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2013 Most Influential Women Honoree: Dee Thomas

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Dee Thomas wields influence through service to others.

In her nearly 20-year career working with seniors as a residential care administrator, Thomas has counted herself as a team member dedicated to serving people who are among those most in need of service.

“I want the people I work with to know we are a team,” says Thomas, the current administrator at Ozark-based Riverview Residential Place. “That means we work together. We do whatever it takes to get a job done. We serve. We care.”

In 1994, Thomas was originally hired as an administrator in training at Ozark Riverview Manor while the 40-bed residential care facility Riverview Residential Place was under construction. In 1998, Thomas became a licensed nursing home administrator, solidifying her commitment to the position she describes as her calling.

“In my community, an accomplishment could be something as simple as seeing a resident for the first time in a long time have a reason to get up in the morning, get dressed, put on makeup, go to the dining room and eat breakfast while socializing with friends,” Thomas says. “How do you judge what an accomplishment is? By observing that something has been done differently, making a situation better than it was.”

Thomas’ career of service extends beyond her time with Riverview Residential Place. In the early 1980s, she worked to develop an initiative to transport chemotherapy and radiation patients to and from therapy, Road to Recovery.

“I developed the guidelines for this program while working closely with oncologists, radiation centers and hospitals,” Thomas says.

While she coordinated the effort from 1982–90, 35 drivers in Greene County helped roughly 175 patients.

The success of the program led to Thomas assisting professionals in other counties and states set up their own transportation programs.

“Many times, I would hear from patients, ‘I can’t believe someone who doesn’t even know me is willing to help me.’ Many times, I would hear from the drivers, ‘I receive so much more than I give,’” she says.

Today, as administrator at Riverview, Thomas says there are few greater joys in life than going to work each morning and knowing she can make a difference for someone.[[In-content Ad]]

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