"The Lady Housekeeper" wins over patients with get-well cards, big smiles, hospitality

Massan Ametowoyona treats patients at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital like family, slipping in questions about how their relatives are doing as she tidies their rooms. 

The Lady Housekeeper, as she calls herself, is a favorite with patients.

“Massan was my housekeeper,” writes Bonnie S. on the Wexner Medical Center’s Facebook page. “She gave me a get-well card that made my day.”

Massan says it’s easy to care when you think of others as extensions of your own family. She thanks relatives and friends for accompanying patients through tough times in their lives.

“When our dad was in the Ross, she was so kind and concerned for us,” writes Dena B. on Facebook. “She always had a big smile and offered hugs and encouragement.”

Massan, who moved to the United States from Togo, Africa, works diligently in the 150-bed hospital to remove dust.

“We need to show people that we are clean,” she says.

“In my country they can tell you’re a good cleaning person by the cleanliness of the inside and outside of your house.”

She grew up with five sisters in the small country along Africa’s western coast where the official language is French. She says her mother kept a tidy house and instilled in her a passion for hard work and kindness toward others.

Massan’s manager Grant Randall, director of Environmental Services Patient Experience, took notice of her work when she started last year through a temporary agency.

“We saw her quality of work and how she treats patients and we really fought to bring her on full time at Ohio State,” he says.

She arrives early for her 7 a.m. shifts. She smiles while cleaning patient rooms, then pauses to write her name and department phone number on white boards in case a patient needs something.

“It’s a difficult moment when you’re in the hospital,” she says. “It’s not a hotel.”

As a result of her kindness and attentiveness, patients often request that she visit them before they leave the hospital.

“I laugh, cry and pray with them. If you give yourself to somebody, it’s easier for that person to give themselves to you.”