Service, education and innovation celebrated at annual award ceremony, NHH

A time-honoured tradition at Northumberland Hills Hospital is the annual spring ceremony celebrating staff accomplishments in the areas of education, innovation and long service. On the evening of Thursday, May 12th, the Northumberland Hills Hospital’s Education Centre was again filled to capacity with family, friends and colleagues receiving awards or on hand to join in on the well-earned recognition of their peers.

Hosted by President and CEO Robert Biron and Vice-President of Human Resources and Quality Elizabeth Vosburgh, the evening involved the presentation of awards in three categories: academic accomplishments, innovation and leadership and long service.

Education awards were presented to 20 staff members in total, including an exceptional number of degree recipients. Eight individuals were recognized for completing Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing and one for completing a Master’s of Education.

In the category of long service, forty-seven staff members and physicians were recognized for passing significant milestones in their careers as health professionals and support providers serving our community.

With an annual operating budget of $62 million, the economic impact of NHH on the broader community is considerable. At the May 12th ceremony, however, it was the human connections that run between NHH staff members and the community that were celebrated by presenters and recipients alike.

Among those recognized for long service was Dr. Bill Cross, who marked 15 years of hospital service in 2011. Thanked by Robert Biron for his untiring commitment to both NHH and the community at large, Dr. Cross commented on the privilege it is to live, work and play in an area as fine as our own.

“We live in a community in which--as a physician--you can refer people in three directions,” he noted. “This is just great, and when combined with the fantastic technology, people and organization here at NHH, we are really fortunate.”

In a tribute to the many family connections that exist between NHH and the surrounding communities, it was noted that two sisters (Laura Marshall and Darlene Kennedy), both recipients of long service awards for 20 and 10 years respectively, were following in the steps of their late mother, who had worked at the Cobourg hospital in the 1960s.

NHH is also home to many friendships. Elaine Brown and Brenda Hylton, friends since grade six, both went home with pins celebrating 25 years of service to NHH. Now colleagues in the Lab, the pair befriended each other locally as children, went on to college together and today work side by side at NHH.

“How great is that!” remarked Director of Laboratory and Infection Control Myonne Allan, in congratulating Elaine and Brenda on their dedication. “It’s connections like this, I believe, that lead to the dedication to quality we’re known for today, and make NHH truly
special.”

Another loud round of applause filled the room when it was noted that Janice Bickle, a registered nurse recognized for 30 years of service, had somehow found time in the last
three decades to foster, with her family, 38 local children, in addition to raising her own. “Janice is a very special person, both to us and to many,” noted Program Director Janet Burn, in presenting her award. “We are so fortunate that she has chosen NHH.”

Also announced last evening were the recipients of NHH’s Leadership and Innovation Awards, recognizing staff members who go above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference at NHH.

Recognized for Excellence in Leadership was Kelly Walker, an employee in NHH’s Environmental Services Department.

With the hospital since 2001, Kelly has been a member of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee since 2008. Recognized for the personal interest she has taken in advancing health and safety initiatives within NHH, Kelly’s personal efforts in initiatives related to workplace violence prevention and musculoskeletal injury prevention were commended. A volunteer champion, Kelly’s leadership, drive and determination to improve safety at NHH were recognized.

The final award presented was the Outstanding Innovation Award. Given to a member, or members, of the hospital team who demonstrate a new approach to a problem or situation; a procedure that NHH participants can learn from; and an exceptional initiative focused on providing quality service, this year’s recipients were Shanene Studzinski, Cyndee Kelsey, Kathi Meier and Maureen Canfield for their work on the development of NHH’s electronic forms.

As a pre-requisite to another major project related to scanning and archiving, all patient forms needed to be reformatted to accommodate an incoming label and bar code system.

Noted for their patience, perseverance and quest for quality, the team was thanked for creating a new electronic form repository which is resulting in increased efficiency, improved quality in the area of patient documentation and reduced printing requirements.

For more information, contact Jennifer Gillard at 905-377-7757 or jgillard@nhh.ca. For a complete list of this year’s award recipients, please see below.

Education Awards

Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Kim Baxter
Andrea Doyle-Philp
Elizabeth Geddes
Amy Miedema
Jan Surgent
Sharon Tripp
Lori Vandenberg
Michelle Verbeem

Master’s of Education
Patti Ley

Canadian Nurses Association Certification in Perinatal Nursing
Jennifer Bevan
Cindy Sandercock
Alma Vaspori

Food Service Worker Certificate
Melissa Cerna
Krista Hay
Robin Rath
Shaureen Young

Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control and Epidemiology
Denise Kearsey

Oncology Certificate
Tina Roach
Kim Wenzel

Payroll compliance Practitioner
Kelly Watson

Long Service Awards

10 Years
Crystal Beaudry
Maureen Canfield
Kimberley Doucette
Elizabeth Geddes
Patricia Hand
Janice Hines
Cara Hunt
Darlene Kennedy
Ian Moffat
Anne Marie Mosher
Valerie Rumball

15 Years
Rhonda Cunningham
Pamela Garratt
Wendy Scott
Kimberley Zoldy

20 Years
Wendy Arbeau
Janet Burn
Kevin Burn
Becky Cressman
Meredith Gadon
Laura Marshall
Tammy Misasi
Catherine Setterington
Stephanie Tuer
Merle Venne

25 Years
Elaine Brown
Paula Elliott
Catherine Flay
Patricia Godfrey
Brenda Hylton

30 Years
Pamela Aiello
Janice Bickle
Tracey Chester
Janice Dale
Patricia Dunn
Cheryl Fisher
Linda Hastings
Susan Hoekstra

35 Years
Debra Clarke
Ghilaine Clarke
Deborah Davey
Carilyn Fairman
Carol Raciunas

Physicians
10 years – Dr. Paul Marrocco
10 years – Dr. Frank Marrocco
15 years – Dr. Bill Cross
15 years – Dr. Martin Jokay

Leadership and Innovation Awards

Kelly Walker - Excellence in Leadership - Safety

Shanene Studzinski, Cyndee Kelsey, Kathi Meier and Maureen Canfield - Outstanding Innovation - E-forms