Oxford Treatment Center 2018 Employee of the Year Honored

Recognized by her peers for her passion and enthusiasm for her work, Nurse Krista Hartfield, LPN, was honored as Oxford Treatment Center’s 2018 Employee of the Year.

The award was given to her by Medical Director Dr. Stephen Pannel, at the center’s January staff meeting.

“Krista is very reliable,” said Pannel. “I can always count on her to give me the most recent information and to follow through on patient care needs. She is very good at closing the loop on patient needs.” 

As a nurse, Hartfield primarily works in withdrawal management unit at the Oxford Treatment Center. Her position involves monitoring the physical and vital signs of patients.

The around-the-clock supervision and attention to patients might make it the most demanding unit at the center. For Hartfield, the challenge is worth it.

“I have worked in other areas, but this is where I am meant to be,” she said. “Working here is humbling and motivating. My patients are my inspiration. They come here sick and ready to give up, but they push through and fight.”

“You’re with patients for days and weeks, sharing in their struggle and having their back. There are tough times, but at the end of the day you go home knowing you made a difference. It really motivates you to keep going. It’s rewarding work.”

“To see someone’s life turned around at the end of their treatment here is what inspires me every day.”

Hartfield has been a member of the Oxford Treatment Center staff for five years. She previously worked as a nurse at an assisted living center and at a medical clinic.

When asked what motivated her to transition into the field of addiction treatment, she said that it was compassion for others and the loss of a family member to addiction.

“Addiction took my father away; that is what brought me here,” she said. “I thought if I can help someone get through this — even one person — that is more than I could do for him.”

Hartfield says working in the addiction treatment field has taught her a lot about the disease of addiction.

“I have learned a lot about how a substance grabs ahold of the brain during addiction,” she said. “I used to question if my father had a choice. Working here I learned addiction is a disease; when it takes hold of someone, they do not have a choice.”

She says her work has also changed her perspective on those struggling with addiction.

“I have become more sensitive, more compassionate,” she said. “I hope to help others understand: Those struggling with addiction are everyday people, normal people.”

Seeing the progress that a patient makes is the most rewarding part of the job, Hartfield said.

“From my perspective, working in withdrawal management, seeing someone at the beginning of their journey here when they feel at their lowest, to the person they are when they leave here, it’s amazing.”

She says seeing a patient return as on alumni visit later is the best gift. Robust alumni programs at the Oxford Treatment Center include monthly meetings, quarterly events, and a yearly alumni weekend where alumni and their families are invited to return to the center for fellowship and reflection.

“It means a lot to see people get to where they want to be in life,” Hartfield said.

“When a patient returns on an alumni weekend or a visit with their family, just seeing that transformation reaffirms the life-changing work that is happening here. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

In 2018, Hartfield was named Employee of the Month for February. Other staff honored as Employee of the Month in 2018 included: