Los Angeles Customer Services Manager Thelma Johnson was recently hailed as a hero for helping an injured customer.
Johnson was working in the Post Office™ when she noticed Clara Taylor was walking with a cane and struggling to carry her mail. While Johnson was retrieving a bag to hold the mail, Taylor, 92, fell, hit her head, and began bleeding.
Johnson administered first aid to the wound and talked with Taylor, who said she has no close relatives, friends, or neighbors.
Paramedics arrived and took Taylor to an emergency room, where she was treated. Johnson and Aasha Jones, her supervisor, visited Taylor in the hospital and took her home when she was released.
“Had it not been for the quick actions of Ms. Johnson, the customer would have lost a lot more blood,” said Customer Services Manager Arturo Santana. “She did all the right things by keeping the customer talking and keeping her from going into shock with the blood loss.”
Johnson is one of several thousand employees who have been recognized through the Postmaster General (PMG) Heroes’ Program.
The program, established in 2003, is based on a simple idea: Postal Service™ employees know their customers’ habits and are often the first to notify emergency personnel when they notice something wrong.
Employees must be nominated for the PMG Hero Award. Nominations are reviewed by Corporate Communications for accuracy and sent for approval to the Office of the Inspector General and the Inspection Service.
Following approval, nominees receive a “thank you” letter from Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan. Honorees also are featured in the Postal Service’s daily employee news site, Link. Additionally, these employees’ photos and a brief description of their heroic acts are displayed at USPS® headquarters in Washington, DC.
To nominate an employee, complete PS Form 400, Corporate Communications PMG Hero Nomination. To download or print the form, go to Blue and select “Essential Links,” then choose “Forms.” Email completed forms to PMG_HeroNominations@usps.gov.
To read more stories featuring heroic employees, go to http:⁄⁄www.usps.link and select the “Heroes’ corner” tab in the archives.
— Speechwriting and Publications,
Corporate Communications, 6-23-16
