A registered nurse who always makes sure to take the time to know her patients. A patient relations team that demonstrates sensitivity and acknowledgment of how a person’s reaction to a situation may be impacted by their experiences such as grief, fear or a history of past trauma. A respiratory therapy team that finds themselves working on a short and ongoing basis. A leader that has cultivated a strong sense of community among diverse teams. A team that has demonstrated their commitment to inclusivity.

These are the winners of the 2025 Our Shared Values Awards at St. Joseph’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.

Keri Smales, Registered Nurse, Medicine and Telemetry

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

Keri is an exceptional nurse that consistently goes beyond the traditional roles of a primary care nurse to prioritize the human dignity of others.

For example, there was a patient that was exit seeking from bed without assistance, putting the patient at risk of falling and sustaining injuries. Keri took the time to learn the patient’s needs, environmental factors that contributed to responsive behaviors, and the patient’s preferences to be able to employ practices that calmed the patient without the need for restraints or restrictive measures. When the patient’s LTC bed was at risk as they had been in hospital for too long, Keri escalated this through the appropriate channels and was able to ensure coordination with the patient’s LTC Home to facilitate extending her bed offer during recovery.

Patient Relations Team, Sandy Pacheco, Kaitlen McKenny, Ana Tran, Sam Edgar and Nicole Yuen

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.

I regularly witness the team convey compassion to patients through their kindness and by demonstrating sensitivity and acknowledgment of how a person’s anger at the situation may be impacted by their experiences such as grief, fear or history of past trauma.

I also regularly see them expressing support towards hospital staff and physicians who are distraught at receiving negative feedback, and conveying their understanding of the context of the care teams’ experiences.

The Patient Relations team’s compassion goes beyond supporting patients, hospital staff and physicians.  They also practice compassion towards one another, frequently recognizing and celebrating each other’s good work during daily huddles and providing support, encouragement and assistance to one other on those particularly challenging days.

Respiratory Therapists, Across Unity Health

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

Our respiratory therapists (RTs) do not have a set limit on how many patients they might see in a shift or predictable patient acuity. They strive to provide care of the highest caliber while constantly triaging their calls in order of acuity.

Our RTs participate in every patient resuscitation onsite, attend all high risk deliveries, and provide life sustaining support in the ICU as well as education and diagnostic testing to patients on the wards or in outpatient clinics.

A family member shared: We had many scary moments over the past three months but one constant was the support of RTs. No matter where my daughter was or what she needed your team was there and each member of the team was so responsive and compassionate.

Carmela Aromin, Operations Leader for Medical Diagnostics

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

As the Operations Leader of the department, which consists of eight different modalities of Medical Diagnostics, Carmela has successfully cultivated a strong sense of community among these diverse teams. Facilitating projects within the department, she helps ensure cohesion amongst the modalities for patients that require multiple tests, enhancing communication and a smoother process for patients to receive all their care needed in one visit.

Beyond the department, Carmela actively fosters relationships with other teams, ensuring smooth interdepartmental collaboration. For example, she collaborated with the MRI department to develop a safe process for patients with pacemakers to receive MRIs.

Additionally, Carmela plays a crucial role in supporting students and new hires. With her hospitality students often become new hires!

6M Team, Medicine and Oncology

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

One example is in their care for an Indigenous patient who endured a traumatic event and spent several months on our unit. Throughout the patient’s long stay, the team recognized the importance of honoring cultural practices, ensuring their care was not only clinically excellent but also culturally respectful.

While respecting cultural practices is an expectation for staff, this team has made it an integral part of their care approach. Their collaborative efforts ensured that smudging and other cultural practices were facilitated with no barriers, allowing the patient to feel seen, heard, and valued.

The team has also demonstrated a continued commitment to enhancing cultural competency including several members completed the San’yas Indigenous program, deepening their understanding of indigenous cultures and histories.

Unity Health Food Services Team

Recipients of the Spotlight on Sustainability. Offered by Mission and Values and the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, this spotlight celebrates an individual or team that supports world-class care while improving the field of sustainability

Your innovative work is transforming the way we think about food, health and environmental responsibility across Unity Health.

Through Menu Changes and your commitment to the Cool Food Pledge, you are helping us track and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions —aiming for a 25% reduction by 2030 —while ensuring every meal nourishes both people and the planet.

Your dedication to reconciliation is reflected in the introduction of the Indigenous Food List, which includes wild rice sourced from Indigenous producers – an important step in honouring Indigenous knowledge and food traditions. Additionally you are currently exploring implementing a Pilot project with Greener by Default that embraces behavioral science to gently nudge us toward healthier, more sustainable food choices – plant-based as the default, with full freedom of choice.

Each of these initiatives reflects a deep commitment to health, climate action, and equity. Thank you for leading the way. You inspire all of us to think differently, act boldly, and keep people and the planet at the heart of everything we do.

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

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