Griffin Hospital Emergency Department Patient Safety Monitor Denise White, of New Haven, pictured left, recently received the Heart of Caring Award from Interim Vice President Patient Care Services Kelly Egan MSN, FAB, center, and Nursing Professional Development Specialist Michele Derbyshire MSN, RN, at Griffin’s Nursing Support Staff Celebration.
Griffin Hospital Multi-Skilled Technician Dan Baker, of Derby, pictured center, recently received the Heart of Caring Award from Interim Vice President Patient Care Services Kelly Egan MSN, FAB, left, and Nursing Professional Development Specialist Michele Derbyshire MSN, RN, at Griffin’s Nursing Support Staff Celebration.
Griffin Health recently hosted a Nursing Support Staff Celebration to recognize these caregivers, including medical assistants, multi-skilled technicians, patient care technicians, unit clerks and patient safety monitors, who make vital contributions as coordinators between patients and doctors.
In addition to refreshments, gifts and raffle prizes offered at the tropical-theme celebration, Griffin’s Nursing Department named Emergency Department Patient Safety Monitor Denise White, of New Haven, as the 2024 Heart of Caring Award winner and Multi-Skilled Technician Dan Baker, of Derby, the Caregiver Excellence Award winner.
The Caring Heart Award is given to an exemplary Griffin Health nursing support staff member whom others believe to be truly committed, compassionate, kind and exemplifies the Planetree patient-centered care philosophy.
White was nominated by a fellow Griffin caregiver for consistently showing compassion and empathy for all patients.
“Denise is viewed as a role model by others,” the nomination for White stated. “She pays attention to detail. She explains the importance of documentation, the value of explaining each step in care to the patient and what the expectations should be. Denise is a patient advocate and routinely speaks up for safety concerns. Denise demonstrates excellent anticipatory planning in the care of her patients, and she holds herself to a high standard.”
The Caregiver Excellence award is given to an exemplary Griffin Health employee whom others believe demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities, the highest level of standards and excellent patient care, and consistently exhibits caring, commitment, and compassion towards patients and coworkers.
Baker was nominated by a fellow Griffin caregiver for going above and beyond in his responsiveness to patients and for his eagerness to assist other staff members on Griffin inpatient units.
“Dan is respectful and very detailed in training other techs, and they express how grateful they are to him,” the nomination for Baker stated. “When Dan is through with his tasks, he asks nurses and other techs if they need assistance with patient care or other tasks, and he graciously assists. He is always pleasant and shows love and respect when providing patient care, receiving frequent recognition from patients for his well-deserved hard work. It is a pleasure to have Dan as part of our Griffin family.”