Morris Hospital Fire Starter of the month makes Diamond-Coal City campus shine

MORRIS – Morris Hospital Environmental Services Associate Carl Pohl is the full package. He takes pride in his work. He is self-motivated, brightens the day of everyone around him, and understands how he contributes to the Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers mission. For all of these reasons, Pohl was selected as Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers’ April Fire Starter of the Month.

“Carl is always very positive and does whatever is necessary to keep the Diamond-Coal City Campus running smoothly,” wrote Chris Finch, a Morris Hospital Courier, in nominating Pohl as Fire Starter of the Month.

“He is always there to offer a helping hand and always does more than he has to on a daily basis. He really puts patients first, making sure everything is clean and all the departments have what they need,”he said.

A lifelong resident of rural Gardner, Pohl was a meat cutter in Coal City for 30 years before joining the Environmental Services team at Morris Hospital in April 2019. He started at the Braidwood Healthcare Center and assisted at the Dwight and Gardner offices until Morris Hospital opened its Diamond-Coal City Campus in February 2020. He has devoted the past 26 months to keeping Morris Hospital’s premiere facility looking as good as it did the day it opened.

“Carl exemplifies the Morris Hospital standards of conduct,” says Kathy O’Neill, Healthcare Centers Practice Manager at Morris Hospital.

“He has an excellent work ethic and takes great pride in keeping the Diamond-Coal City Campus clean. This is verified by the excellent patient satisfaction scores in regards to cleanliness. He completes every task promptly, efficiently, and with a smile. He is a vital part of our Diamond-Coal City team,” she said.

Pohl spends his day mopping the floors, vacuuming the carpet, removing trash, wiping down surfaces, all with a goal of keeping the facility “as clean as possible for our patients.”

“Our patients expect a clean place. The staff expects a clean place. I like things in order, too,” says Pohl. “When I clock out, I like knowing that everything is clean, sanitized, and ready for the next day.”

A clean environment isn’t the only way Pohl makes a difference day in and day out at the Morris Hospital Diamond-Coal City Campus. He makes a point to say hello to every person he encounters as he goes about his work day, and that includes both employees and patients.

“I pretty much say ‘Hi, how’s it going?’ to every person I see,” says Pohl. “I got to know a lot of people after working in Coal City my whole life, so I enjoy seeing the patients. A simple ‘hi’ helps connect people. It might even make someone’s day.”

In early civilizations, fire starters were individuals who had the important job of keeping the flame alive. With over 1,400 employees, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers is the largest employer in Grundy County.