Excellence Award Winners Celebrated
The recipients of the annual Excellence Awards in leadership, innovation, and patient care were announced today, June 7, by Cancer Care Nova Scotia.
The awards will be presented during the organization's Celebrating Excellence event at 4 p.m. in the Bethune Ballroom, Victoria General Site, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax.
The awards were introduced in 2009 to mark the 10th anniversary of Cancer Care Nova Scotia. They acknowledge the work and commitment of people who have helped the organization further cancer prevention, treatment, and care for Nova Scotia cancer patients and their families.
"Meeting our commitment to make health care better for families depends very much on the people who work in our health care system," said Maureen MacDonald, Minister of Health. "The individuals being recognized today represent the dedication and hard work of all those working in cancer care to deliver excellent care to cancer patients and their families. On behalf of the province of Nova Scotia, I congratulate the award recipients."
"With 25 compelling nominations to consider, our job to select the one worthy individual or team that most exemplified each award was very challenging," said Archie MacEachern Cancer Care Nova Scotia advisory board member and chair of its Excellence Awards selection committee. "Indeed all nominees are worthy of recognition. However, upon careful review of the nomination packages and a customized evaluation tool, we were able to make thoughtful decisions."
The award recipients are Dr. Dorothy Barnard, pediatric hematologist/oncologist and professor (retired), the Capital Health Head and Neck Cancer Site Team and Dr. Robert Rutledge, radiation oncologist, Capital Health Cancer Care Program.
The Leadership Excellence Award will be presented to Dr. Barnard, a seasoned clinician with more than 30 years experience working with pediatric cancer patients and their families. She has made significant contributions to pediatric cancer through clinical practice, teaching, and research. Her vision and leadership in establishing the Atlantic Provinces Pediatric Hematology Oncology Network has had a lasting and positive impact on patient and family care. Because of the network, children and families who used to have to travel to, and stay in, Halifax for weeks for treatment, can now access care at their home hospital and be confident the standard and quality is consistent with that at the IWK.
The Innovation Excellence Award will be presented to the Head and Neck Cancer Site Team. The team of health professionals, under the direction of registered nurses Judi Phillips and Karen Woodworth, has changed its approach to patient care to better meet the needs of patients and families. It uses a new referral process for quicker access and better co-ordination and continuity of care through case-management. The changes have enhanced communication and collaboration among team members, increased links with community resources and improved patient education and advocacy.
The Excellence in Patient Care Award will be presented to Dr. Rutledge. A respected cancer specialist, Dr. Rutledge has great interest in understanding how a patient is feeling and applies that to help patients cope better with their cancer. He developed a weekend retreat workshop for cancer patients and families that led to more than 30 Skills for Healing Workshops in 15 cities, in Canada and around the world for more than 1,000 people. Dr. Rutledge has also developed a Skills for Wellness program for health care providers to help colleagues to extend the reach and impact of their work.
"We truly are fortunate to have excellence in all aspects of cancer care," said Theresa Marie Underhill, chief operating officer, Cancer Care Nova Scotia. "Congratulations and special thanks to the award recipients, nominees, and all who work with Cancer Care Nova Scotia to provide quality cancer care for Nova Scotia cancer patients and their families."
Dr. Carman Giacomantonio, chief medical director, Cancer Care Nova Scotia, said each day in communities and districts across the province, health professionals work tirelessly to support and care for patients.
"We're all in this business for one reason and one reason alone, to provide Nova Scotia cancer patients and families with the best cancer care possible, and I count myself fortunate to part of such a team," said Dr. Giacomantonio.
Cancer Care Nova Scotia, a program of the Department of Health, was created to facilitate quality cancer prevention and care for all Nova Scotians. Through Cancer Patient Navigation, health professional education, and standards and guideline development, Cancer Care Nova Scotia supports health professionals in providing patients with high quality care. Its work with other organizations raises awareness about the importance of healthy lifestyles to reduce cancer risk, and its screening programs educate Nova Scotians about healthy lifestyles and available testing like Pap tests for cervical cancer and the FIT kit for colorectal cancer. The goal is to find cancer earlier and treat it better.