HCA New England Healthcare’s hospitals are once again showcasing the excellence of our colleagues. This week, Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s ECMO Clinical Coordinator, Samantha McClelland, received the Enterprise Frist Humanitarian Award – Employee.
In April, Samantha won the local Frist Humanitarian Award. Then in July, we surprised her with a $10,000 check and another $10,000 donation to her chosen non-profit, Apraxia Kids, by tricking her into thinking she was attending an inventory meeting.
Samantha is the third Enterprise Frist Humanitarian Award winner from Portsmouth Regional Hospital (PRH) in the last several years, an impressive accomplishment for a company with more than 180 hospitals.
“Receiving this award is such an honor,” Samantha said. “I love my work, my colleagues and my patients, who are among the most critically ill. I’m grateful to care for them and their families. Bringing them some measure of comfort is very rewarding.”
Samantha joined PRH 20 years ago as a respiratory therapist working with open-heart surgery patients. Since 2020, she has served on the ECMO team, and in 2022, she became a clinical coordinator, caring for patients at all three hospitals in our New England market – Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester and Parkland Medical Center in Derry.
“When COVID hit, ECMO was in high demand,” Samantha said. “We had very sick patients treated with ECMO, often using the heart-lung machine for months. Seeing them survive COVID and go home was such a high point after all we went through during the pandemic.”
One of Samantha’s post-COVID patients was a young woman named Kasey Watson who has severe asthma and got the flu. Kasey was brought by ambulance to Frisbie Memorial Hospital in January 2023. It was soon determined she needed to be on ECMO. A snowstorm had grounded air transport, so the ECMO, cardiovascular and EMS teams from PRH rushed to Frisbie to cannulate Kasey and get her safely back to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
“Kasey’s story is special to many of us,” Samantha said. “Her situation was unique, having lost her brother just a month earlier to a similar situation. We knew we had to do everything in our power to save her.”
Samantha’s work as the ECMO clinical coordinator is just one reasons she is Frist-worthy. She is committed to educating children about living with asthma, and has volunteered with Apraxia Kids, an organization dedicated to helping children with a motor speech disorder, for more than ten years. She also volunteers with the Girl Scouts, helped launch a special needs parents alliance, and assists with school musicals and plays in her school district. Samantha spearheads local events such as plant swaps to bring the community together.
If you’re still wondering why Samantha was nominated for this prestigious award, here’s what those who nominated her for this honor have to say:
“Samantha is dedicated to our patients. When we need additional help, she is the first to volunteer for additional shifts. She takes great pride in her delivery of excellent patient care, going above and beyond to make personal connections to the patients and their families. I have witnessed multiple encounters where Samantha has provided compassionate understanding during difficult conversations. She has a unique ability to put patients at ease. When in rounds and having conversations with physicians, Samantha asks questions to ensure the care of our patients is top quality.” – Kristin Laberis, VP of Operations, Parkland Medical Center (former director of Cardiovascular Services at Portsmouth Regional Hospital)
“In her recent promotion to the role of ECMO clinical coordinator and ECMO specialist, Samantha has continued to shine as a leader and innovator. She has played a pivotal role in developing and advancing our ECMO program, leveraging her extensive experience and expertise to ensure the highest standards of care for our patients. Her dedication to the patients and advancement of the ECMO program has inspired confidence and trust among her colleagues.” – Felicia Azzi, director of cardiovascular services, PRH
“Samantha and I met through Girl Scouts, she was my daughter's troop leader. My daughter is special needs and I was extremely nervous dropping her off (with people other than family members). The moment I met Samantha and voiced a bit about my nervousness of leaving my daughter, she set me at ease right away. She herself has a child that has special needs and was able to empathize with my situation immediately. She assured me my daughter would have `a blast’ and be safe in her and the other leaders' care. She was an amazing troop leader and went above and beyond for our girls to have the best experience that she could provide for them the entire time she was their troop leader. Frankly, I think she deserves an award to be able to wrangle and engage a very large group of spirited young girls for the years that she did so. Samantha, along with members of our parent group, has worked tirelessly researching alternative high school diploma options for students with disabilities. Our town only offered one 24-credit high school diploma option. Samantha's efforts have led to our local school system adopting the NH State 20-credit diploma as an option for students going into trades, straight to work, or attending a post-secondary school that does not require more credits. Samantha and our group are now working toward an alternative diploma for special needs students so that they may receive something more than a certificate of completion and count toward the graduation rates. The alternative diploma will be brought to the school board this fall.” - Kristen Derkrikorian, community member, friend
We live streamed the awards in Nashville, held on Sept. 24, so we could watch Samantha receive her award, and we’re excited to share this video with you.
Every day our colleagues show up for our patients, community and each other, and we couldn’t be prouder to have Samantha represent New Hampshire as the recipient of the Frist Humanitarian Award – Employee. Congratulations, Sam!