a July 26, 2024 Stratford Times Judy McMillan, Marissa McKee, Lauren Upper, Donnalene Tuer-Hodes, Ryan Itterman, Samantha Metelski, Healthcare Alliance’s Tuer-Hodes Awards Huron Perth CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Samantha Metelski and Lauren Up- per are this year’s winners of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA)’s Tuer- Hodes Awards, winning the nursing and inter-professional practice awards respec- tively. Metelski is “a dedicated critical care nurse known for her positive and friendly demeanour,” a post on the HPHA’s Face- book page announcing the awards reads. “She fosters a supportive atmosphere on the unit, where she organizes social events to boost morale and camaraderie among colleagues. Samantha’s ahs commu- nication skills and advocacy for patients make her a respected leader within the team.” is presentation July 8. Upper, a senior medical laboratory tech- nologist, is described as a person with a calm demeanour and_ problem-solving abilities in that same post. “Lauren's expertise extends beyond her technical skills as she excels in explaining complicated concepts in understandable terms and actively participates in quality initiatives to improve program objectives.” Started seven years ago, the annual awards are a way for the HPHA to respect the many valued team members that make care exceptional at the four sites that the organization operates: Stratford Gener- al Hospital, Clinton Public Hospital, St. Marys Memorial Hospital and Seaforth Community Hospital. Donnalene Tuer-Hodes started the awards when she retired after spending 43 years of her 45-year-career at the HPHA, N urses, support staff recognized by Tuer- Hodes Awards Hodes said. “So, I just thought it was nice to start with nursing and then see how it evolved. “T think they deserve it.” Dr. Leigh Chapman, chief nursing offi- cer of Canada, was in attendance for the awards. She told the Stratford Times that recognizing excellence can sometimes be costly for health ae organizations, but it is a necessary co “Tt's not cost cal to have these types of award ceremonies,” Chapman said. “But it is just such an incredible invest- ment in recognizing that it has a ripple ef- fect. It's not just for the nominees and the award recipients, but it's also for their unit. (It) builds pride within the unit and I think it is a moment to pause and reflect on the things that happen every day.” Janita Johns, a charge nurse for surgical Optimist Club of Downie Inc. PTI-CASH CALEND July 14 Frank Harmer, Mitchell . . . i July 15 Paul & Karen Nyenhuis, St. Pauls . . . July 16 Don Mullin, St-Marys............ $ July 17 Mark Ross, St. Marys July 18 James Heinbuch, Tavistock . . July 19 Scott Skinner, Stratford .... July 20 Tim Austin, Dover Centre ... July 21 Chris Biblay, Kirkton ......... July 22 Ryan Stewart, Embro . . July 23 Larry Cossey, Mitchell . July 24 David & Lenore Mountain, St. Marys $50.00 July 25 Marianne & Robin Lupton, St. Pauls $50.00 July 26 Jeff & Jeremy Witzel, Shakespeare $50.00 July 27 Joanne Zegers, Stratford . $200.00 ALL OF THE CALENDARS HAVE BEEN SOLD working at all four sites as the chief nurse executive among other roles. “I got to know all the nurses well, as well as the other support staff,’ Tuer- services at Clinton Public Hospital, and Arlene Lanting, manager of patient care at St. Marys Memorial Hospital, were also nominated for the nursing award. Marissa McKee and Judy McMillan, both registered dieticians at Clinton Pub- (CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO) John Wilkinson, Janita Johns, Leigh Chapman and Lynanne Mason at the lic Hospital and Stratford General Hospi- tal, were nominated for the inter-profes- sional practice award. Tuer-Hodes set up the awards but it is a reviewing committee that ultimately de- cides who wins. Lynanne Mason, vice president of part- nerships, transformation and chief nursing executive at the HPHA, said this year was very difficult to pick recipients since there were amazing individuals nominated. Mason said both of those who won and those who were nominated. were picked because of their efforts to foster camara- derie among their peers and spread pos- itivity throughout the whole community. “We all know that the community is the anchor of our health-care system,” Mason said. “And if we're strong in our commu- nity, then we'll be stronger even more in our hospitals and our health-care system. I think that's really what stood out for each of them; their ability to go above and be- yond, stay positive, face the hard days, but then come back and really retain their pas- sion and keep growing.” Shelf Help ALIDA LEMIEUX Seratford Public Library Every Drop is a Man’s Nightmare, by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto @SPL: FIC Kakim (available from North Perth Public Library) When you think of Hawaii, do you picture surf boards, palm trees, and ukuleles? Megan Kamalei Kakimoto’s debut short story collection will trans- m port you to a Hawaii dripping with leis, azure waves, and house geckos, yes, but also one populated with haunt- ed highways, superstitions, waxing sa- lons, and Elvis impersonators. These stories centre on Japanese and Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) women like the author herself, and tie in aspects of Kanaka folklore with themes of sex- uality, motherhood, body politics and the ghosts of colonization. NIGHTMARE Megan KamaleiKakimote Menehune (a little person from Kana- ka folklore) moves into a. family’s broken dryer and starts fixing things in their house; a woman must give up a personal trait in exchange for a bi- kini wax; and a widow witnesses the limbs of her dead wife growing froma corpse flower in her living room! For readers hesitant to pick up a short story collection, here’s my pitch! Most of these stories are short enough to read in one or two sittings, but long enough and richly detailed enough to immerse yourself in. All the tales are united by the intensely sensual yet charged Hawaiian setting. Even though you must part with one main character to meet the next, you sit with the land, sea, and culture and get to know it throughout the whole col- lection. A note: Kakimoto weaves a substantial amount of ‘Olelo Hawai’i 519-273-1633 @) Franklin E. Hinz 196 Ontario Street, Stratford Some of the stories in this collection are realistic. Take Madwomen, in which a haggard single mom tells her six- year-old son an embellished legend to scare him into be- having. In others, folk tales and reality blur the lines: a (Hawaiian language) into the text. For some, this may be distracting. For others, the language will lend tremen- dous authenticity to the stories. Keep your Google Trans- late handy!