7 minute read
MSH HEROES
You won’t see MSH Heroes in capes or costumes however, you will see them walking the halls of the hospital every day. Our heroes save lives, combat illness and go above and beyond to provide compassionate care to our patients, and even more so now during the COVID-19 pandemic. MSH Heroes have been recognized by a grateful patient, family, peer or community supporter and honoured with a donation to support exceptional patient care close to home. Here’s to 30 more years of heroes making a difference!
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Rona McKey
Registered nurse
Rona McKey is one of the original staff of the hospital. It’s been 30 years since MSH opened its doors, and Rona was here from the beginning. In fact, she joined the hospital two months before it opened in March 1990.
“I was part of an amazing team of 13 nurses, from nine different hospitals,” she says. “We came together along with five obstetricians, three anaesthetists, 12 family doctors and support staff to build a family birthing unit that provided exceptional care to our growing community.”
She has since welcomed countless babies into the world. “It’s a privilege to be a part of someone’s most precious moments,” she says. “I’ve been fortunate to see some of these babies graduate and return to MSH as nurses and physicians.”
Since those early days, Rona has diversified her career. Today she is an operating room nurse, extending her care and compassion to surgical patients. “I value my role in easing the stress and anxieties associated with the surgical experience.”
Rona’s dedication has shaped multiple projects and programs
at MSH. For this, she has been honoured with a gift of thanks through an MSH Heroes donation. “Rona puts her whole heart into her work,” notes a former colleague. “She has a wealth of knowledge and is happy to share. My final year of work was a pleasure because I got to work most of my shifts with Rona.”
Rona’s contributions extend beyond the hospital. Since moving to Markham in 1988 she has received numerous commendations, including an award from the mayor for her volunteerism. However, to be recognized as an MSH Hero, she says, is something very special.
“To know this recognition comes from someone whom I admire and have aspired to emulate in my nursing practice exceeds even the heartfelt gratitude I’ve felt with each birth announcement I’ve been named in, each expression of thanks, or nomination received. I am genuinely honoured,” Rona says.
“I am thrilled to know my contributions have an impact. I will always stand for the golden rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ Then, everyone is a hero.”
Dr. Paul Lokoff
Chief of Anaesthesia
Dr. Paul Lokoff’s ties to MSH run deep. Fresh from the University of Toronto, Dr. Lokoff was working in Southern California when he got the call to join MSH. Missing Canada, he left the sunny beaches for what was back then a tiny hospital in a cornfield and never looked back.
Starting out on day one in 1990, Dr. Lokoff was one of only three anaesthesiologists. Today, as the long-time Chief of Anaesthesia, he has been instrumental in growing a dedicated team of highly talented anaesthesiologists.
Dr. Lokoff has marked many personal and professional milestones over the last 30 years. With the help of fellow staff, he learned to ballroom dance in the hospital auditorium the week before his wedding which was attended by many of his colleagues. And his son was born at the hospital — and is now a resident in anaesthesia.
“MSH has been a huge part of my life,” he says. He considers himself extremely fortunate to be a founding member of such a uniquely supportive and patient-focused culture. And he’s developed many friendships that he deeply values. So much so that his generous colleagues and friends recently recognized him with an MSH Heroes donation through the MSH Foundation.
Dr. Lokoff is very proud of the leading role that anaesthesiologists have played in the evolution of care at MSH. One important initiative is the acute pain service developed 20 years ago, in response to the increasing complexity of post-operative pain. This leading-edge work also led to the development of an opioid reduction strategy at MSH. “With the devastating consequences of the opioid crisis, our team has made a multitude of changes to minimize or eliminate opioid use,” says Dr. Lokoff.
He continues to wear many hats, as a department chief, educator and clinician. And in each of these roles, what he shares with fellow MSH Heroes is an intense focus on the patient.
“I truly enjoy looking after a nervous child, a sick patient or a labouring patient in pain — and doing my best to make their experience the best it can be.”
Liz Lalingo
Patient care director of medicine
Elizabeth (Liz) Lalingo remembers the early days at MSH fondly. She joined the team two months before the hospital opened its doors. That makes her one of the original staff — those who have shaped the evolution of the hospital for more than 30 years.
It also means that, during those first two months back in 1990, she did everything from writing procedural policies to helping to outfit rooms with equipment.
“It was a great way to start. You create relationships very early on. Not just with staff, but at all levels of the organization. The bonds you develop from day one are very unique.”
Elizabeth was born in Richmond Hill and studied in Toronto. When she heard that a new hospital was being built in Markham, she leapt at the chance, recognizing a rare opportunity to help build something amazing.
She began her career as a respiratory therapist and is now patient care director of medicine, a role that comes with a portfolio of responsibilities that seems impossibly vast. It includes critical care, access and flow, respiratory therapy, palliative care, complex continuing care, Alternate Level of Care and the Integrated Stroke Unit. She also oversees many of the teams who care for COVID-19 patients and has been instrumental in leading the creation of several hospital clinics.
As her career developed at the hospital — with some time off to raise her three children, all born at MSH — she eagerly embraced opportunities to expand her expertise, taking on multiple projects in addition to her daily duties. How does she do it all? “You have to be very well organized and have a great team. And I’m lucky to have a great administrative assistant, too.”
The grateful family member who recognized Elizabeth to be an MSH Hero with a gift of gratitude stated: “I’m sure Liz is a very busy person but when she was working to help my mother it felt like we were her only priority.”
Elizabeth is humbled by those words. “I really do believe that patient care comes first and it doesn’t matter what else is on your plate. We’re here for our patients and their families. And whatever I can do to help them, big or small, I will make that my priority. I feel that it’s just my job, and yet somebody felt that I made a difference in their lives… that is really special.”
Meet the winners of MSH’s Honoured to Care Awards
The Honoured to Care Awards were created in 2018 to recognize our staff, physicians, and volunteers for going above and beyond in living our values of respect, trust, commitment, compassion and courage.
The 2019/2020 winners are:
1. RESPECT – Silva Nercessian
Manager, Emergency Department (nominated in her previous role as manager of integrated risk management)
2. TRUST – Lizette Almodal Patient registration clerk
3. COMMITMENT – Suzanne Vanderlip
Professional practice leader
4. COMPASSION – Jennifer Muir
Social worker, outpatient mental health
5. COURAGE – Rosemarie Ramirez
Registered nurse, cardiology and medicine
If there is a special staff, volunteer, nurse, doctor or an everyday hero who made a difference in your life, recognize them by giving a gift of gratitude at mshheroes.ca.
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