A social services unit supervisor displayed leadership skills of a personal nature when a co-worker became ill with COVID-19.
That's why Elizabeth Page, of Nixa, was selected as the State Team Member of the Month for November. She has worked for 17 years for the Children's Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services.
After her co-worker in the Springfield office became ill, Page stepped up to make needed arrangements for the woman and her three children. The co-worker eventually had to be transported to a hospital in the Kansas City area for treatment.
"In my time at Children's Division, I have never seen a supervisor, program manager, specialist or circuit manager work hard to this level to help an employee in this capacity for their family," Emory Blackwell, a senior social services specialist, wrote on Page's nomination form.
Those efforts included Page finding and communicating with the co-worker's friends who were watching her children, as well as communicating with family members through an interpreter so they could come to Missouri for the children.
Blackwell noted: "She worked with staff and partnering agencies to gather items of support (clothes, food, back to school supplies) for the children while their mother was in the hospital. Elizabeth was also able to work with our local Legal Aid Service in our county in which they agreed to help our co-worker's mother obtain legal guardianship of her daughter and the grandchildren during this difficult time."
Unfortunately, the co-worker's condition deteriorated in the hospital.
"Once learned from doctors that things were turning worse for our co-worker with her health, Elizabeth was able to work with (the) state office so shared time leave would be approved as our co-worker ran out of leave," Blackwell observed.
Tragically, the woman, who had worked for the department for nine years, did not survive. It was like losing a family member for Page and her colleagues.
"Elizabeth attempted and was successful in bringing many people together to help at this time," Blackwell concluded. "This is just a snippet of what occurred as much cannot be shared, but her actions and commitment to the agency and peers needs to be recognized during this time as we were hoping for the best."