YOUR GOOD NEWS

2022 RESIDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Betty Souder of Valencia Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center in Lakeland was honored as the 2022 Joe Negron Resident of the Year by Florida Health Care Association. Presented during FHCA’s Annual Conference in Orlando on Aug. 1, this is the highest honor given each year to an individual residing in one of Florida’s more than 600 skilled nursing centers that are members of FHCA. Souder has been a resident at Valencia Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center for 11 years and is an active member of the resident community. She has served as the center’s Resident Council Vice President for the past two years, using that role to serve as an advocate for her peers.  The Negron  award is part of FHA's Long Term Care Achievement Awards, which were presented at the FHCA 2022 Annual Conference, July 31-Aug. 4 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. The award is named in honor of former Florida Senate President Joe Negron for his almost two decades of committed support for Florida’s long-term care providers and the residents entrusted to their care. FHCA  annually recognize an Administrator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and a number of community volunteers for their service and dedication to long-term care.

WORKFOURCE CHAMPION AWARD

Assistant Warden of Programs at Polk Correctional Institution Leslee Pippin received the 2021-2022 Workforce Champion Award for leadership and commitment to a quality workforce from Career Source Polk at the annual meeting. Pippin was also recognized for her reentry efforts in the community. Pippin has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for 22 years, during which she worked at seven institutions in education, classification and administration. Pippin began as an academic teacher at Hillsborough Correctional Institution. She achieved her master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of South Florida and was named Teacher of the Year in 2007. Pippin transferred to classification to learn the many different functions performed within the department and worked as a classification officer at Zephyrhills CI and Polk CI, as a senior classification officer at Demilly CI and Charlotte CI. After promotion to classification supervisor at Lake CI, she was promoted to assistant warden of mental health. Later, Pippin transferred to Lowell CI where she served as the assistant warden of programs for three years. Currently, she is the assistant warden of programs at Polk CI. Pippin has been at Polk CI for three years.

Send your community news and photo (limit of five people in photo) to features@theledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Awards given to health center resident, assistant warden