Recipients of 2012 President’s Award exemplified true meaning of patient-centred care

Providing a quality patient experience means involving patients and family members in their care and adopting what matters most to them into the care and caring they receive. This is exactly what a team of our healthcare professionals did recently while caring for a palliative cancer patient and his young family, and it is the reason they are being honoured as the recipients of the 2012 President’s Award of Excellence.

A team of 16 care providers with the Niagara Health System’s Oncology Medical Palliative Unit worked to the best of their ability to ensure a cancer patient, his wife and their small child received quality care and caring during a hospital stay last summer. They made it a priority to learn what was important to the patient and his family and did whatever they could to honour their wishes and special requests. This included facilitating a private visit on the hospital grounds at the St. Catharines General Site with members of the RCMP Musical Ride as well as arranging for the patient to be baptized in his room.

“These caregivers worked very hard to help make the patient and his family as comfortable as possible with all aspects of their care during an extremely difficult time,” said Dr. Sue Matthews, NHS Interim President and CEO. “Their work exemplified the true meaning of patient-centred care, and I am extremely proud of the way they provided care, comfort and emotional support to the patient and
his family.”

The team was officially recognized for their extraordinary service Thursday, February 28, at the NHS’s annual Awards of Excellence celebration. The President’s Award is presented each year to individuals or teams – staff members, doctors or volunteers – who, in an overall manner, exemplify all of the hospital’s success factors and demonstrate the values of compassion, professionalism and respect.

Six additional awards were presented to members of the NHS team who were nominated by their peers for demonstrating exceptional behaviours related to the NHS’s Success Factors or Core Values.

Recipients are:

• Focus on those we serve: Lisa Laughton, RN, Emergency Department, St. Catharines General Site
• Bring out the best in each other: Glenda Bouwers, Rehab Assistant, St. Catharines
  General Site
• Build strong and successful relationships – Tie: Kathy McPherson, RN, Emergency Department, Welland Site, and Kathryn Pummell, Social Worker, St. Catharines General Site
• Use our resources wisely: Dr. Lynne Legare, Radiologist, Greater Niagara General Site
• Create a better way – Team Award: Wendy Gagnon and Judy Chiasson, Personal Support Workers, Complex Care, Port Colborne Site
• Compassion, Professionalism and Respect: Complex Care staff, Port Colborne Site

“Each year, the Awards of Excellence selection committee finds it challenging to choose the winners because the quality of the nominations is so outstanding,” says Nancy Dillon, Consultant, Organizational Development. “The nominations are a wonderful reflection of the remarkable contributions made by hospital staff, volunteers and physicians across our hospital system dedicated to providing the best possible patient care.”

Media contact: Caroline Bourque Wiley, Manager, Communications, 905-378-4647, ext. 43113; cwiley@niagarahealth.on.ca