2024 Recipient: America Wayne
Clinic Support Staff/Interpreter
North Central District Health Department in Shelby County
America Wayne is described as the epitome of the person you want to meet when you walk into a local health department… energetic, supportive, empathetic, caring, knowledgeable. As a bilingual member of the Shelby County Health Department clinic support staff, she is said to be vital to the efforts to reach the growing Latinx population. Her supportive, empathetic, and caring demeanor puts patients at ease as she ensures they receive not only the care they need but any additional information to support them in the community.
While she is always ready to help and willing to take on new tasks to support clinic services and help patients, her efforts to support North Central District Health Department endeavors and programs do not stop at the end of the workday. Armed with her knowledge of the programs and opportunities at the health department, she is quick to engage in her vast network outside of work to ensure that Spanish-speaking residents are receiving information needed to take full advantage of the services provided by the health department. During the Shelbyville Pop-Up Farmers’ Market this past summer, she spent countless hours at the markets providing interpretation services to ensure that Spanish-speaking customers not only received vouchers for free local fruits and vegetables, but she also made sure they received information about all health department services.
Her direct supervisor shared, “She is truly a joy to work with in the health department. America’s level of administrative support is one that we should all strive to meet, far outpacing what is expected.”