COLUMBUS, Neb. -- Mariela Guevara-Alarcon recently received Columbus Community Hospital’s Sheaf of Wheat Award, which recognizes hospital employees who have made a lasting impression on patients or their families.

Guevara-Alarcon is a certified nursing assistant in the acute care unit and was nominated by her co-worker, Dani Bayer, RN.

In her nomination letter, Bayer praised Guevara-Alarcon for being friendly, hardworking and always willing to help. Bayer also noted Guevara-Alarcon is bilingual and frequently uses her language skills and cultural knowledge to help Spanish-speaking patients and their families.

Bayer highlighted one instance in particular when Guevara-Alarcon helped care for a non-English speaking patient with COVID-19 and his family.

“She brought language skills, cultural knowledge and so much help for this patient, family and nursing staff on a day that the patient was really declining and family was not doing well,” Bayer wrote. “Without her compassion and ability to connect with this family, the care would not have been as personal,” she added. “Nursing did a wonderful job also, but this under-the-radar help was truly a gift on that day and on many other occasions.”

In honor of this award, Guevara-Alarcon received a certificate of recognition and a Sheaf of Wheat plaque.

To nominate a CCH employee for a Sheaf of Wheat Award, people can fill out a nomination pamphlet and return it to any Sheaf of Wheat nomination box. Boxes can be found throughout the hospital and at coordinating CCH sites.