Melissa Baurer has earned the 2019 Rising Star award from the Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce. The award is given to the young professional who works or resides in the Stayton Sublimity Chamber area and exemplifies excellence in professionalism, leadership, service and/or dedication in his or her field, company and the local community.
Baurer was ready for a new career challenge when she accepted the Santiam Integration Team position at Santiam Hospital. Her role is to coordinate providers and services, to identify needs, find solutions, and avoid duplication of services so as to better serve families and individuals in the Santiam region. She also coordinates the Santiam SIT Facebook page, which she said, “gives me the opportunity to post different needs of the community and allows for community members to be involved in the giving.”
“I am honored to receive the Rising Star Award,” Baurer said. “It is symbolic to me in that I am receiving the award, but it is honoring the process of Santiam Service Integration and recognizes the team’s efforts in breaking down barriers, eliminating duplication of services, collaborating and integrating services, and building relationships. The success of the program is built upon the team members’ commitment to the model.
“I am thankful for my teams,” she added. “Since I moved out to Santiam, I have grown close relationships that allow me to do my job sufficiently. I am grateful for Santiam Hospital Leadership who supports the program and allows me to do what is needed to best serve the community.”
Colleen Bradford, outreach coordinator for DHS/Self Sufficiency and a SIT member, admires Baurer’s ability to “provide effective community outreach in identifying diverse representatives of our communities and bringing everyone together in an atmosphere that fosters and promotes a collective impact for the families and communities we all serve.”
“The impact that she’s had on our communities has been profound,” she added. “There are countless stories that I could tell about my years of partnering with Melissa and the bottom line is, I have never known another who has been as dedicated, vested and committed to service work and improving the lives of the people and families we serve.”
SIT team member Angie Torres gives kudos to Baurer for “relationship building” and being “genuine.”
“She strongly values and cultivates the relationships she builds,” Torres said.
“And it’s easy to see when working with Melissa that she is genuine and puts the work behind her commitments. In fact, you often get more than you expected when working with Melissa which is always a nice surprise!”
Word’s Out PR owner Nicole Miller, also a SIT team member, called Baurer “reliable, dedicated and committed to the cause.”
SIT member Michael Livingston, Mid Valley Cast, said, “Melissa is client-focused, truthful, tactful and very persistent, and she treats people like she’s going to see them every day for the next 20 years.”
“Melissa truly lives and breathes Service Integration for our communities,” said Maggie Hudson, COO/CFO at Santiam Hospital. “She elevates us all by bringing new perspectives of helping one another, of what is means to be community. We are grateful for Melissa’s contribution everyday.”
Baurer is currently on the board of directors for the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Committee. She and her husband, Adam, have two children, Carly and Jackson.
