UNC Health Pardee Announces Teammates of the Month
UNC Health Pardee has announced Katherine Kostmayer, a medical speech pathologist and Marilyn O’Malley, a registered nurse, as its Teammates of the Month. The Teammate of the Month award is given to a Pardee employee who positively contributes to achieving the organization’s mission, vision and goals.
Katherine Kostmayer has been with Pardee since 2023 and said her favorite part of her job is collaborating with a skilled and supportive rehabilitation team and helping patients work toward their therapy goals. As an outpatient medical speech pathologist, Katherine works with patients, addressing therapeutic intervention for head and neck cancer, stroke rehabilitation, cognition therapy, progressive neurological disease, swallowing impairment, and voice impairment. “I am so privileged in my job to work with diverse patient populations, making tangible difference in their lives,” she shared. Those who nominated her said Katherine is committed and dedicated, sharing that “she connects well with her patients and their family members, offering the highest quality of care in an area that is very specialized.”
Marilyn O’Malley, RN, first started working at Pardee 20 years ago. She has worked in many areas in the hospital over the years and currently works in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). As a nurse in the PACU, Marilyn monitors patients returning from the operating room as they come out of anesthesia. It’s her responsibility to ensure their wake up is safe and recognize and treat any possible symptoms the patient may experience while in her care. “My favorite part of my job is meeting so many people from different walks of life,” Marilyn shared. “Everyone is understandingly nervous about having surgery, and if I can help them have a smooth and easy wake-up while infusing some humor, I feel like I have done my job.” Those who nominated her said she works hard to make sure everyone feels valued and appreciated. “Marilyn makes coming to work feel like being with family. She truly cares about her peers, patients, and the hospital,” a colleague shared.
The Teammate of the Month is given to a person selected by a committee of their peers and recognized for going above and beyond their regular duties to support patients, customers, peers, the organization and its community. The Teammate of the Month award showcases the many different roles of keeping a health system, like Pardee, operating and delivering patient-centered, quality care.
UNC Health Pardee is a not-for-profit regional healthcare organization based in Henderson County and managed by UNC Health. The county-owned hospital was founded in 1953 in Hendersonville, NC, and is licensed for 222 acute care beds. Pardee has grown from the Henderson County Hospital to become a healthcare system that serves residents across Henderson, Haywood, Transylvania, and Buncombe counties, offering a wide range of medical services, including a comprehensive primary care physician network with FQHC status, a cancer center, three urgent care locations, four orthopedics and sports medicine clinics and a medical staff representing 43 specialties. For more information or to find a physician, visit pardeehospital.org.
