{"id":74115,"date":"2022-10-31T14:28:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T18:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/?p=74115"},"modified":"2022-11-10T08:54:21","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T13:54:21","slug":"staff-physicians-volunteers-celebrated-at-the-ottawa-hospitals-long-service-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/healthy-tomorrows\/staff-physicians-volunteers-celebrated-at-the-ottawa-hospitals-long-service-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff, physicians, volunteers celebrated at The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s Long Service Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this day and age, it\u2019s rare to see an employee stay at the same organization for five years, let alone 30 or more.  Yet, at The Ottawa Hospital, this is common for many of our staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-serving employees bring great value to our organization with their deep institutional knowledge that supports safe, efficient care for patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why every year The Ottawa Hospital presents Long Service Awards to staff, physicians and volunteers who have marked service milestones in their career in five-year increments from five years onward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, The Ottawa Hospital recognized 1,900 recipients of the award, more than 500 of whom are marking 20 years or more and two who are celebrating an incredible 45 years with the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In celebration of everyone receiving an award this year, we bring you the stories of six Long Service Award recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"<\/figure>
\n

Mary Lowery, Registered Nurse, 45 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Registered Nurse Mary Lowery has come to think of her colleagues as family.  During her impressive 45-year career at The Ottawa Hospital, she has cared for several generations of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While new technologies and new treatments have drastically improved care over the last four-and-a-half decades, compassion has remained a constant part of her job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon, Mary will say goodbye to her work family and start a new chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs much as I am excited to retire, I will miss the “family,” friends and countless patients that I was proud to care for,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Lina<\/figure>
\n

Lina Tripudio-Comba, Life Skills Counsellor, Robin Easey Centre, 30 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lina Tripudio- Comba\u2019s father always said, \u201cFind something you like, give it all you got, and stick with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a 30-year veteran at The Ottawa hospital, it\u2019s safe to say that Lina took those words to heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lina began her career at the hospital as a student in social work and transitioned through several roles in The Ottawa Rehabilitation Centre (including the Acquired Brain Injury Program) before moving to the Robin Easey Centre, where she has been since 2006.  There, she works closely with a dedicated team to help clients who are living with a brain injury develop personalized strategies to help them live independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a job like this, Lina\u2019s experience and creativity come in handy as they help her find solutions that fit each client\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo this day I feel like I am constantly learning.\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you actually see the strategies unfold, and they actually work for the client in their environment, that\u2019s really satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to working so closely with clients, Lina enjoys working with the other staff at the Robin Easey Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot only does each member of the team care about each client, but we also take the time to show how much we care about each other,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Trevor<\/figure>
\n

Trevor Bell, Respiratory Therapist, 30 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a respiratory therapist, Trevor Bell knows that not every story has a happy ending.  But even when things look grim, he treats every patient he cares for like they are a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThroughout my 30-plus years here I have always found that, no matter what the situation, if I can somehow make it better for someone, I feel like I have really made a difference,\u201d he says.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His outgoing personality and knack for connecting with people has made him popular amongst patients. If he could speak to new staff, this is his advice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake the time to talk to your patients.  Joke with them.  Console them. Talking to patients about everyday things, their interests or their hobbies can really help to put them at ease,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Cecile<\/figure>
\n

Cecile Kershman, Volunteer, 20 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cecile Kershman is a world traveller and a two-time cancer survivor\u2014and at 84 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down.  Every Monday and Friday she volunteers at the General Campus Boutique, where she helps people find the perfect gift for their loved ones in the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking at the Boutique keeps me alert and keeps me in the loop. You have to know your products and you have to give the right change,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cecile honed her sales skills over her 20 years at the hospital, beginning at the coffee shop in the Rehabilitation Centre.  She loves the work, but it\u2019s the people she meets who really make her day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI look my customers in the eye and say, \u2018how can I help you?\u2019 because that\u2019s what they need. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here.  I am so blessed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Chantal<\/figure>
\n

Chantal Dewar, Patient Food Service Attendant, 15 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These might be the sweetest three words to hear in a hospital, and Chantal Dewar treasures each time she hears a patient say them.  As a patient food service attendant, patients are at the heart of everything Chantal does, and the compassion she feels for each patient comes through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes patients give me a drawing they sketched or offer me some candy.  That\u2019s really special,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 15 years at the hospital, Chantal continues to love the fast-paced energy of her work, and the satisfaction of working within a committed team.  She appreciates the flexibility and stability of her position, which was especially helpful when raising two sons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chantal is also looking forward to our New Campus Development and its full range of specialized services, research and education to help those with the most complex injuries and illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will also be a place where more people can tell her \u201cI\u2019m going home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Ranjeeta<\/figure>
\n

Ranjeeta Mallik, Researcher, 10 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although Ranjeeta Mallik might not be at the bedside, the work she does as a statistician at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute helps clinicians at The Ottawa Hospital and beyond find better and more efficient ways to care for patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During her ten-year career here, she has always found that her work is not only interesting, but also published and implemented quickly and efficiently to the benefit of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when her father died just before the deadline for a big project, she saw that efficiency take a backseat to compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey told me \u2018don\u2019t worry about the project. Let\u2019s talk about how you are feeling and how we can best help you.\u2019 That really touched my heart,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this day and age, it\u2019s rare to see an employee stay at the same organization for five years, let alone 30 or more. This year, The Ottawa Hospital recognized more than 1,900 employees at its Long Service Awards. In celebration of everyone receiving an award this year, we bring you the stories of six Long Service Award recipients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":74116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[433],"class_list":["post-74115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-tomorrows","tag-celebrate-our-staff"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}