Emergency Department Nurses who create dignity in end-of-life care. A Clinical Assistant who uses her musical talents to ease patients’ pain and anxiety. A Research Pharmacy Team who goes above and beyond to drive patient care forward. A Team Leader who is making rare treatments more accessible to patients. An Administrative Assistant who makes surgery a little less scary. An Administrative Lead who works to reduce barriers for children. A Family Health Team that reduces environmental impact while delivering incredible care.

These are the winners of the 2024 Our Shared Values Awards and Spotlight on Sustainability at St. Michael’s 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.

Emergency Department Nurses, including Valerie Sample, Kelly Silva, Anna Walczek, Kerri Penney, Robin Landry, and Christina Unger

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

One of our physicians recounted how a palliative patient came to the department went from arriving in utter disarray, in pain, distressed and agitated, to being clean, warm, safe, and cared for by “these angels floating around the room.”

The nursing team – Valerie, Kelly, Tracy, Kerri, Robin, Christina, Anna, as well as Irene, an agency nurse – tenderly cleaned him up with the utmost dignity and made him comfortable with a clean gown, fresh sheets and warm blankets.

The patient was admitted to the palliative unit, but by the time the bed was ready the team opted to wait until after shift change to transfer the patient. Shortly after, Kerri put her hand on his chest and said “he’s going now” – and the patient passed peacefully. 

The physician shared that he was glad that they hadn’t made the transfer as the patient’s last moments would likely have been spent in an elevator.

“We couldn’t have done it better. He had a good death – and that is because of the care our team provided,” said the physician.

This story embodies the values of human dignity and compassion that underpin the care that our nurses provide to all of the patients who pass through the Emergency Department.

Melissa Joy Vitug, a Clinical Assistant in Stroke and Neurology

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.

Melissa’s exceptional compassion was evident as she cared for a stroke patient experiencing paralysis on one side of his body. The patient often felt frustrated and helpless. Melissa noticed the patient struggling to express himself because he wanted to eat his meal. She conscientiously responded; she sat with him, fed him, and patiently assured him of her care and presence. Throughout she maintained eye contact, nodded in understanding, and celebrated even the smallest successes with genuine enthusiasm. The patient shared that Melissa’s patience and empathetic approach improved his mood, boosted his confidence, and lessened his sadness and loneliness.

Another one of Melissa’s patients was a neurology patient suffering from debilitating headaches that cause anxiety. During one of her bad episodes, Melissa stayed by her side, offering comfort and reassurance. She dimmed the lights, spoke to her in a calm and reassuring voice, and as a trained singer, she sang to soothe her pain and anxiousness. The patient reported that Melissa’s consistent presence and empathetic care gave her a sense of security and relief.

Melissa’s ability to combine her musical abilities with her care has helped to create an environment that is nurturing and conducive to patient recovery and to staff flourishing.

Research Pharmacy team, including Laura Parsons, Ann Dowbenka, and Gitana Ramonas

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

The Research Pharmacy Team has managed over 900 clinical trials, helping scientists to study and bring innovative therapies and medications to trial.

They make continuous improvements to research including initiating and developing a Research Service Fee Team Calculator. This calculator is now used by all study coordinators at Unity Health to estimate clinical trial costs. 

The team provides important direct patient care by coordinating and facilitating access to medications through the Special Access Programme (SAP). These are medications, which often have a special niche in therapeutic treatment of patients, but are not currently marketed in Canada.

The team coordinates urgent requests to access antimicrobials through SAP for treatment of infections resistant to all antimicrobial therapy options available in Canada. They not only facilitate communicating the request to Health Canada, they also work to borrow an interim supply of antibiotics, through their relationships with other hospitals, so that therapy can be initiated as soon as possible, as they recognize that delays in antimicrobial therapy can impact patient outcomes.

They are always willing to help patients at other institutions. One Christmas Ann received a request from a SickKids colleague to borrow a SAP medication for a patient. Without thinking twice, Ann drove to St. Michael’s, filled out necessary paper work, and then drove the supply over.

Megan Buccholz, Team Leader, Apheresis Program  

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

Plasma exchange is a treatment modality that is available at very few sites in Ontario, and requires both manual and technical skill to treat patients. Megan is a master of the technical aspects of plasma exchange. She continually updates her knowledge, learning new techniques, and takes a leadership position locally and nationally in this field. 

Megan has written all the existing Apheresis Policies and Procedures and trains new staff in them. She works in innumerable ways to improve the process of getting patients treated including:

  • Collaborating with the neurology division for efficient transfers of patients from outside St. Michael’s needing plasma exchange
  • Working with Interventional Radiology (IR) to have apheresis lines inserted in a timely fashion
  • Creating a new policy that allows removal of tunneled lines under three weeks old to try to alleviate the workload in IR and to help discharge patients

Megan’s involvement routinely shortens patients’ length of stay by several days. Her provision of care for her patients and colleagues is marked by both excellence and compassion. Many folks tell me how much they love and rely on Megan, and patients often (incredibly) say that they look forward to coming for treatment because they get to spend time with her. 

Beth Misner, Administrative Assistant, Cardiac Surgery

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

The services we provide can be an intimidating and challenging landscape to navigate when facing a big cardiac surgery. Beth meets patients where they are in the process and welcomes them with bespoke customer service. Whether it is preparation for surgery or struggling with a post-operative complication, she will find a way to get our patients the care they need. She has established connections to the key clinicians and community services who can get even the most marginalized patients the best possible care and put their mind at ease.

Beth’s impact on our team is profound, built on countless small acts of kindness. She leaves food for the on call residents, takes time to learn about everyone personally, welcomes and supports new staff and students, and relentlessly advocates for her patients, giving a voice to the voiceless. For Beth, fostering a sense of community is not just a series of actions but an intrinsic part of who she is. Her dedication creates a homey, welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and empowered.

Zizi Putra, Administrative Lead for the REACH School Network

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

Zizi must wear many hats at the REACH School Network and he does. He performs administrative duties, clerical responsibilities, and works with school-board staff including teachers, principals, and social workers. He does all of this to ensure that our most at-risk children, from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, have a seamless experience as they transition from the school environment to the healthcare environment and then back to the school environment all in the span of one appointment. 

Our patients face many socioeconomic barriers and many families have experienced trauma. Zizi plays an important role in supporting families through our school-based health centre journey and makes all families feel welcome, accepted, comfortable, and heard.

One specific example was when Zizi recognized that some children arrive at clinic hungry and thirsty. He took it upon himself to organize healthy snacks and water bottles for the children and family so that they could be comfortable and fed as they waited for their appointments. 

Spotlight on Sustainability

Unity Health is committed to preserving and protecting the environment. Sustainability plays a key role in health care, and the new Spotlight on Sustainability celebrates the role the staff, physicians, learners, volunteers and partners play in delivering world-class care while improving the field of sustainability.

The recipient of the 2024 St. Michael’s Spotlight on Sustainability is The St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team.

Working closely with our community, this team sees daily how climate change affects the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable patients.

Over the last five years, they have implemented clinical sustainability initiatives including: reducing exam paper use, increasing recycling and reducing biomedical waste, and extensively reducing greenhouse gas emitting metered dose inhalers and maintain the reduction over time. The team has also provided plant-based options for social events, encouraging staff to bring reusable cutlery and dishes.

As recipients of the 2022 Joy Fund, they subsidized the annual Bike Share memberships, encouraging more staff to use alternatives to emission emitting vehicles.

Patient-focused initiatives include a patient webinar series on health and sustainability. These webinars coincided with the first large group to register for the Parks Prescription program, and two resident QI projects focusing on incorporating plant-rich eating into diabetes visits and time spent in nature for physical and mental health.

This inter-professional team lives sustainability in a way that is reflective of our shared values. We are hopeful that spotlighting these replicable initiatives might inspire other teams to engage sustainability.

Take a look through this gallery of photos from the awards ceremony and the Feast of St. Michael’s Celebrations throughout the day.