Guest relations worker understands the importance of patient care

When patients and family members spend time in the surgery waiting at Methodist Hospital, there’s a good chance they’ll be comforted by Joe Lee.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

There’s a shared mantra among those who work in the surgery waiting area at IU Health Methodist Hospital: “To make things as seamless and comfortable as possible.”

Those who know Joe Lee say he goes above and beyond to follow that practice.

“He’s a real people person,” said Deanna Gaddie, who helped onboard Lee when he first came to IU Health as a volunteer in 2023. A year later, he was hired full time, serving in guest relations.

“The best part of my job is seeing people are taken care of. I know their loved one are having surgery and they are going through emotional pain. I just want to see them leave with a smile on their face, knowing they have received the best care,” said Lee who turned 69 in October.

Joining IU Health was Lee’s first role in the service industry. He previously worked in roofing, air conditioning, woodworking and electrical trades. “The only other people I interacted with were my own workers,” said Lee.

Raised in Indianapolis, Lee joined the US Army at the early age of 17 and was stationed in Germany twice, Maryland twice, and Texas once. He completed his basic training training in Ft. Knox, KY.

When he finished up in the service he settled on the East Coast to be closer to family, and then he moved to Florida for nine years. He moved back to Indiana to care for his ailing mother, who passed in 2011. He is the father of three children and grandfather to nine.

In May, Lee experienced a personal side of patient care when he was treated for a wound on his leg. “It wasn’t healing, and I was getting care elsewhere but when I came here, I saw about 50 to 60 percent improvement over the course of several treatments,” said Lee.

In his spare time, Lee enjoys camping and riding his motorcycles. He’s the proud owner of two Harleys. “I like to go to Monroe Reservoir, fish, camp – anything outdoors.”

At work, Lee said, “I try to keep a calm demeanor for the most part. I do sympathize with patients and families. If I feel like they are having an interpersonal issue going on and I can feel it, I try to pick up on that and address it. Maybe the doctor has given them bad news or something. I try to help them to next steps. You try to sense how they are feeling sometimes it’s jovial – not always somber. “