Jose Chavez,\u00a0guest\u00a0services\u00a0and valet\u00a0at Vail Health,\u00a0has\u00a0been named\u00a0recipient\u00a0of the Vail Health Elevate Award. Vail Health created the Elevate Award in June 2022 to give patients and their families an opportunity to nominate and thank employees who have touched their lives in some way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chavez served in the US Army for eight years, including one tour in Iraq. He ended his military service in 2010 and moved to Vail looking for new adventures. He has been in Vail for the past 16 years. Chavez transitioned to the Guest Services Concierge team in 2024 after working in Vail Health Materials Management department for 14 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI enjoy the ability to interact and help patients on a daily basis,\u201d said Chavez. \u201cI really enjoy being on the concierge team to have this patient interaction. Being able to assist in a bilingual capacity makes his job even more rewarding.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chavez was nominated by Lori Malazich following a surgical consult, when he picked her up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was 1,600 miles away from home,\u201d Malazich said. \u201cHe was incredibly friendly, kind, and helpful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an unanticipated six-week stay in Vail – alone and unable to drive, Chavez became a go-to resource and source of comfort for Malazich. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI knew I could always count on Jose to stop by on time and with a smile,\u201d said Malazich. \u201cHe handled me with tremendous caring compassion. He was respectful with assisting me to and from medical appointments offering encouraging words and brought laughter during those painful recovery days.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, Malazich has come back twice to Vail for follow-up appointments, and Chavez\u2019s \u201cfriendly face\u201d greets her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“He has gone above and beyond in the months I spent in Vail,\u201d she said. \u201cHe has become a trusted friend. I will never be able to repay him for the sense of safety he gave me while living in uncertainty and away from my community. When I travel to Vail, I now feel like I’m coming home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his free time, Chavez likes to stay active in the community through volunteering, playing and instructing pickleball and mahjong, working with the ReConnected Foundation and participating as a cast member of the \u201cMystery on Broadway\u201d event hosted by Eagle Arts each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Elevate Award directly aligns with Vail Health\u2019s mission of elevating health across our mountain communities. Past Elevate Award winners include: Erin Perejda, a supportive care services manager and licensed clinical social worker at Vail Health Shaw Cancer Center, June 2022; Susan Vickerman, MD, a family medicine physician at Colorado Mountain Medical, August 2022; Meghan Gallegos, a Howard Head Sports Physical Therapist, December 2022; Allie Morgan, a Patient Care Unit Registered Nurse, April 2023; Christi Sewell, RN, OCN in the Patient Care Unit, June 2023; Jacey Hagen, a labor and delivery nurse in the Family Birth Center, September 2023; Joe Drew, a nurse practitioner at Vail Health Behavioral Health, December 2023; Scott McCorvey, MD, a doctor in the Vail Health Emergency Department doctor, March 2024; Elie Sabins, a physical therapist with Howard Head Sports Medicine, May 2024; Maria Sullivan, a post-op registered nurse at Vail Health, Sept 2024; Melissa Cordova, an admissions rep at the Sonnenalp Breast Center, December 2024; Jenna Jacobs, a post-op registered nurse at Vail Health, March 2025; Pamela Goldsten, a physical therapist at Vail Health Howard Head Sports Medicine, June 2025; Cass Barham and Sarah Crabtree, both lab techs at Vail Health Hospital, September 2025; Sarah Drew, MSN, FNP-C, ENP-C, Senior Director of Emergency and Trauma Services at Vail Health, January 2026; and Monica Grafals, MD, MPH, MBA, internal medicine physician, June 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patients and family members are encouraged to nominate staff who made a meaningful difference in their health care experience. Nominees can work in any area of the Vail Health healthcare system, including admissions, laboratory, surgery centers, Howard Head Sports Medicine, Shaw Cancer Center, Colorado Mountain Medical, Vail Health Behavioral Health, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n