Returning the Favor
Brittany Jarrett has a special place in her heart for Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. The hospital recently hired her for a permanent part-time job. It also helped save her life as a child. As a young girl, she went to the emergency room to stop her recurring seizures. Now she is doing her part to help patients at the hospital by providing them with the food they have requested.
Jarrett takes her new job seriously. She has to read an order and put the corresponding food items on 180 trays to feed the patients at the hospital. The lunch trays are on a conveyor belt with three needing to be completed every minute. The pressure does not get to Jarrett, saying, "I have to fix the food with patience."
Her boss, Clinical Nutrition Manager Pam Molett, says, "Brittany has to be accurate, and she is extremely accurate. That's why we hired her." Molett says Jarrett seems to possess a photographic memory, because anything you teach her she really learns.
Jarrett started working at the hospital last year as a participant in a job training program called Project Search. Project Search trains students with disabilities in a variety of jobs including work in nursing and central supply areas. The position where Jarrett seemed to shine was food service.
October is Disability Employment Awareness Month. Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is highlighting the contributions of people with disabilities to the workforce.
Molett says Jarrett brings more to the job than just efficiency. "Brittany is wonderful, always happy. She brings joy to our tray line. She just beams when she is praised for a job well done. She is a positive influence on her co-workers with a smile always on her face."
Jarrett says, "I am part of the team and have made friends with my co-workers. I like working a lot."
Molett plans to reward Jarrett with additional working hours and wants to offer her a full-time position when one becomes available.
APD supports people with developmental disabilities to live, learn, and work in their communities. For more information about the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, visit www.apdcares.org or call toll-free 1- 866-APD-CARES (1-866-273-2273).
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