From the desk of the Director of Operations

Well, the season of Thanksgiving is upon us and I would like to on behalf of DHC’s corporate office say thank you to all of our staff. We have two divisions but one company. The service that you provide to wounded soldiers, our patients, and our customers are GREATLY appreciated. Continue to excel, strive, and grow in your career. You probably have already started to see the leaves turning colors and it’s indeed a beautiful sight. Nightfall comes noticeably earlier and the temperature cools considerably as our children will be out soon to enjoy all of the candy that can carry in their little bags. Did you know the word autumn comes from the ancient Etruscan root autu- and has within it connotations of the passing of the year. It was borrowed by the neighboring Romans, and became the Latin word autumnus.

During this season of giving do something nice for somebody else, whether it be a smile, hug, token of appreciation, etc. I encourage you all to purchase the book Minute Motivators for Leaders by Stan Toler as it builds you up to become equipped at excelling in leadership. When it comes to teamwork…”Leaders” are team builders:

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” By Henry Ford

Leadership is one part leader and nine parts team. Let’s work together to accomplish our mission in the community. You are all valued and an asset to DHC.

Chante’ N. Davis

Distinctive Home & Health Care

Employee Newsletter

October 2014

PAGE 2 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

Call Center Clerks

Pharmacy Technicians

Histology Technicians

Certified Nursing Assistant

We have new faces on team Distinctive this quarter and give a warm welcome to the

following team members:

Corporate Office - Largo, Maryland Ashley Gibson – Executive Assistant

Call Center – Fort Campbell, Kentucky Antonio Joyner Deidre Allen Marlyn Delosreyes Michelle Stewart

Fort Belvoir, Virginia Laura Guthman – Pharm Tech Casandra Tyler – Pharm Tech

Joint Pathology Center – Silver Spring, Maryland

Elsa Leghesse – Histology Technician Certified Nursing Assistants

Janet Awoyemi We are excited to have all of you onboard at

Distinctive.

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Employee of the Quarter

Ms. Mariama Bangura!!

Caring for you…… like Family

Mariama Bangura joined Distinctive Home & Health Care, Inc. on 08/20/2011 in the Commercial Division and has demonstrated exemplary skills with her care recipient(s). All of Mariama’s evaluations have been exceptional and filled with praise for her work ethic, attitude, caring heart and leadership skills. Since joining Distinctive Home & Health Care, Inc., Mariama has worked with live-out patients in residential homes. She is currently working at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor providing services for Mrs. Taylor. Mariama has always demonstrated professionalism and strong character. A quote from Mr. Taylor is, “Mariama is really valuable and assertive in ensuring that my wife is well taken care of.” Mrs. Taylor and Mariama

not only have a working relationship but they have a loving relationship. Mariama has adopted our philosophy of “Caring for you Like Family” and portrays this mission wherever she goes. It is with great pleasure that we choose Mariama to be our employee of the 3rd Quarter 2014. Congratulations and keep up the GREAT work.

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Contract of the Quarter

Congratulations to the Fort Carson, Colorado TBI Team!!

It is with great pleasure that we announce the TBI Clinic located in Fort Carson,

Colorado has winning “Contract of the Quarter.”

The TBI Clinic in Fort Carson, Colorado won based on the following criteria:

Great Attendance (no unscheduled leave) Willingness to go the extra mile (committed and dedicated) Great performance evaluations from the client/customer Positive attitude

Our People Make the Difference Patient care is their number one responsibility and focus. Each employee that works

on our TBI Clinic contract understands the importance of customer service and ensures each patient is provided with professionalism. The TBI team consists of

Jeannette Davis, Trish Connin, Dr. Sue Martin, Tamatha Gallegos, Lissa Dollar, and Jamie Skarda. Together, these women provide superior service to our active duty

and retired soldiers. On several occasions, many of these team members have come to the base during blizzards to ensure continuity of care; always going the extra mile and striving to provide excellent service to the men, women, and family members of

our armed services. We thank you and appreciate all of your efforts.

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Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) Kick-off We are excited to present our new Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP provides a range of services to support employees in managing personal and or work-related problems.

Summer vacations have come to an end and the fun filled memories remind us of the importance of rest and relaxation. Now the holidays are fast approaching and we will like to spend time with family and friends. We are reminding you to submit leave requests in a timely manner with 10 days’ notice for your Project Manager’s approval. HR revised the PTO Request form and will email it to the Lead Supervisors to distribute to staff. Effective October 1st; please begin using the new PTO Request form.

Open Enrollment Period

Yes, the time is here for open enrollment for medical, dental, vision, and flex spending plan. Open enrollment is 11/01/14 through 11/30/14. During open enrollment employees are able to change plans, update, add, and remove a dependent(s), and waive benefits. Employees are to respond and communicate their selections for benefits or sign a waiver to not enroll in benefits. If you do not respond your benefits will remain the same for the next benefit year from December 2014 to December 2015. HR is unable to accept enrollment after 11/30/14 and no exceptions will be granted.

Confidential Counseling on Personal Issues: › Depression › Stress and anxiety

› Marital and family conflicts › Alcohol and drug abuse

› Job pressures › Grief and loss

Financial Information, Resources and Tools: › Saving for college

› Getting out of debt

› Retirement planning

› Estate planning

› Tax questions

Legal Information, Resources and Consultation:

› Divorce and family law › Bankruptcy

› Debt obligations › Criminal actions

› Landlord and tenant issues › Civil lawsuits

› Real estate transactions › Contracts

PAGE 6 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

Distinctive would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to all of our employees who have celebrated their special day during the 3rd

quarter of 2014.

Adedayo Ojokojo Amekia Ray Andrew Kim

Ashley Gibson Bela Patel

Daniel Komba-Fonja Deja Covington Edward Cook

Efrain Perez-Rosario Fatim Jollah

Iyesha Feludu Jean Zoema

Jenny Li Laura Guthman

Nyala Clyne Porsha Cain-Foster

Rita Okolo Robert Johnson Samuel Yeboah Sharron Jones

Stephanie Osborn Tequila Wesley

Tigist Gulti Tricia Connin

Zainab Bah

PAGE 7 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

Healthy Tips

Shorter days and cooler evenings mean its fall – and often the time that we start seeing people sick with the flu. By getting a flu vaccine for yourself and your entire family every season, you can help prevent flu-related illnesses, absences from school and work. What are the symptoms of the flu? Flu symptoms include:

A 100oF or higher fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)

A cough and/or sore throat A runny or stuffy nose Headaches and/or body aches Chills Fatigue Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea

*All government employees MUST submit verification of their annual flu shot by Wednesday Oct 15, 2014. If you opt not to obtain a flu shot, you must complete a Flu Shot Waiver Form

provided by your Project Manager.

Referral Coupon Receive 2 DREAM SEAT 2014 TICKETS TO ANY REDSKINS GAME

when you refer 2 government or commercial clients/customers

who start “Full Time” services with us.

It’s that simple: Call us today!! 301-925-2900

www.distinctivehomecare.com

Code: Red 905

PAGE 8 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

Did You Know???

Histology is the study of tissue at the microscopic level. A histologist is the one who prepares the tissue for examination by a pathologist. Tissue can come from a surgical procedure or autopsy. The tissue is then fixed to prevent cellular degeneration by autolysis. It is then processed through a series of alcohols and xylenes to dehydrate the tissue and prepare it for embedding in paraffin. Embedding tissue is done by placing the tissue in a mold with melted paraffin and cooled to make a solid mold, similar to making a wax candle. These molds are then placed on a microtome. The microtome functions much like the slicer in a deli, however, the sections cut by a microtome are thinner than a strand of hair. The microtome cuts at increments measured in microns where one micron equals 1 millionth of a meter. Sections are placed on microscope slides. At this point the tissue is transparent. The next step is to stain the tissue. The most common stain in histology is the hematoxylin and eosin stain, the H&E. Hematoxylin stains the nuclear elements of cells a blue-purple color and eosin stains the cytoplasm of cells pink-orange. The two different colors provide good contrast. Often additional more specific stains are used to confirm a diagnosis or to rule out other possible diagnoses. Special stains are a group of stains that function chemically much like an H&E, where each component of the stain has affinity for certain types of tissue or pathologic abnormalities, including parasites and fungus. Immunohistochemical (IHC) stains are based on the body's reaction to disease causing agents — the immunological response. These stains are highly specific and can help a pathologist make a diagnosis.

PAGE 9 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

DHC’s Corporate Office Sports Day & Team Building Exercises

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success”

~ Henry Ford

DHC’s Corporate Staff

Distinctive Home & Health Care would like to congratulate the following staff for

being the winners of our 1st Annual Sports Day games:

Deborah Guynn ~ Football Charades Chante’ Davis ~ Football Charades & Football Word Search

Kaneya Morgan ~ Football Charades Ashley Gibson ~ Football Charades & Super Bowl Bingo

Leaders are Team Builders

Behind every great leader, is a greater team. Just like the parts of a body, one part cannot function without the other. Leaders set themselves apart by building morale, creating community, and motivating their team to push together in order to achieve one goal. Everyone has the potential of becoming an extraordinary leader. Promoting Team Building is one of many avenues that create a positive atmosphere which propels individuals to combine their strengths and abilities into one working unit. To learn more about team building and becoming a great leader, check out our book of the quarter: Minute Motivators for Leaders By: Stan Toler