Jennifer Law, Director of Kidney Care, Ambulatory Care and Diabetes, and Isaiah Beardy, Environmental Services Supervisor, participated in the 2025 cohort of the Extraordinary Us mentorship program.
When a pipe burst late at night at the Welland Hospital and caused extensive flooding, including in operating rooms, Isaiah Beardy instinctively knew what to do to help with the cleanup and remediation.
The Environmental Services (EVS) supervisor also drew on an important lesson from Jennifer Law, Director of Kidney Care, Ambulatory Care and Diabetes: Keeping patients safe is always the first priority.
“That’s something Jen instilled in me,” Beardy says.
Law shared that and other lessons over the past seven months while mentoring Beardy in Extraordinary Us, a program designed to provide Niagara Health staff and physicians with professional development and growth, and diversify the talent pipeline within the organization.
The duo are among 46 people to participate in the third and largest cohort of the annual program.
In addition to reinforcing a patient-first focus, Law exposed Beardy to different professional development and education pathways to help advance his career.
But Beardy wasn’t the only one learning. Law, a registered nurse, has spent her entire career on the clinical side at Niagara Health. During her years on the front line, she typically mentored other nurses or leaders during onboarding.
Her interactions with non-clinical staff in a teaching and learning context had been limited until Extraordinary Us. Beardy, who is Indigenous and an active member of Niagara Health’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee, shed light on the critical work he and his EVS team do, as well as the importance of equity in healthcare and the supportive role played by the Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation team.
“I went into this with eyes wide open that this would be a learning experience for me,” Law recalls. “Working with Isaiah, I had the opportunity to learn about things I didn’t know I didn’t know about. With Isaiah, there are no boxes with him. You treat everyone the same.”
The two brought their collective wisdom together this summer to help steer the organization through two crises: the Welland flood in June, which disrupted clinical and administrative operations, and a watermain break at the Niagara Falls Hospital in July, which had minimal impact on patient care.
“I went into this with eyes wide open that this would be a learning experience for me. Working with Isaiah, I had the opportunity to learn about things I didn’t know I didn’t know about. With Isaiah, there are no boxes with him. You treat everyone the same.”
The 2025 Extraordinary Us cohort.
Both sites largely resumed normal operations by mid-August, following extensive remediation to the medical device reprocessing department, operating rooms and some patient care areas in Welland, and minor repairs to the Niagara Falls Hospital.
In Welland, Beardy worked overtime after getting the call, taking the lead on clean-up, with Law arriving later and taking her cues from him. The two recall saturated medical and surgical equipment, and waterlogged floors and walls throughout the area.
“The equipment they were able to save without having that clinical background but having that ability to prioritize was incredible,” Law recalls. “The team Isaiah led saved the organization. Isaiah showed leading by example in a crisis. I don’t think I’ve seen that kind of leading by example in my career. Isaiah set the bar really high.”
Clean-up and remediation brought together departments that don’t typically work closely, forming one cohesive team. It was a “pivotal moment” in Beardy’s career, he says – one that involved interacting with hospital leadership to provide updates and insights throughout.
“It was some of the best teamwork I’ve ever seen and we followed up on that with the second flood in Niagara Falls,” he says. “I remember meeting (Law) in the hallway in Niagara Falls and we didn’t have to say anything to each other. We just knew what to do.”
Read more about Extraordinary Us
- “Growth isn’t just about advancing your career”: Extraordinary Us Mentorship Program does more than develop passionate healthcare leaders
- ‘It slowly morphed into something much more important to me:’ Mentorship program builds leaders and bonds
- Mentorship program led to ‘perfect match’ for participants
Until then, Beardy admits he was daunted by the thought of speaking to the hospital’s executive team. But Law helped him realize they are just people, regardless of job title, and a crisis is an equalizing moment when everyone pulls together.
“This dyad with Isaiah and Jen clearly demonstrates how the program is furthering the connection of our teams across NH and how everyone benefits, whether you’re a mentor, a mentee, team member or patient,” says Sandy Traynor, Workplace Relations Manager and Extraordinary Us Planning Committee member.
With Extraordinary Us officially wrapping up this week, Beardy and Law plan to continue meeting monthly, eager to keep learning from each other, and grateful for the personal and professional growth the experience provided.
“People really need to consider doing this regardless of where they sit in leadership. It’s a great opportunity,” Law says. “It’s like the Wizard of Oz in the background who decides who goes with whom. The Wizard is fantastic at identifying things you didn’t know you needed.”
“I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but I’m happy with the results,” Beardy adds. “I feel I can connect better with leaders and it bettered me in the sense of being able to make the most out of a bad situation.”
