Dr. Ronnie Chu will launch a new initiative next month, one he hopes will help local people stay positive during difficult economic conditions. The program is aimed at encouraging individuals to go the extra mile in the care of patients.

“The (program) is called ‘Angels Among Us,’” Chu said. “It involves not only the nurses, but the custodians and everyone at the hospital.”

Under the initiative, Physician Family Heathcare will reward two do-gooders per month with a $100 bonus. Dr. Chu will seek nominations for the reward from patients he admits to the hospital before selecting one person to receive the prize.

“They have to go out of their comfort zone and go out of the way to make the patients feel comfortable,” he said. “The emphasis is to be nice. Be nice to everybody, especially with the economy being the way it is and the future being so uncertain. The best thing we can do is to be nice to each other.”

The idea, one that Dr. Chu hopes will catch on, is designed to reward those deserving hospital employees who may not otherwise be recognized.

“There are a lot of folks who do a good job in the hospital,” Chu said, “but there just isn’t the funding to encourage and reward them.”

If the program proves successful, Dr. Chu said he hopes to extend it to other health care venues and ultimately roll it out community wide.

“We want to extend it to nursing homes, hospice and everybody in the community,” he said. “We are always wanting the best for everybody. If anybody has any great ideas or initiative of how to encourage people, please let us know at the clinic.”

The first prize of the Angels Among Us initiative is scheduled to be awarded June 15.