This week we feature Ida Anvil who is one of our Environmental Health Services team members and works tirelessly to maintain the cleanliness standards in our facilities. She shares her story with us.

Bethel has has been my home for over 46 years and school is what first brought me to Bethel. I was born in Nunam Iqua and have three children – two girls and a boy. I have been blessed with be six grandchildren and one great grandson who lives in Minnesota with my granddaughter Priscilla. My youngest daughter lives with her husband in Florida. I was raised by my parents, my aunts and the whole village helped to raise me and my siblings.  My mother died when I was 17 so I was left with the responsibility to raise my seven siblings – four boys and three girls- with the help of my family and community.

My parents taught me to be kind and to love others, no matter who they are or whether they were rich or poor. I grew up as a happy child and try to be happy no matter what is going on in my life.  I feel like I was born with a happy attitude and I like to laugh and see the good in life, even with its problems.  Sometimes we have no control over things so we just have to learn to be thankful for the blessings in our lives. No one has a life that is free of pain and hard times. We all face hard times, sometimes because of the choices of others and sometimes because of our own bad choices.

There were many times in my life when I was really struggling and felt a lot of pain and sadness. I was happy on the outside and not on the inside. Being really sick with cancer was so tough for me and I felt like I died and came back to life. I also had a heart attack and died for I don’t know how long before my doctor revived me back to life.

When God gave me another chance by giving me my life back, I decided to make some big changes and stopped doing things that were not good for me. I was on a path that would have really destroyed me if I didn’t have a change of heart and turn away from things that were slowly destroying my body and mind. There were many times when I put myself at great risk by taking all kinds of damaging substances.

I felt that God spoke to me after my illness with cancer and other serious health concerns and that I needed to change my ways and help others. God gave me the strength to let go of things that were harmful to me.

I started working for YKHC as a housekeeper about 12 years ago.  I meet a lot of friendly people every day and it makes me happy to hear them compliment the work I do. Some of them have become good friends.  To hear others express appreciation for the work that I do as a housekeeper and their smiles make me happy.

Being a housekeeper was my first job after being a single, stay-at home mom doing my best to raise my children. Being a single mom for almost for over 10 years after divorcing my husband and then losing him to death was not easy. Yet, I was able to overcome things through God’s love and strength and by remembering all my blessings – my children, grandchildren, great grandchild, my health, work, friends, family and my community.

There are lots of things I would like to learn and do when I retire. Sewing and making qaspeqs is one thing that I have been wanting to learn for a very long time. I love cooking, beadwork, fishing, berry picking and I used to hunt. Retiring will give me time to enjoy some of the things that I have not had time to do.  

I would encourage young people to go and get an education and go after their dreams. They should not waste their lives on harmful substances and habits. God convinced me to change my life after healing me of serious illnesses. I hope that young people won’t wait to have a major illness or experience the loss of a loved one before they realize how precious life is.

I thank God for healing me and giving me strength and a second chance at life. We all have our struggles and we all can do something to help others around us.

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More about the Environmental Service team!

Environmental Services (EVS)  are cleaning services that take place in our healthcare settings, including the hospital, west wing, long term care, and the CHSB. These vital services protect patients, visitors, and staff from infectious pathogens. They are recruiting for technicians- infection control specialists.

EVS technicians are responsible for ensuring cleanliness of the hospital environment through disinfection practices. This includes every space from patient care areas to the emergency department and surgical rooms, waiting area, as well as administrative offices and lobby areas. We work in the following areas:

• Hospital
• West wing
• Long Term Care
• Community Health Services Building

Why is environmental cleaning important in healthcare settings? Regular cleaning of environmental surfaces helps to prevent people getting sick from germs.

If you know someone who would like to be part of the clean team at the Environmental Services department, please encourage them to apply! We provide department orientation and on the job training. More information at https://www.ykhc.org/work/