St. Michael’s Hospital staff awarded for their commitment to our shared values

A pediatrician who makes house calls at a nearby shelter. A clinical assistant who made sure a homeless patient could get a warm shower. A research coordinator who provides high school students with access to science, technology and medicine opportunities. The team behind a drop-in clinic offering a safe space for pregnant clients to receive care, meals, clothing, and transportation. These are some of this year’s recipients of the St. Michael’s Hospital Our Shared Values Awards.

On St. Michael’s Feast Day, six recipients received their award to recognize their dedication to living Unity Health’s values of human dignity, compassion, excellence, community and inclusivity.

Here are some of their stories, in the words of those who nominated them.

Ted Bednarski, Clinical Assistant, Emergency Department

Winner of the Human Dignity Award for an individual or team who affirms that every person has sacred value and is worth of respect.

According to Ted’s nominators: Ted embodies the attribute of human dignity through the way he treats the diverse patient population in the Emergency Department. When he is asked to help patients, whether it is fitting for assistive devices or helping the homeless population take a warm shower, Ted is eager to help and make our patients feel comfortable.

While assisting a young man who had recently been in a car accident, Ted immediately got two warm blankets to cover the bare patient, explained that he had all of the patients clothing and belongings, and even reaffirmed how much money was in the wallet and that everything would be stored safely.

On a different shift, Ted was asked to assist a homeless patient with a shower, and even though he was not the clinical assistant for that area, Ted stepped up with no questions asked. Ted assisted the patient with much pride and dignity to feel better and have a warm shower followed by fresh, clean clothing.

Dr. Shazeen Suleman, Pediatric Clinic Physician

Winner of the Compassion Award for an individual or team that enables health and healing by understanding each person’s needs and by providing care with kindness and sensitivity.

According to Shazeen’s nominators: Dr. Suleman runs the Compass Clinic, a multi-disciplinary specialized pediatric clinic that cares for newcomer children with medical, developmental and psychosocial complexity, and she works hard to remove barriers to care. One way she has done this is by developing a compassionate relationship with a nearby shelter that houses many of the newcomer families.

The social worker at the shelter mentioned that their settlement workers often struggled with helping families understand whether concerns for their child’s development warranted a referral for further assessment by a physician. In order to respond to this need, Dr. Suleman ran an information session for the settlement workers at the shelter to answer any questions they had. She then also made sure each settlement worker was validated, heard and even shared her personal experiences of her own family’s journey to Canada.

Dr. Suleman also agreed to host a similar session directly with the families so that they had time to voice their concerns about their children and she reassured the shelter that she would see any child that they had concerns about.

Murray Krock, recently retired Senior Director, Nursing Practice and Education

Winner of the Excellence Award for an individual or team who strives to achieve the best care and quality through innovation and continuous improvement

According to Murray’s nominators: Murray has a unique ability to see value in and make space for people who historically have greater difficulty breaking into the health-care landscape. This commitment to human dignity and inclusivity has advanced excellence at Unity Health.

Murray was instrumental in Unity Health Toronto’s implementation of the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership program to support internationally educated nurses. This program provided the internationally educated nurses with an opportunity to complete evidence of practice and obtain their registration in Canada as either RNs or RPNs, which can often be a long and arduous process.

Murray saw value in the education and experience internationally educated nurses brought and was eager to ensure these individuals had the opportunity to contribute their skills to both Unity Health and the Canadian health-care system.

Meghan Storey, Research Coordinator, Knowledge Translation Program

Winner of the Community Award for an individual or team that embraces diversity, trust, joy and teamwork to fulfill human potential

According to Meghan’s nominators: Meghan established an anti-racism, equity and inclusion working group within the Knowledge Translation program and is an ally for equity seeking groups. Meghan works hard to bring actionable pieces forward to the team such as spotlights of anti-racism work in the program’s monthly newsletters and providing accessible learning resources and tools for equitable hiring. She is also conscious to leave space for people of colour to lead the team and have their voices heard.

Meghan’s compassion and kindness extends to helping the community flourish beyond our walls. The high school dropout rate around St. Michael’s is higher than the GTA average. Knowing this, Meghan coordinates a program entitled ACCESS STEMM in partnership with the Toronto District School Board and Pathways Regent Park to provide high school students with opportunities to learn about STEMM careers and access different career paths. The program includes careers nights, health literacy workshops and ‘Take your kid to work’ days, and has impacted hundreds of teens.

My Baby and Me Team

Winners of the Inclusivity Award for an individual or team that fosters an inclusive, welcoming environment where everyone is treated equitably and without judgment.

According to the team’s nominators: The My Baby and Me Clinic is a drop-in clinic that provides clients with obstetric care, harm-reduction and addictions support and counselling. The clinic provides low-barrier, trauma-informed, and judgement-free care to clients struggling with substance use, poverty and homelessness, as well as racialized women, including Indigenous clients.

One client came to the clinic at 20 weeks pregnant. This was her first pregnancy, she was homeless, involved in sex work, and was experiencing IPV from her partner. At each visit, the clinic provided her with a space that was safe and where she could access basic needs such as meals, clothing, and transportation. Closer to her delivery date, there were care meetings with the birthing team to make a tailored pain management, withdrawal, and comfort management birth plan.

Over time, the patient knew she could get support and feel safe at the clinic. She would say, “I just come to the fourth floor on Mondays no matter where I am in the city, or what has happened, or if I have used that day.”

Christina Salmon, Manager, Research Program Knowledge Translation and Partnership

Winner of the Inclusivity Award for an individual or team that fosters an inclusive, welcoming environment where everyone is treated equitably and without judgment.

According to Christina’s nominators: As a manager, Christina creates protocols that emphasize inclusion for all staff. She is a trusted racialized manager that Black staff can confide in for affirmation and support. While this role is taxing, Christina meets this challenge with strength and grace.

Christina engages in conversations with all staff even if they are uncomfortable and can feel heavy due to the difficult emotions that arise particularly for those most impacted. On one occasion during a group dialogue referencing Indigenous people’s rights to self-determination and actions to support reconciliation, Christina reflected on how the language being used did not recognize the privilege that settler cultures have taken for granted. She thoughtfully followed up by supporting members to critically examine their use of language as it pertains to decolonizing institutional practices. Christina also proactively shared learning resources designed to strengthen allyship behaviours that stop anti-Indigenous racism.

By: Jessica Cabral