NAGE Local R14-77 Member Wins National SAVE Award
December 16, 2009
Photo from Grand Junction Free Press
NAGE Local R14-77 member Nancy Fichtner has won President Obama’s SAVE award as part of the administration’s effort to include federal employees’ money-saving proposals in the federal budget.
Ms. Fichtner proposed that the VA should change the way that it prints medication labels. By making a simple change, vets can take unused medications home when they leave the hospital. In the past, the VA threw away the unused portion for lack of proper labels. Having worked at the VA for 5 years, and with twenty years of pharmacy experience in total, Nancy says that this is a common practice nationwide, including at private hospitals. Many basic medications like eye drops cost anywhere from $50 to $100, so this one change will save thousands of dollars per day for the taxpayer, and help our vets.
Ms. Fichtner’s award-winning idea will be included in the FY 2011 budget, and she will meet with President Obama on Monday, December 21st to receive the award.
NAGE National President David J. Holway said, “President Obama’s SAVE program generated 38,000 submissions from federal employees, demonstrating the commitment of federal workers nationwide to providing excellent public services. Nancy Fichtner’s proposal shows the great results the federal government can achieve when management listens to suggestions from front-line workers. Nancy’s work at the Veterans Administration will save thousands of dollars for our veterans, and the taxpayer. We hope that the results of Nancy’s idea will encourage management to collaborate more actively with employees going forward.”
Local R14-77 President Hank Mlinarich joined President Holway and Mr. Obama in recognizing Nancy’s achievement. “Nancy has a lot of great ideas. She’s a very deep thinker, very proactive and always thinking of things to improve,” said Mlinarich.
President Obama's remarks on this year's SAVE Award
Hear a radio interview with Nancy Fichtner.