Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) honoured staff, physicians and volunteers of the organization through its annual Service Recognition ceremony and presentation of the Alliance Awards of Excellence and the Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held through a virtual pre-recorded broadcast that premiered on Thursday, December 10, 2020.
More than 330 long-service employees, volunteers, physicians and retirees were honoured this year for their years of service to CKHA.
Sandra Holmes, Cheryl Jarecsni, Dr. John Leigh and Sandra VanHyfte were recognized for 40 years of service. Nine received 35-year recognition: Carol Bushey, Dr. Martha Clendenning, Jacqueline Duceder-Vanheule, Charlene Grayer-Cook, Joanne Harvey, Lori Hasson, Janet Hunt, Elizabeth Jay and Mary Marguerite Miller. Honoured staff, physicians and volunteers also included 113 five year, 57 ten year, 46 fifteen year, 48 twenty year, 12 twenty-five year and 9 thirty year recognition recipients.
In addition, CKHA paid tribute to thirty-six retirees:
An Bjerke, Janice Butler, Cindy Bosselaar, Dr. Donald Brisbin, Pam Bruhlman, Norma Demers, Gail Dodman, Dr. Robert Fairbairn, Bill Flavell, Hope Gambeta, Jane Gawley, Charlene Hagen, Mari Lynn Harris, Andrea Houle, Dianne Jackson, Julia Jarecsni, Garnet Johnson, Donna Jones, Elaine Lee, Debbie McEachran, Cindy McIntyre, Sindy McNeil, Pat Montgomery, Dr. John Morrison, Eleanore O’Neil, Becky Preston, JonAnn Purcell, Kevin Reed, Adele Richmond, Mary Ellen Schatte, Jeff Sharpe, Sherry Sims, Cathy Smyth, Paula Taylor, Darlene Verschraegen, Karen Worek
“This year due to enhanced safety precautions, our annual Service Recognition took a different approach. Through a virtual ceremony, we were thrilled to recognize and celebrate our valued staff, volunteers and physicians for their ongoing commitment to health care in Chatham and Rural Kent,” said Lisa Northcott, Vice President, People and Chief Nursing Executive, CKHA. “We are proud of the many accomplishments they have achieved this year, from launching a new Hospital Information System to responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all while staying committed to delivering safe, high quality care.”
During the broadcast, exceptional performance was recognized with the Alliance Awards of Excellence now in their 16th year and the Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction now in its 13th 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.
This year’s Awards were presented by CKHA’s Senior Leadership Team and members of the Board of Directors during CKHA’s virtual recognition ceremony. Recipients were selected from peer nominations by a panel of staff and past honourees.
“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 and 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: Terra Kitzul Arens, Project Manager, Facilities Planning – In Terra’s work as Project Manager, Facilities Planning, she lives the Vision of CKHA. She works together with patients and families on many projects that realize the goal of a healthier community. Every construction project big or small, every department move and signage across two sites – Terra has been involved. Through the pandemic, she was instrumental in establishing the field hospital in a very short timeline. This is something we hope we will never have to make use of yet Terra applied her same level of attention and commitment to this enormous task. Terra has also dedicated her time as one of CKHA’s United Way Ambassadors, taking on the work of planning and organizing successful events to raise funds to benefit our community. In everything that Terra does, she brings her commitment and passion for patients, families and the community.
Mission Award: Vanessa McFadden, Manager, Nutrition Services and Housekeeping – Vanessa McFadden is genuinely dedicated to CKHA’s Mission of “One Team – Two Sites: Serving Chatham and Rural Kent.” In her role as Manager of Nutrition Services and Housekeeping, Vanessa encourages her teams to ask questions, to be informed and engaged, and to be proud of their work in improving the quality of care and experience for our patients. Her work through the pandemic has further reflected CKHA’s Mission by supporting staff with various offerings to keep their spirits up and organizing many food donations for all staff and physicians across both sites. Vanessa has been tireless in support of her staff through the many changes to guidelines and expectations around PPE and appropriate cleaning processes. Her commitment to inclusivity is also demonstrated as she leads the charge for accessibility at CKHA.
Values Award: Anika Doddy, Registered Nurse, Unit Clinical Leader – Anika Doddy’s professionalism, experience and knowledge is the perfect reflection of CKHA Values. Over the past two years, she has succeeded as a Unit Clinical Leader in the Emergency Department (ED). In her role, she has participated in several events that have supported a positive culture within the ED, overall organization and to those she interacts with daily. Anika supports excellency in her colleagues as a Trauma Nursing Core Course instructor and a Subject Matter Expert as well as a Super User for CKHA’s new Hospital Information System. Anika collaborates with her colleagues, physicians, and formal leaders to improve processes, patient care and support for staff. Anika’s contributions to the ED and collaboration with various partners have supported the value of overall safety for the department, patients and staff.
Team Award: Dysphagia Clinic Team – Several years ago the Speech Language Pathology (SLP) department and Dr. Nadine Yammine, Otolaryngologist, identified a gap for an objective, reliable mode of assessing swallowing function in patients as the existing method was no longer close to the “gold-standard.” Dr. Yammine’s expertise and passion for clinical areas of swallowing and voice, paired with the SLP department’s expertise in neurogenic swallowing and communication disorders, lead to the creation of CKHA’s Dysphagia Clinic. These multi-disciplinary clinics ensure patients have access to advanced assessment and treatment of swallowing difficulties using state-of-the-art equipment known as Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). Since the clinic’s establishment, many benefits have been realized for both inpatients and outpatients including: reduced hospital length of stay, reduced Emergency visits and admissions, and quick referrals to specialists as needed. During the pandemic, it became even clearer that this clinic was much needed as the number of patients requiring treatment quickly rose while the clinic was on hold. To open up the clinic again in a safe manner, various departments brainstormed and worked tirelessly to create a safe plan. Despite the pandemic, the clinic was able to adjust, adapt, and continue providing the highest level of care for patients and families.
Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction: Deb Charbonneau, Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Assistant – Deb is an individual who always goes above and beyond to provide the best care for her patients. In her role as an Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Assistant, she consistently takes the time to sit down and listen to her patients and address their questions and concerns. Many of the patients Deb works with have long hospital admissions and she gets to know the patient personally, understanding who they are as a person, not just a patient. She is an advocate for patients and families, particularly when it comes to safety and ensuring equipment is appropriate and meets the patient’s needs. Deb was instrumental in launching the Patient and Family Celebration Room at CKHA to assist patient and families with a private space away from the clinical unit to celebrate holidays and special occasions. In all of her interactions, Deb is compassionate, considerate, empathetic, an active listener, kind hearted and caring.
During the virtual ceremony, a new award was also introduced to CKHA called the Resiliency Award. This award will be presented each and every year going forward to a staff member, physician or volunteer at the organization. Resilience in an organization is shown by its ability to adapt to change and be flexible. Through resiliency, teamwork and collaboration are enhanced among other attributes such as becoming wiser and stronger. This award will serve as a tribute to 2020 and the resiliency that was seen from the organization to accomplish its goals. The inaugural Resiliency Award went to all CKHA staff and physicians for their dedication and determination within the e-VOLVE Project which saw the implementation of a new regional Hospital Information System.
