Jessica Brown, CNA Leavitt Family Jewish Home
Jessica Brown was born and raised in Springfield. She graduated from Putnam Vocational High School and that’s where she was first connected to JGS. In order to get certified as a CNA, she came to JGS as part of her school training, and she officially started working here on June 21, 1993 just 11 days after her 16th birthday. Because she was still in school when she was hired, Jess worked every weekend.
Now 27 years later, Jess has seen a lot of changes in healthcare and a lot of changes at the Jewish Nursing Home. But what hasn’t changed for her over the years is the absolute joy she gets from her job. “I enjoy what I do. I love spending time with my residents. It is an achievement to be in one place that long. It’s because I love helping them and making them feel better. This is after all their home and they should be treated with respect. Especially now, with this virus, they need our time and our love.” These last few months, Jess has found that some of the residents have been anxious, scared, lonely and/or bored. “It’s so nice things are starting to change now,” she said, “and that families can come and visit with their loved ones outside on the patio.”
The other source of great satisfaction for Jess are her co-workers over the years. “I have great teammates with whom I work,” she said. “We become very close. They are like my other family.”
Jess has one son, named Matthew, who is 25 years old. “He was a big part of my coming here,” Jess said. “He enjoyed coming here for many years and met many of the residents. Some he got to know really well and he loved spending time with them.”
We celebrate Jess’ long tenure of 27 years, 27 years filled with caring, love and compassion for several generations of residents at the Jewish Nursing Home. We wish her many more years of fulfillment and good health, and trust she knows in a deep way that she is well-respected and so admired by her teammates, the organization as a whole, and by many many residents and family members.
