciated, and that makes me feel good.”

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

Dee was originally hired as a cook in September 2019 and has proved an invaluable member of the team, often thinking outside the box. Not only does she pay attention to what residents want to eat, but she has also made it a point to get to know her teammates outside of her department. She is known to help out in other departments when help is needed, especially during the facility’s COVID-19 outbreak this past year.

A member of Life Care Center of Boise’s retention and recruitment committee, Dee brings new ideas to the table, helps with interviews and mentors new associates.

When she was asked what motivates her, Dee shared, “The biggest thing is the residents. We have to be their voice, we have to be their eyes, we have to be their ears. First and foremost, we have to make sure they’re OK because unless they’re OK, I’m not OK. I’ve got to do everything I possibly can do.”

“You have really made a difference in bringing up everyone around you,” said John Schulkins, executive director. “Dee, we salute you, and we are so grateful for what you provide to everyone around you.”

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.