Florida Hospital DeLand Names Employee Hero of the Year

DELAND, Fla., June 27, 2017, Florida Hospital DeLand has recognized Chantelle Koerick as the Hero of the Year for her extraordinary performance in extending the healing ministry of Christ beyond the hospital walls.

At Florida Hospital DeLand, an employee is awarded as a Hero of the Month throughout the year. Once a year, an employee is selected from among previous 12 Heroes of the Month for the special recognition of Hero of the Year.

Koerick is the physician office coordinator for rehabilitative services at Florida Hospital DeLand's Victoria Medical Park outpatient facility and originally received the Hero of the Month award in May 2016.

Chantelle was selected to receive this award because she is truly an exemplary hero. She has saved the lives of two complete strangers off the job, all while remaining humble and dedicated to excellence within the workplace, said Lorenzo Brown, Florida Hospital DeLand CEO. We are extremely grateful and proud to have someone like Chantelle Koerick representing Florida Hospital DeLand and our values.

In September 2015, Koerick performed CPR on a man who went unconscious at a Port Orange restaurant. She brought the man back to life from no pulse and kept herself focused and attentive.

In May 2015, Koerick saved another life while driving home from work. On Normandy Boulevard (not far from the intersection with Providence Boulevard in Deltona), she noticed something laying in the road and thought it was a small child or dog. When she got closer, she realized it was an unconscious man in the road and motorists were simply driving around him.

Koerick jumped out of her car and rushed to this man's aide. By that time, bystanders were trying to pull the man by his legs out of the road and she stopped them since no one knew what had happened to him.

He had a pulse. Someone wanted to start CPR, but I told him not to do it. It's very easy to crack someone's sternum during CPR or bruise the chest. His pulse was OK, so CPR was not necessary, she said. I didn't see blood anywhere, so I assumed he was not hit by a car either.

She sent someone to call 911 and began to inspect his pockets for ID, an emergency card or ID bracelet. She found out that he lived close and she sent someone to the house to alert his family.

Staying in control of the situation, Koerick evaluated the man's vitals and spoke to the 911 dispatcher, following their instructions on how to help this man until EMS arrived.

As it turns out, he was in a diabetic coma, she said. When the paramedics arrived, they gave him medication and he started to come out of it.

Her quick thinking and genuine concern for this man's life and all those in need is exemplary. She is a true hero, said Brown.

About Florida Hospital DeLand

Florida Hospital DeLand is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital DeLand has 164-beds and is one of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that compose the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.