Melissa Mariconi, a housekeeping aide, is the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Colleague of the Year for 2021.

Mariconi takes great care to safely and effectively clean and disinfect the Emergency Department at Taylorville Memorial Hospital, said Mariconi’s nominator, Sara Ferge, an ultrasound technologist at the nonprofit hospital. “She cares; you can just tell.”

Mariconi goes about her work with an attitude that uplifts others, Ferge said. “Speaking to her lifts my spirits on stressful days.”

Mariconi was named Taylorville Memorial Hospital Colleague of the Month for April.

The Taylorville Memorial Hospital Colleague of the Year receives $1,000, one week of paid time off work and a special pin recognizing the achievement.