Three words summarize 2020 for Amber Davis: personal protective equipment. As an inventory specialist at Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, what was a normal order became a hunt as COVID-19 created shortages in masks, gloves and gowns. But her work did not go unrecognized, as she was named Employee of the Year for Saint Joseph Mount Sterling last year.
“It’s an honor,” Amber said. “I worked very hard this past year filling in wherever was needed during a pandemic. We had to hunt down and use whatever we could find. It was frustrating at times, but we improvised and adapted.”
A caretaker at heart, Amber said it was challenging keeping up with thousands of items and the everyday changes and substitutes the supply chain team has encountered.
“At the end of the line, there’s a patient who needs to be helped,” Amber said. “If we don’t have what we need, then we aren’t able to help our patients. So we try to stay positive and prevent that from happening.”
Amber grew up on a farm with her grandparents, pitching in wherever they asked.
“At the time, I hated it, but now I’m appreciative of it because I feel that’s where my work ethic comes from,” Amber said. “My grandmother was always helping people, giving people food, taking care of their kids. She was beloved. She was a Christian lady, and I always thought she was a true angel. I’ve always strived to be like her.”
Honoring her grandmother’s good-natured actions, Amber helps others when they’re in need – from fixing hair and picking up groceries to helping pay bills.
Outside of work, Amber is raising her three children, ages five, nine and 10, and enjoying the outdoors during warmer months.
“We plant a garden, we love to swim, ride side-by-sides and go-karts,” Amber said. “We live on a farm, and my mom lives down the road.”
Amber said her family enjoys taking a trip to Florida every year, as well. But their first love in the summer is swimming.
“We took a trip to Disney World and after a little while in the park, they asked if they could go back to the hotel room to swim in the pool,” Amber said. “I was like ‘Oh my goodness.’”