Garnet Health Middletown Names Jackie Allen, Jackie Slanovec Employees of the Year

Garnet Health Medical Center’s Middletown campus announced its 2025 Employees of the Year on Feb. 26, 2026, naming Jackie Allen and Jackie Slanovec in recognition of outstanding service, clinical care, and operational performance. The winners were selected under Garnet Health’s established monthly-to-yearly recognition process.

Jackie Allen was honored for her work in Nutrition and Food Services at Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills, Harris campus. The announcement highlighted her bedside manner and family support, saying, "Jackie is the kind of person who makes a difference—always with compassion and care." The statement added, "Her dedication and willingness to go above and beyond make her an essential part of the care team," and noted Allen’s role in comforting families: "From supporting a family facing the loss of a loved one to providing comfort and reassurance at every visit, Jackie ensures families feel supported during the most difficult times. Without her presence, the family experience would not be as meaningful or comforting."

Jackie Slanovec, RN, CCRN, was recognized for clinical work in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown. The announcement grouped Slanovec with Allen as exemplifying Garnet Health’s core values of compassion, excellence and dedication, crediting both honorees with creating a welcoming environment that "patients and families genuinely feel and appreciate."

Garnet Health selects Employees of the Year from a pool of monthly honorees at both main hospitals. The system’s Being Exceptional Every day - BEE - recognition structure nominates an employee of the month each month, and the year’s winners are chosen from those 12 monthly recipients. Past honorees include Aracelis "Sherry" Diaz and Tina Tyner, named 2023 Employees of the Year, and Chris Costello, the 2020 Employee of the Year, whom CEO Brian Tew praised as "an exceptional employee" for leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garnet Health is a New York State not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Middletown, roughly 60 miles northwest of New York City, and is the corporate parent of Garnet Health Medical Center, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills, Garnet Health Doctors, Garnet Health Urgent Care, and Garnet Health Foundation. The 2025 Employee of the Year announcement continues a system tradition of recognizing staff across clinical and support roles for service that leadership says supports patient care close to home.