SHELTON, WA – Terri Gushee, RN, has never lost sight of why she wanted to work in health care — to help people. In her current role as Director of Population Health, Gushee has had to pivot much of her focus this past year toward Mason Health’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts. She has remained steadfastly committed to delivering quality health care to everyone, because everyone is deserving. This dedication is why her co-workers have named Terri Gushee the October 2021 Employee of the Month.

“Terri has worked tirelessly behind the scenes seven days a week building relationships with departments and Mason County Public Health Department to make COVID-19 shots available to all on an equitable basis,” said Gushee’s nominator, Pamela Schlauderaff, Director of Quality/Patient Safety/Regulatory Compliance. “While helping Terri at one event, a patient passed out. Terri’s background in ER nursing was evident. She calmly tended to the patient until EMS arrived. At another event, a patient had an allergic reaction and needed to go to the ER for care. She quietly drove the patient to the Emergency Department to ensure they were cared for.”

Gushee has been part of the Mason Health family for 28 years. She and her husband, Dean Gushee, MD, were looking for a small, rural hospital where they could make a difference. Terri Gushee started as a nurse in the Emergency Department.

“I really love ER nursing because you never know what is going to walk through the door,” she said. “It’s so varied and so fast-paced. I enjoyed that. I also right away felt like we were part of the community.”

Gushee became the District’s trauma coordinator, then worked as a house supervisor on the floor at Mason General Hospital. In 2015, she moved to the Care Coordination department, where she became involved with ensuring that people have access to care.

“I just have a passion for helping people manage their chronic diseases and ensuring they get the treatment that they need,” she said.

Through Care Coordination, Gushee worked in Discharge Planning, was the Director of the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program and later became involved with starting the Behavioral Health program in the District.

For the past two years, Gushee has been the Director of Population Health, focusing on closing care gaps. She works on developing prevention plans to ensure that patients see their primary care providers for regular screenings and care, not only for emergencies. She has helped secure grant funding for several preventive care initiatives, including funding for influenza vaccinations.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gushee has worked hard at bringing the vaccine to people – to their places of work, to their senior center, to their assisted living facility, etc. She has been working with staff to ensure the Hispanic population has access to the vaccine, and she has even driven to remote areas of Mason County to deliver the vaccine to homebound patients. The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and Thurston-Mason Medical Society honored Mason Health with its 2021 Health Care Champion Community Impact Award for the District’s efforts in vaccinating the community. Gushee accepted the award for her part in leading these efforts.

“We saw a need to be out in the community and get the vaccine to as many people as we could,” she said. “Every life is important; every human is valuable and they should all be treated with respect. During COVID, I wanted to target the disparate communities. We went the extra mile.”

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County, is certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. For more information or to find a health care provider, visit www.MasonGeneral.com.

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