Caring Hearts, Leading Minds:
Adrian Smallwood
Caring Hearts, Leading Minds: Adrian Smallwood, Shift Mechanic at St. Michael’s Hospital
Growing up in Jamaica, Adrian Smallwood loved to tinker with radios, motorbikes and cars.
“I have always been interested in things that move,” says Smallwood, a shift mechanic with the engineering department at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Smallwood helps to maintain the critical infrastructure that keeps a hospital running, from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, to plumbing, electrical, lighting, and elevator service.
“As a shift mechanic I am like a first responder for the site,” says Smallwood, who has been at St. Michael’s for 23 years.
“I take calls and carry out basic repairs on electrical, plumbing, motors and pumps, and other equipment that keep the hospital running in proper order.”
A familiar face around the hospital, Smallwood frequently flashes a warm smile and calls out a friendly ‘good morning’ to colleagues as he passes through the busy corridors on his way to his next call.
At St. Michael’s, care doesn’t happen solely at the bedside; Smallwood plays a vital role in making sure patients, families and staff have a safe, reliable environment.
For example, the engineering department maintains the central systems that deliver oxygen to the units and vacuum suction to the operating rooms.
“Even though we are not doctors and nurses, the stuff that we do here makes the patient comfortable, makes the staff comfortable,” he says.
“To know that someone is getting care and someone is getting comfort… that really keeps me going.”
