WEST PALM BEACH, Fl. — The Palm Beach Health Network(PBHN) is proud to announce five 2023 Tenet Hero winners, including two Tenet Hall of Fame inductees.

A Tenet Hero is an individual who goes beyond the limits of their everyday duties to make a positive difference in their communities. The Tenet Heroes program allows us to recognize and celebrate our employees who have an encouraging effect on patients and colleagues around them.

Good Samaritan Medical Center nurse AnnaMae Predtechenskis is one of PBHN’s 2023 Hall of Fame inductees.   As a teenager, Predtechenskis served as a children’s counselor for a ministry camp in upstate New York. There she met Liel, and cared for a nonverbal, autistic 13-year-old girl who was born and raised in Israel. Predtechenskis was immediately drawn to Liel and how she interacted with others in the camp. Predtechenskis was inspired to witness how Liel saw the world and knew she was unique and special. The friendship ultimately extended to the girl’s family in Israel and they remained in touch. When Israel was attacked in October 2023, Predtechenskis immediately thought of Liel and was concerned for her safety whose home was only 30 minutes away from the worst of the attacks. She and her sister contacted Liel’s family and offered to open their home and hearts to Liel. Several days later, Liel arrived in South Florida and received safe shelter in Predtechenskis and her sister’s home. They were granted temporary legal guardianship of Liel by her parents until she returned to Israel a few months ago.

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center assistant nurse manager, Bri Freeman is a 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee. According to her nomination, Freeman travels to Tanzania, Africa every year for a Medical Mission. This mission prioritizes women’s health and safe births. She became fluent in Swahili, to assist with being successful for the journey each year. She educates the medical staff how to identify postpartum complications; hemorrhage, estimate blood loss, and perform correct fundal massage. Each year, Freeman foregoes the comforts of home for this trip to extend her nursing knowledge and help others less fortunate.

Delray Medical Center’s Carolyn Kern, BS, MPT, Ortho/Spine/Oncology Patient Navigator, is a 2023 Tenet Hero. Kern began her career at Delray Medical Center in 1996 as a Physical Therapist and quickly rose to Clinical Coordinator for Orthopedic and Spine services due to her ability to connect with patients. She created educational materials and a video for patients considering joint replacement or spine surgery. Recently, she became the Oncology and Lung Navigator, dedicating herself to learning about oncology and thoracic services, creating educational materials, and improving patient communication. Kern also advocates for voting rights, bringing a voter registration booth to the hospital. Her compassion extends beyond her duties, as she cares for patients' families even while managing her own family challenges. Her mantra is "what can I do to help."

St. Mary’s Medical Center wound care nurse Gina Leitheuser is a 2023 Tenet hero. According to her nomination, Leitheuser connects with her patients and develops meaningful relationships with them and their families, working by their side during extremely difficult moments in their journey. Because wounds are often chronic, they require close monitoring for weeks and months on end to ensure they heal appropriately. This provides nurses like Leitheuser with the unique experience of witnessing their patients’ progress over time. She enjoys helping her patients transform their lives.

West Boca Medical Center Director of Revenue Analysis, Staci, is a 2023 Tenet Hero.  According to her nomination, she is always willing to learn and help.  She is supportive and innovative despite being in a one-person department. She is genuinely EVERYWHERE in the facility and never hesitates to take the lead on projects both inside and outside her core responsibilities. Staci was the key contributor to the development and installation of the Enrollment & Eligibility Services (EES) NICU Liaison role, which specializes in advanced reviews of NICU babies and qualifications of various programs to ensure appropriate assistance is not only provided to the families of these delicate patients, but also the appropriate allocation of multidisciplinary facility resources and maximization of facility reimbursements.

Bri Freeman

AnnaMae Predtechenskis