Caregiver of the Year known for her poise and patience

When North Valley Hospital became an affiliate of Kalispell Regional Healthcare through a partnership finalized May 1, the transition came with a substantial amount of behind-the-scenes work on many levels.

Guiding North Valley’s employees through the human-resource piece of the transition was no easy task, but Human Resource Benefits Specialist Robbie Kolodejchuk provided the calm and focus that helped the team get the job done.

“It was a tremendous amount of work to switch benefits to the new platform,” Kolodejchuk said. “It took a team of dedicated employees to make it happen and learn the nuances of the new benefits.”

Throughout those frantic few weeks, fellow employees noticed Kolodejchuk’s calm and steady demeanor. It was something they had observed all along about her job performance.

Since 2009 Kolodejchuk has been nominated 16 times for North Valley’s Rave Review Award that recognizes a staff member who has done something exemplary for a fellow staff member, patient or guest. She has won the Rave Review Award twice.

Recently Kolodejchuk received an even bigger award.

She was named North Valley’s Planetree Caregiver of the Year. The hospital became a Planetree affiliate in 2002, adopting a model of health care that focuses on patient-centered care.

The Caregiver of the Year is a recognition process Planetree hospitals participate in to recognize a staff member who consistently demonstrates the Planetree philosophies of teamwork, respect, caring and professionalism, according to Catherine Todd, senior director of business development and community relations at North Valley Hospital.

“The award does not necessarily go to a clinical caregiver,” Todd said. “At North Valley Hospital, we consider all of our staff and medical staff caregivers, whether they are caring for patients, families or their co-workers.”

Kolodejchuk earned high praise from her colleagues during the affiliation process. One employee noted how she puts the “human” in human resources.

“Robbie has shown grace, patience and great knowledge as she continues to help any employee needing assistance with human resources matters,” another employee wrote. “Despite the long hours, she was always patient and had a smile to help the staff navigate through its recent changes.”

Kolodejchuk joined the North Valley staff in 2002 following 15 years of office work at the Western Montana Mental Health Center in Kalispell. She was looking for a new challenge and applied at North Valley Hospital.

“It was a leap of faith. I remember how hard my heart was pounding,” she recalled about getting the job in human resources. “This job has provided the growth and challenge I was looking for, and I have great co-workers. I feel really fortunate.”

Kolodejchuk has never shied away from a challenge. When she agreed to be a write-in candidate for the Columbia Falls City Council in 1990 to fill out the remainder of another council member’s term, she had her work cut out for her.

“I was as green as could be,” she recalled.

Kolodejchuk was elected to two subsequent four-year terms on the council. During her time on the council, the city switched from mayoral to city manager form of government, improved the fire hall, built a much-needed pedestrian path along Talbot Road and expanded the water treatment facility infrastructure.

As developers began seeing opportunities in Columbia Falls, Kolodejchuk and her fellow council members had to wrestle with the ultimate question: “What do we want the city’s growth plan to be?

“There were many times I got phone calls” over council decisions, she said, remembering how she voted against a controversial casino one time. “You learn to stand up to some things.”

She credits her mother for instilling a can-do attitude in any situation.

“My mother is my champion,” Kolodejchuk said. “To be a single mom in that era, I remember the struggles. She got $2 to $3 an hour. How do you live on that?

“Mom grew up in the Depression era. What she learned was you make do with what you have. We did all the practical stuff; no luxuries.”

Kolodejchuk was an only child. She and her mother lived in Spokane for a few years before returning to her mother’s hometown of St. Ignatius, where Kolodejchuk was raised on a farm and graduated from Mission High School in 1968.

After attending a business college in Salt Lake City she was ready to take on the world. Her first job was at a large travel agency in Salt Lake City. She moved back to the Mission Valley after a while and met her husband-to-be, Allen, in the early 1970s. They settled in Columbia Falls after marrying and have two married daughters: Molly, a school counselor in Plains who has three children; and Lexie, who works as a buyer in the materials department at North Valley Hospital.

Working in human resources continues to be rewarding for Kolodejchuk. Being the one to explain benefits to workers who have never had benefits with other jobs is a bonus, she said.

“One of the neatest things I’ve seen is to watch our nursing interns come through the door and talk about how challenging it is to be a student, and especially the single moms, to see the joy in their eyes of accomplishment when they come back to work here,” she said. “It’s quality of life and helps our community.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.