Jennifer Yenser Named 2021 Raker Spirit Award Recipient

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network is proud to announce that Jennifer Yenser, an occupational therapist at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, is our 2021 Raker Sprit Award recipient.

President & CEO Michael Spigel, PT, MHA, colleagues and past Raker Spirit Award recipients surprised Jennifer with the honor Thursday afternoon in the hospital’s second-floor therapy gym.

The surprise left Jennifer, a Good Shepherd Associate for 17 years who specializes in spinal cord injuries, speechless.

“I was very, very surprised,” says Jennifer. “I’m very appreciative.”

The Raker Spirit Award is given annually to Good Shepherd Associates who best exemplify and honor the spirit of Good Shepherd’s founding family in their daily activities. Recipients’ compassionate care and exceptional skill is the spirit — the Raker spirit — that makes lives of greater independence possible for Good Shepherd patients and residents.

Jennifer’s colleagues nominated her for the award.

“Jen shows a passionate dedication to her patients and for delivering compassionate, high-quality care and rehabilitation that have made her a leader,” a colleague wrote. “She routinely goes above and beyond to help her patients achieve their best outcomes. Her compassion for her patients is undeniable. I have seen her cry with her patients as they face a scary future they never contemplated. I have seen her take the time to shore up the spirits of patients who are overwhelmed. As an occupational therapist, she often does this by focusing on what is important to them.”

Examples, according to the nomination, include coordinating the appropriate adaptive phone set up for a patient to call family or the right splint to preserve possible future hand function.

Jennifer serves on several committees that work to ensure Good Shepherd’s spinal cord injury team meets present and future challenges. She leads the Sexuality Education committee, which is developing new LGTBQ resources, serves on the 3D printing committee and is part of a working group to create and codify standards of treatment to help Good Shepherd emulate the highest standards of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation provided in the national SCI Model System.

Congratulations, Jennifer!

Raker Memorial Awards

Jennifer will be honored on Friday, November 12, 2021, at the 36th Annual Raker Memorial Awards, which will be livestreamed.