Erica Brady
Physical Therapist
Brinlee Creek Nominee
Anna Location
WINNER
Kamie Allen
Assistant House Manager
Las Colinas Nominee
Irving Location
NOMINEE
Josh Hopkins
Maintenance Technician
Savanna Oaks Ranch Nominee
Fort Worth Location
NOMINEE
In 1974, Dr. Hayden lost her son, Ben, after he was hit by a car and died of a traumatic brain injury. At that time, medical and rehabilitation services for people with brain injuries were limited. Dr. Hayden became committed to improving the research and rehabilitation options for individuals after a brain injury, which ultimately led to the formation of Pate Rehabilitation.
Dr. Hayden’s passion to find new ways to help people has made Pate a leader in patient centered care. Our core values of Respect, Relationship, Integrity, Innovation, Compassion and Empowerment are found across our staff interactions, patient care, family support and advocacy work to improve brain injury rehabilitation. These core values are our foundation and help define the essence of Pate’s mission and culture.
The Ben Hayden award is given each year to an individual who exemplifies all of Pate’s core values. Each location nominates one person for this award. These individuals are celebrated throughout the company and are honored at a special banquet each Spring.
Erika Brady
Physical Therapist
Brinlee Creek Ranch Nominee
Anna Location
WINNER
Erika Brady
Erika is the 2024 nominee for the Ben Hayden Award for Pate - Brinlee Creek Ranch. Her dedication to exhibiting Pate's Core Values on a daily basis makes her a deserving candidate for the award.
Erika fosters strong relationships with her co-workers, patients, families, and students. She strives to connect with each individual and incorporates the patients’ goals into functional and relevant therapy. She goes out of her way to help patients reach their goals. For example, we have a patient who had a stroke during surgery to amputate his leg. As a result he had to move from an apartment into an assisted living. He became someone depressed due to his deficits as well as a decline in independence. One of the things he loved to do that e struggles with now is reading. She took him out to his local library, helped him get a library card, and check out books that he could work on reading with his speech therapist. She now has family and friends take him to the library and gets excited about bringing his books to therapy to show how his reading is improving.
Erika takes the time to determine what kind of encouragement work best for each patient. For example, some respond better to someone who is coaching them, some like to be pushed really hard, while others need to be treated with kid gloves. She finds what works to empower her patients.
Erika works hard every day, arrives on time, and is extremely dependable. I never have to worry about her meeting goals or commitments.
While Erika is a tough therapist, she also has a heart for what she does and loves seeing her patients succeed. Her patients’ goals become her goals and she adjusts and revamps her sessions to make sure she is always meeting their needs. She understands that family members often feel scared and lost during this process, especially when patients get ready to transition from our care to their home under the care of family. She does well with family training education and helps minimize their fears.
Erika has grown in this area since she has been at Pate. As a young therapist she has learned the value of really listening to patients and meeting them where they are. She takes feedback seriously and tries to incorporate suggestions from her supervisor to grow as a therapist and improve her efficacy in practice.
Erika is very creative in designing therapy tasks and is one of the strongest therapists who has been a part of the vocational program. She incorporates job tasks into therapy and has completed many evaluations for patients returning to physical jobs. We had a patient who returned to work as a firefighter, and she had him bring up all of his equipment and perform the actual test he had to do prior to returning to work. He had a lot of fear about going back to work and was unsure if he could do it. With Erika’s encouragement and support he completed the test, and his vocational self-efficacy grew. We knew he was ready to return to work, but it was through this task that HE learned he was ready as well!
Erika helped develop “Fun Friday” at Brinlee Creek Ranch's treatment location. On Friday afternoons the patients rotate through each discipline and work with the therapists on fun activities and games that are functional but also really fun for the patients (and therapists). Everyone looks forward to these activities and our attendance on Fridays has improved as a result!
Erika most demonstrates the LEGACY Standard of Environment. She uses her creative ability to develop therapeutic activities and goals that are person-centered and her ability to listen to feedback in treating our patients in a patient-focused environment.
Congratulations to Erika Brady as this year’s Ben Hayden Award Winner!
Kamie Allen
Assistant House Manager
Las Colinas Nominee
Irving Location
NOMINEE
Kamie Allen
Kamie is the Las Colinas/Towne Lake Ben Hayden award nominee for 2024. Kamie is a hard worker, embodies Pate’s CORE values and goes the extra mile in her role. Kamie has a positive “can do” attitude and takes pride in her work. She is trustworthy and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
Kamie always tries to keep a close bond with all her co-workers. She is always willing to help her team and step up when help is needed at the house at any time of the day/night. Kamie values her team and gives them the information and tools they need to achieve results. Kamie’s integrity is evident by her completion of work tasks on time by always being prepared and focused during work hours, and by admitting and correcting mistakes when they occur. Kamie is very compassionate and understanding with both patients and staff.
Kamie consistently treats patients, families and co-workers with respect and compassion, which has allowed her to build strong relationships with her co-workers. Kamie consistently seeks out new ways to keep Towne Lake residence clean and organized. Kamie is an example to new and seasoned employees. She takes pride in her work and works to problem solve all issues in a timely manner. Her "can-do", servant leader attitude demonstrates the You!, Be An Example LEGACY standard.
Kamie is an example to new and seasoned employees. She takes pride in her work and works to problem solve all issues in a timely manner. Her "can-do", servant leader attitude demonstrates the You!, Be An Example LEGACY standard.
Josh Hopkins
Maintenance Technician
Savanna Oaks Ranch Nominee
Fort Worth Location
NOMINEE
Josh Hopkins
Josh shows his commitment to Pate’s Core Values daily through his words and actions. Though he has only been at our site for a year, his impact has not gone unnoticed. He is an integral part of our team and is constantly striving to keep our facility operating and looking its best for current & prospective patients, as well as our staff. He does this all with a genuine desire to not only do his job well, but to take this load from others. In doing so, he allows us to focus on our own responsibilities while trusting that everything onsite is running safely and smoothly.
Josh always puts forth the effort to initiate and maintain friendly relationships with everyone on our site. When he learns of a need, he’s very prompt to get it addressed. During the summer months when some therapy rooms were getting too hot, he took time to meet with staff to ask what we were looking for in a fan (size, location/placement, specific features, etc.). In a few short hours, he had the fans bought, set up/working, and then took the time to check in with us later to make sure we were taken care of. He also shows his fun side and team spirit by dressing up/participating with holiday themed attire. His Halloween costume (Storm Trooper) was a major hit!
Josh works tirelessly to make sure that our clinic is safe and accessible for patients & staff, and to ensure that equipment is in optimal operating condition. From arriving early to care for the grounds/floors during bad weather, to staying on top of pest control, and repairing equipment needs, he allows us all to come to Pate and accomplish what we are here to do. Admirably, he never seems inconvenienced when asked for help by staff, making us feel like we can always approach him with our needs.
Given the nature of his role, Josh works in a position where his supervisor isn't always on site. That never stops him from staying task-oriented and responsible with his time. He arrives at work early and stays late to get the job done. It’s clear that he holds himself accountable for providing quality work that others can depend on, even if much of it happens behind the scenes.
Josh shows his compassion for others by anticipating and acknowledging our needs. Not only does he make sure that concerns are addressed, but that the solutions also meet our standards. Over the recent holiday season, he took the initiative to go above and beyond to decorate our site nicely (inside and out) so that Pate could be a festive and inviting place for patients away from their homes. He followed through with the less exciting task of taking all it down to put in storage, all without complaint. No matter who he’s talking to, Josh exemplifies respect for others by addressing/greeting everyone, providing thorough communication when it’s needed, and by following through in a timely manner.
Josh uses his skillset to creatively problem-solve different situations that arise, especially with equipment needs. This was recently evident when a treadmill needed to be dismantled. His persistence paid off, and thanks to his knowledge and determination, the electrical wiring was successfully reassembled, making the equipment functional for use again.
The team at Pate - Savanna Oaks Ranch wants to extend their appreciation to Josh for all that he does and report they are "proud to work alongside" him.
Josh demonstrates a people-focused environment as he addresses every maintenance need in a timely and efficient manner. He is willing to work around the patients' and staffs' schedules to complete tasks, even if it means coming in early or staying late to get a job done! He is well-liked and respected amongst the staff because of his attention to the little things...like ensuring everyone has what they need to do their own jobs! He demonstrates a positive, can-do attitude, along with a humble countenance that everyone feels comfortable around.
Adriana Lozano
Case Manager Assistant
Villa Creek Nominee
Dallas Location
2023 WINNER
Megan Gamble
Clinical Registered Nurse
Brinlee Creek Ranch Nominee
Anna Location
2021 WINNER
Jason Burdge
Clinical Assistant Rehabilitation Technician
Villa Creek Nominee
Dallas Location
2020 WINNER
Alexandria Howard
Occupational Therapist
Villa Creek Nominee
Fort Worth Location
2019 WINNER
Shay Terry
Therapy Rehabilitation Technician
Villa Creek Nominee
Dallas Location
2018 WINNER
Damion McDonald
Information Technology Manager
Villa Creek Nominee
Dallas Location
2016 WINNER
Chris Briscoe
Physical Therapy Technician
Brinlee Creek Ranch Nominee
Anna Location
2015 WINNER
Cliff Sheffield
Transporter
Villa Creek Nominee
Dallas Location
2015 WINNER