Headwater’s Health Care Centre honours staff with award ceremony

Written By Paula Brown  

Headwater's Health Care Centre (HHCC) honoured the contributions of their staff members and their commitment to service at the local hospital, by presenting several awards during their annual general meeting held on Tuesday (June 25).

“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our incredible staff, physicians and volunteers, whose heroic efforts continue to inspire us all. Their dedication to our patients and each other is truly commendable,” said Kim Delahunt, CEO and president of Headwaters Hospital. 

The first award presented was the Chair's Award, which was awarded to Headwaters' Accreditation Team. 

The Chair's Award honours individuals, teams or organizations who are affiliated with Headwaters who have made an outstanding contribution to the hospital or who have supported the hospital during the past year.

The Accreditation Team was recognized for their efforts that helped the hospital receive Accreditation with Exemplary Status in October 2023. 

In order to receive accreditation, Headwaters underwent a process involving a thorough and detailed review of hospital policies, programs and plans.

The local hospital also had a week-long onsite visit from health care professionals trained as surveyors with Accreditation Canada, who spoke with staff, volunteers, patients, physicians, families and caregivers to gain an understanding of care practices at the hospital. The surveyors participated in programs and services to observe the hospital at every level. 

“Achieving Exemplary Accreditation standing is truly one of those things where our success was no accident and it was not achieved by a single action or by one person, but instead by a team of great people completing multiple steps together,” said Annette Jones, vice president of Patient Experience, on behalf of the Accreditation Team. 

The second award handed out was the annual Dr. David Scott Award, which was presented to Dr. Paul Scotton. 

The Dr. David Scott Award is given to individuals and groups who have gone above and beyond to improve overall health and wellness for residents in the Dufferin-Caledon area and promote links between the local hospital and the community. 

The award is named after the late Dr. David Scott, who in 1962 became the town's first specialist in general surgery. He practiced as a general surgeon between the years 1962 to 1997 and was chief of staff at the local hospital from 1983 to 1989. He passed away in 2020. 

Dr. Scotton dedicated over 30 years of services to Headwaters Hospital including 18 of which were spent as Chief of the Emergency Department. Dr. Scotton served as Chief of the Emergency Department during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been noted for his leadership as well as contributions to training paramedics in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support protocols to administer life-saving intervention on-site, prior to patients reaching the hospital. 

“The Dr. David Scott award mean the world to me because of his esteemed work for our hospital and community,” said Dr. Scotton. 

Dr. Scotton also noted the significance of receiving the award as he worked alongside Dr. Scott for many years and viewed him as a role model.

This year, Headwaters Hospital celebrated an expansion of its annual awards with four new categories including the Above and Beyond Leadership Award, Outstanding Physician Award, Quality and Safety Improvement Award, and Rising Headwaters Hero Award. 

The Above and Beyond Leadership Award is presented to an individual who demonstrates excellence in people leadership and inspires others to work collaboratively and creatively. 

The 2024 recipient of the Above and Beyond Leadership Award was Amanda Cotton, manager of medicine, complex continuing care and allied health. 

“Being recognized for my efforts in embracing teamwork and providing a collaborative approach where the team feels not only validated for their hard work and contributions but valued as a member of this organization, speaks volumes,” said Cotton. “I am proud to be part of the team and elated to be recognized for my participation in making this organization the best that it can be.”

The Outstanding Physician Award looks to recognize a physician who has consistently demonstrated excellence in delivering patient care and who makes measurable and positive contributions to the hospital. 

The 2024 recipient of the Outstanding Physician Award was Dr. Daniel Kahn who is a physician in the hospital's emergency department. 

“I feel very privileged to have received this recognition. The Headwaters community has given me so much over the years and I am honoured to know that I have been able to give back,” said Dr. Kahn. 

The Quality and Safety Award celebrates an individual or a team that has contributed to the quality and safety initiatives to improve the delivery of patient care. 

The Pharmacy Department at Headwaters Hospital was awarded as the 2024 recipient of the award for their initiatives including the introduction of the BD Pyxis and BD anesthesia stations. 

“Operating diligently behind the scenes, the pharmacy department at Headwaters has been a driving force in implementing initiatives that have not just enhanced but transformed patient care. Each initiative has left a tangible and enduring mark, reminding us of our profound impact on our patient's daily healthcare journey. We are very proud of the work that we do and are grateful for the support from the wider team,” said Amrita Gujral, manager of the Pharmacy Department. 

 The Rising Headwaters Hero Award recognizes an employee, physician or volunteer with less than five years of continuous service with the hospital, who demonstrated great achievements with early success and commitment to going above and beyond day-to-day in their role.

The 2024 recipient of the Rising Headwaters Hero Award was Megan Malone, senior financial analyst. 

“What an honour it is to receive this award and to be recognized for the work that I do. I have always taken great pride in my role, the community that I work in, and the colleagues I work alongside, who show their dedication and commitment each and every day,” said Malone. 

To conclude the award ceremony, Headwaters announced the recipients of Headwaters Health Care Foundation's Nursing Education Fund, which includes the Jean White Fund and the RBC Education Fund. 

Recipients of the fund include Charlotte Brown, Mary Cathleen Burton, Alessandra Centofanti, Myung Ja Choi, Kyle Shermet, and Alexa Wiedemann.