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MELISSA GARY

Melissa Gary has been a Home Health Aide at the Gurwin Health Care System for 16 years. In that time she has continually shown outstanding loyalty and provided superior care to those she has cared for.

In her early years with us, she courageously persevered through hip-high water to get to her patient’s apartment in Long Beach the morning after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, knowing her patient was alone and unable to leave the apartment without assistance. Given the dire situation and realizing how many other people needed help, Melissa garnered the assistance of an EMT and together, using heavy blankets, they carefully negotiated the patient down the staircase from the fourth floor of the building.

Melissa’s bravery and selflessness continued this year through the COVID-19 pandemic.

This past March, Melissa was on a case in a facility where the virus started to take hold. She never hesitated when the level of fear about the virus was rising among all workers in the facility. She knew how vital her care was to the patient and she was committed to providing that care. When others cancelled, Melissa was always willing to take on additional coverage because she was so dedicated to the mission of the agency and the care of our patients.

Unfortunately, despite the continual use of PPE and her own diligence with safety protocols, Melissa herself began showing signs and symptoms and tested positive for the virus in late May 2020. She was hospitalized for a few days, courageously returning to work six weeks later.

Melissa has been the recipient of various recognition awards in her time with Gurwin and continues to stand out as one of the agency’s brightest stars. She is a #HomeCareHero.