Mayra Tostado made the move from Ft. Wayne, Indiana to work at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital. She’d heard many great things about it from her fiancé who was already a Cleveland resident. As an Administrative Assistant for Environmental Services (EVS), Mayra is proud to be part of our network. “There’s a reason why Cleveland Clinic is one of the top-rated hospitals in the world and why people come here from overseas just to be treated.” 

Their biggest fan 

In many ways, Mayra is a cheerleader for the EVS caregivers in her department who keep the floors and rooms in our facilities clean and safe for patients and visitors. She starts every day by greeting her team and answering any questions they may have. She follows that up by answering emails, approving timecards, and helping to interview candidates for new positions. In addition, she speaks with patients once a day on the postpartum floor (she calls it the “happy floor”), making sure that the EVS team is taking care of them. 

Always in the loop 

Assisting more than 105 employees, Mayra is always there to keep them informed of all the special benefits Cleveland Clinic offers. “It’s not about just the time and service they give here – I want them to know about what Cleveland Clinic gives back to them. I don’t think they realize the prestige and dimension of the company, the benefits we offer, and the opportunity they have by working here,” Mayra adds. 

Her “wall of announcements” is a bulletin board that she continues to update with interesting stories or information she’d like to share with her team. She also has a “Hall of Fame” where she celebrates their successes outside of work. “We are like a family. I want to learn more about them and their personal achievements.” She told one young woman who is currently going to school for psychology, “If you get an A on an exam, I want to know. People need to know what’s going on in our lives. Let us know what your accomplishments are outside of Cleveland Clinic so we can applaud you.” 

Nice work! 

But more than keeping them informed, Mayra wants to see her caregivers shine. She loves seeing them help patients and get acknowledged for it. “Every time a patient mentions that one of our caregivers is doing a great job, I make sure to thank them and let them know their name was mentioned,” Mayra says. “I also send an email to my managers, so they know this person was mentioned. I think it’s very important for them to be acknowledged so they can keep up the good work.” 

Random acts of kindness 

Mayra’s caregivers often show their kindness in unexpected ways. Recently, Mayra was speaking to a caregiver in the lunchroom. The caregiver mentioned that she was working in the intensive care unit and wanted to give flowers to one of her patients. (Flowers are prohibited in the ICU because of the possibility of potential allergies/infections and air quality issues.) This caregiver took the initiative to assemble a bouquet of flowers — fake flowers — and give it to her patient to brighten her day. Days later, the patient told her that every time she looked at those flowers, she felt better. 

Another instance involved a new hire who was there for her orientation. She didn’t bring money for lunch, so she decided against taking a break later in the day. “The next thing I heard,” Mayra said, “was that one of our other caregivers was in the cafeteria and discovered she didn’t have any money, so he bought her lunch for her. We have people with huge hearts here.” 

A small focus with big rewards 

When looking ahead to what her future may hold, Mayra is interested in continuing administrative work and helping caregivers in the smaller hospitals in our system. “Not all EVS teams in the region have an assistant, so I would like to grow and do what I do here, but in different hospitals. I would like to have more access to help these caregivers.”