Kathi Manis is the senior director at Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center. Kathi has been a staple for our office since she started here, and especially as we navigate massive change with a new provider group. Kathi truly is the glue holding our office together, providing a safe haven and feeling for all the staff. She has truly gone above and beyond during this transition time and is always available, even taking her things with her to different offices, at any given time, to be closer to staff needs and as accessible as possible. She is constantly communicating with staff and keeping everyone at ease, knowing that she is making sure our patients and staff are taken care of. Kathi has had so much compassion for staff and patients during this transition time, and because of her, we all have so much hope for what the future holds for Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center. 
 
Kathi treats every person she encounters with deep compassion, and she exudes humility. She herself knows what it is like to be a patient and an oncology nurse, and that is what makes her the perfect fit for her role. She has committed over 40 years of her life with a career in critical care and oncology between Southside Community Hospital and at the Pearson Cancer Center.  She has created a culture of resiliency and positivity during this time of transition. You can’t help but smile in Kathi’s presence and feel at ease when she is around. Kathi is the first to roll up her sleeves and help however she can, in any situation. 

Kathi is a large part in why our nursing and other office staff stayed at Alan B. Pearson Cancer Center during transition time when it would have been an easy time to seek a new job. You don't ever see Kathi without a smile, even in the most difficult and uncertain times in our office. Kathi leads by example and is the first to step in during difficult situations, she has even jumped in to talk to patients without hesitation about difficulties during this transition period or concerns they may have. She has been so hands-on with every new provider to be sure that they are supported. Kathi always puts the patients first and is going to make decisions that make the best outcomes possible for our patients.

If there is a barrier present, Kathi always jumps in to fix it as soon as possible. She quickly helped obtain CQC positions for our office to ease the transition to new providers and be sure our patients are receiving the highest quality of care. She is here early, stays late, works at all times to make sure any barriers she can eliminate are taken care of as quickly as possible. It is not surprising to see an email thread from Kathi at 10pm or 2:30 am because she truly has a heart for our team and our patients. If you see a flash of red hair, go by it is usually Kathi running to the next thing she can attempt to fix.  Her work ethic and enthusiasm inspire many of us in our office to work harder.

Kathi is honest and eludes all the qualities I hope to have as a nurse and a person. Centra should be so proud to have a nurse like Kathi who is leading such an amazing team of staff. Kathi constantly reports out any mistakes and ensures the nurses in our building know that mistakes are truly learning opportunities and not something to be reprimanded for. I believe this is why we have such an open line of communication when it comes to errors and fixing them as soon as possible. Because of her attitude of constant learning, she had created a safe space for our nurses and staff to report any RL6 in a detailed, timely manner.