Rennes Health & Rehab Center-Appleton employee, Julie Severin, was awarded the Social Worker of the Year by the Wisconsin Nursing Home Social Workers Association (WNHSWA).
A team member for an impressive 27 years, Julie was nominated by Administrator, Kendra Vanden Heuvel.
“Although Julie has longevity, she is never afraid of change and always bring innovative ideas to the table. She will do anything in her power to live by Rennes’ guiding promises, which is to focus on our residents, our community, and our employees. She comes up with ways to improve our organization every day and it never fails to amaze me,” said Kendra.
Surrounded by her family, team members and colleagues – both in person and virtually- Julie was touched to receive this WNHSWA recognition.
“I felt really honored and blessed because there are a lot of deserving people for the award. It really touched the heart strings – it was overwhelming but very much an honor to receive the award,” said Julie.
A UW-Eau Claire graduate with a degree in social work, Julie fell in love with healthcare during a nursing home internship. After a few years in other organizations, Julie joined the team at Rennes Health & Rehab Center-Appleton and loves the role and the contribution she can make toward the team and our residents.
“I love what I do – so that helps. I love meeting new residents and hearing their life stories; to help them and their families through a rough patch in their life and it’s nice to be able to help them negotiate that,” said Julie, adding, “You can’t do this job without the team. If I didn’t have a great team here in Appleton – nursing, therapists, housekeeping, activities and dietary – we all have pieces or parts that we do for the residents. I’m just a part of that process and this great team is why I’m able to do that here.”
A member of the WHNSWA board, Julie is always willing to share her expertise while also reaching out to colleagues for advice during unique situations.
“If you’re considering a career in social work, healthcare social work can be a challenging career field but also very rewarding. To be able to help that family and that resident with that successful discharge plan – or even for a resident to say they really love it here. Those little rewards throughout the week help make getting through challenges that much more rewarding,” said Julie.
Rennes Group, founded in 1973, celebrates more than 50 years of compassionate care via Rennes Health & Rehab Center, Renaissance by Rennes Assisted Living and Residence by Rennes Assisted Living & Memory Care at 13 locations throughout Northeast and North Central Wisconsin.
