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A palliative care nurse who brings dignity to difficult moments for patients and families. An administrative assistant who comes in on days off to visit with patients. A project engineer whose ideas and innovations are creating safer spaces for the people we serve. A clerical coordinator who brings joy to his colleagues through humour and team building. A patient family partner whose determination to improve the experience of all those who work, visit and stay at Unity Health knows no bounds.

These are the winners of the 2023 Our Shared Values Awards at St. Michael’s Hospital who have been recognized for going above and beyond to embody 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.

Slawomir Zulawnik, RN on the Palliative Care Team

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

My late mother received end of life care from Slav in your Palliative Care Unit.

After years of caring for an aging parent, the final chapter would play out in a palliative care unit room where I would be relinquishing my caregiving duties to strangers.

Slav was the most consistent presence in our lives during that time and he would always avail himself to answer questions. He became our most reliable and reassuring point of contact for our family. The patient is the primary focus in palliative but my brother and I also felt that we were cared for during our mother’s stay.

Slav was more than just our mom’s nurse; he had to stand in for us when we could not be there. … There was never a time when we felt that she was neglected.  Her hair was always combed and her skin was always clean. I had left an MP3 player with her favourite music.  Slav assured me that he would look after this for mom too. Perhaps these details may appear insignificant but they indicate that she was being cared for.

Thank you Slav for never making us feel that our mother was just another patient coming through the palliative unit. 

Sofia Silva, Administration Assistant of Workplace Health, Safety, and Wellness

Winners 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.

When you come to visit Workplace Health, Safety, and Wellness, Sofia is the first person you will meet; and oh how lucky you are.

Empathizing with everyone from the new hires who are confused about ‘next steps,’ to the frustrated staff at work while unwell, Sofia provides a catered experience by taking the time to understand each person’s unique needs and values, helping them to get the right care from the right people, and explaining information in a way that transcends any language barrier. 

When clients show up minutes before closing requesting a mask fitting test Sofia doesn’t simply say “come back tomorrow,” but rather empathized that some staff can’t make it to her office earlier or are in an urgent need of the test. With open arms and a smile she stays back to help these individuals.

During her time as an EVS worker in the Oncology Department, Sofia visited a patient every day for a month (including her days off) to try and alleviate the distress the patient felt about being moved from oncology to palliative. Sofia knew that the patient liked the ice chips from oncology, so she would bring them to visits. … Noted in her will, Sofia was asked to attend the patient’s funeral.  It was a shock for much of the family to learn that Sofia was not the patient’s nurse, but the one cleaning her room in Oncology. To me and many others, this is a story that perfectly exemplifies the value of compassion. 

Allison Jacobs, Project Engineer on the Redevelopment Team

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

Allison Jacobs has been the project lead for the Emergency Department for a number of years and she continues to amaze me in her pursuit of excellence and innovation. 

She researches best practices in design, listens to staff’s stories and concerns, and puts together ideas on how to balance a welcoming environment, staff and patient safety, and efficiency. With her strong engagement with the team, Allison can ensure that she is bringing forward the best ideas.

The design of the Emergency Department, particularly the process undertaken to design the space, is receiving recognition throughout the province, and Allison has been a key contributor to this work of engaging architects, staff, security experts, corporate health experts, and patients in our design.

Allison put together an amazing presentation for a conference we hosted on Workplace Violence, which was open to attendees from across Canada. She shared her engineering expertise with a clinical audience, providing excellent insight into the things that emergency departments need to think about when it comes to designing new emergency departments that prioritize the safety of patients and staff.

Allison truly represents our mission to strive for excellence.

Dean Roberts, Clerical Coordinator of Women’s Health

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

Dean exemplifies community spirit. At huddles he ensures everyone feels welcome and relaxed, bringing fun updates and jokes. When discussing clinical issues Dean engages in an open and honest dialogue, respecting differences, and helping create a solution that works for everyone. Dean is available to help out at a moments notice even with seemingly small things like computer issues.

Dean holds a bi-weekly draw – half of the funds go to the winner and the rest is used for team building including karaoke nights, pizza lunches, and even a Toronto Harbor cruise! At these events, Dean always has activities and games that help people connect with each other. Women’s Health is one department on three floors. We didn’t previously know each other but Dean has managed to bring all three floors together! Draw funds are also used for colleague support like sending flowers to someone who is on bereavement leave.

Dean also brings Unity Health’s values to patient care. Recently a patient came in late and due to the Doctors busy schedule he could not see her. The patient was VERY upset. … Dean made her feel important and never once made her feel bad for being late. He focused on her. When she left she was calm and grateful.

Dean’s energy is contagious and you can’t help feeling happy around him!

Janet Rodriguez, Patient and Family Partner.

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

Even though Janet is living with her own health and mobility challenges, she is generous with her time and dedicates it to helping other people. As a fellow Unity Health Patient and Family Partner I have experienced this first hand.

I have a hard time reading and understanding. I wanted to better understand the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Janet gave up her free time on a Saturday morning to explain it all in a way that I could understand. This is what Janet does.

Janet is not afraid to politely and respectfully challenge other people’s beliefs and point out who is being left out and how we can be more inclusive. She uses her extensive knowledge of accessibility and equity to help teach others.

I was recently in a meeting where Janet was teaching about equity. I noticed there was a participant who appeared lost. Halfway through the presentation though, you could see that Janet got through to him, and a big smile spread across his face. This is the magic of Janet. She helps us understand equity and challenge our own assumptions, and she does it with kindness and patience.

St. Michael’s Feast Day and Our Shared Values Awards gallery

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