October 27, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jennifer Roseman, Director of Communications & Development
(509) 474-2395 or (509) 994-5032
For photo availability, contact Jennifer Roseman
The Sisters of Providence will present the 2004 Mother Joseph Award to two women in December, Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz of Missoula and Cheryle Earnheart of Marysville, Wash.
Sladich-Lantz is director of mission leadership at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center and Earnheart has been actively involved with what is today Providence Everett Medical Center for more than 20 years.
The award is named in honor of Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the first provincial superior of the Sisters of Providence in the West, and is given to a person who “exemplifies the values and courage of Mother Joseph.” (See information on Mother Joseph below.)
The award is presented by the provincial superior and the Leadership Team on behalf of all the Sisters of Providence in the province, which includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Montana and El Salvador.
Sladich-Lantz will receive her award at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, December 4, at Mount St. Joseph, 12 West Ninth Avenue, Spokane.
Earnheart’s award will be presented at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, December 5, at St. Joseph Residence, 4800 37th Avenue SW, Seattle. The presentation dates coincide with the arrival in the Northwest of Mother Joseph and her sister companions on December 8, 1856.
Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz
Through the efforts of Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz, the Providence charism continues to be passed on to the employees at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center. She empowers, encourages and inspires through orientations, meetings, retreats and leadership workshops, but mostly through example.
She is described as a “natural healer” and teacher, as well as a gifted story teller whose stories directly influence the delivery of patient care. Among the stories she tells is the story of Mother Joseph, reminding employees of the hospital?s history and its mission.
Sladich-Lantz currently is leading the effort to provide a transformational health-care experience for patients and an inspirational workplace for employees. She began with retreats last fall to introduce the concept, which led to creation of two lists of promises: the first to patients and the second to co-workers.
Her nominators say she is “a guiding light in these uncertain times” for health care, with its nursing shortages and budget constraints.
As a member of the administrative team and the manager for pastoral care staff, she realized employees need to have outlets to express their frustrations. She helped establish the VENT program, which offers them an opportunity to debrief after stressful or traumatic events. She also mentors, facilitates team-building retreats, serves on the ethics committee, and is coordinator for the LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) program.
Sladich-Lantz also is involved in the betterment of the entire Missoula community, including her neighborhood and her beloved Christ the King parish.
Cheryle Earnheart
Cheryle Earnheart was elected to the General Hospital board of directors in Everett in 1993 and helped plan and implement the 1994 merger that created Providence General Medical Center.
She served on the board’s Planning Committee, Quality of Care Committee and its Ethics Committee.vShe also was instrumental in forming the board?s Mission Committee, influencing how decisions enhanced or reflected the mission of offering high-quality, compassionate health care, even when significant financial challenges had to be faced.
Earnheart retired to her home in Marysville in 2002 to spend more time with her family, but she couldn’t stay away, returning to chair the advisory board for Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic in 2003. She has served as a member of the General Hospital Foundation, championing its fundraising efforts, and has been involved with the annual Festival of Trees since its inception in 1986, using her creative gifts to design and decorate trees, wreaths and other auction items.
As a board member and president of the General Hospital Children’s Association, she helped raise money for children’s programs including the Providence Children’ds Center, Camp Prov for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and the medical center’s new Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit.
Earnheart is the recipient of the 2001 Providence Children’s Association “Carol Stuchell Award for Service” and the 2002 Providence General Foundation “Spirit of Caring”Award. Other community commitments, including Hospice of Snohomish County, Cocoon House, a shelter for homeless teens; and the YMCA of Snohomish County’s Invest in Youth Campaign.
She also was a founding member of the Snohomish County Healthy Communities Initiative and chaired its Health and Wellness Committee. In addition, she served as a volunteer for the Snohomish County Children’s Museum, the Everett Parks Foundation, and the Arts Council of Snohomish County Board of Directors and Advisory Board.