Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) honoured staff, physicians and volunteers of the organization last night with the presentation of the Alliance Awards of Excellence and the Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction.
The most prestigious honours that a health care professional can earn at CKHA, the Alliance Awards of Excellence are now in their 15th year, while the Compassionate Caregiver Award is now in its 12th year. The Alliance Awards of Excellence recognize staff, physicians, volunteers and teams who exemplify performance excellence within and beyond the health care environment. The Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction honours an individual or team who exemplifies Patient and Family Centred Care and works to advance quality of care while demonstrating unconditional compassion and respect.
The 2019 Alliance Awards of Excellence and Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction recipients from left to right: Shelley Stroud (Values Award), Dawn Reeks (Compassionate Caregiver Award), Margaret Hustwick (Mission Award) and Owain Graham (Vision Award).
The 2019 Alliance Awards of Excellence, Team Award went to CKHA’s Code Stroke Working Group, from left to right: Donald MacLellan, General Manager, Chatham-Kent EMS, Shane Helgerman, Director, ICU/Emergency/Medicine/Patient Flow, Rosemary Milcz, Manager, Laboratory, Kelly Christoff, Professional Practice Leader, Linda Butler, Coordinator, Stroke Strategy, Dr. Zeke Milkovic, Chief and Program Medical Director of Family Medicine, Natalie Clark, Clinical Manager, Emergency and Matthew Gaudette, Operations Manager, Chatham-Kent EMS. Absent from photo: Dr. Dax Biondi, Chief and Program Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Francis Musyoki, Chief and Program Medical Director of Diagnostic Imaging, Dr. Mahmud Rajabalee, Chief and Program Medical Director of Medicine, Dr. Heather Branton, Department of Emergency Services.
This year’s Awards were presented by Lori Marshall, President & CEO; Dr. Pervez Faruqi, Chief of Staff; members of CKHA’s Senior Leadership Team; and members of the Board of Directors.
“On behalf of staff, physicians and volunteers at CKHA, I am pleased to congratulate the nominees and recipients of this year’s Alliance Awards of Excellence and Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction,” said Lori Marshall, President & CEO, CKHA. “These awards represent the calibre of our people; it’s evident they continuously strive for excellence and compassion in the delivery of high quality, Patient and Family Centred Care.”
Recipients of the Alliance Awards of Excellence and Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction are:
Vision Award: Owain Graham, Pharmacist – Owain Graham is a CKHA Pharmacist who embodies CKHA’s Vision, “Together, Growing a Healthier Community.” In his role, Owain provides an exemplary level of care as he prioritizes patients and their families, and assists them in making informed decisions about their health. In his commitment to growing a healthier community, Owain is Master of Ceremonies and a presenter at the Annual CKHA Hospital Pharmacy Technician Conference. He also worked with dedication to support the development of CKHA’s Medical Assistance in Dying procedure and ensure that the patient, their choices, their experience and their dignity are a priority. In everything he does, Owain considers what is best for the patients and families of Chatham and Rural-Kent as he works to grow a healthier community.
Mission Award: Margaret Hustwick, Patient Care Assistant – Margaret Hustwick is a Patient Care Assistant (PCA) in CKHA’s Medicine Unit with many years of experience as a PCA in the Wallaceburg Site Inpatient Unit. When moving from the Wallaceburg to the Chatham Site, Margaret embraced the change in the same way she embraces CKHA’s Mission, “One Team – Two Sites: Serving Chatham and Rural Kent,” to quickly become an integral part of the team. In her day-to-day, Margaret strives to improve the patient and family experience by treating patients, families and colleagues with respect and kindness. As a committed team member, she works collaboratively with everyone around her and supports the team with encouragement and her positive personality.
Values Award: Shelley Stroud, Nurse Practitioner – Shelley Stroud is a Nurse Practitioner with more than 30 years of nursing experience. An important part of the ICU and PCU teams, she collaborates with internists, nurses, pharmacists, families and the acute care team to provide safe and excellent care for patients at CKHA. As a colleague, Shelley is a natural mentor and teacher who shows respect for her peers and values every perspective as she advocates for patients. In her work, Shelley’s patients receive the benefit of her expertise, patience and compassion as she aims for the best outcomes. Shelley works professionally and efficiently to demonstrate the organization’s values of CKHA CARES (Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Excellence, Safety) by providing exemplary Patient and Family Centred Care with positive outcomes for all.
Team Award: Code Stroke Working Group (Dr. Zeke Milkovic, Linda Butler, Dr. Dax Biondi, Dr. Mahmud Rajabalee, Dr. Francis Musyoki, Dr. Heather Branton, Shane Helgerman, Kelly Christoff, Natalie Clark, Rosemary Milcz, community partners (EMS). – The Code Stroke Working Group is an interdisciplinary team comprised of members from all facets of CKHA, the medical community and community partners. Together, the team has undertaken a difficult challenge to improve acute stroke patient outcomes and provide a service of profound excellence to the community. After forming in February 2019, the group has worked effectively and efficiently to plan and implement policies that improve response times and patient outcomes. As a result, CKHA now has an exemplary Code Stroke protocol that adheres to the Canadian Best Practice Guideline recommendations and directly benefits our community. Throughout the process, the interdisciplinary group has shown excellent teamwork, respect and collaboration that is now making a positive impact for CKHA’s acute stroke patients.
Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction: Dawn Reeks, Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Assistant – Dawn Reeks is an Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Assistant with more than ten years of experience at CKHA. During every shift, Dawn shows patients and families unwavering compassion and support whether she is empathizing with a patient facing life-altering illness, visiting a patient who doesn’t have visitors or reaching out to additional services when a patient-in-need is identified. Dawn genuinely cares and shows that she is passionate about doing her best by giving 100 per cent to patients and their families as well as team members. Her positive, driven attitude is contagious and has a meaningful impact on her peers. Dawn’s standard of care embodies quality and compassion as she amazes and inspires while caring for patients and families at CKHA.
This year’s recipients were selected from peer nominations by a panel of staff and past honourees. Awards were presented during CKHA’s Annual Recognition Banquet on Thursday, November 21 at Club Lentina’s in Chatham.
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