When many of us are leaving work for the day or weekend, nurses of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal are on duty to ensure patients are cared for and safe.
From May 8 to May 16, nurses were thanked for their dedication during National Nurses Week celebrations.
“It’s a time to say thank you for the hard work that the nurses do with patients every day, around the clock,”said Marisa Carnevale, Head Nurse of the JGH Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. “Patients do thank us, but this is time for the administration to turn around to say thank you and recognize their daily efforts.”
Events were organized at many CIUSSS sites, including the Plaza Site, Jewish General Hospital (JGH), Catherine Booth Hospital, Info-Santé, Mount-Sinai Hospital and CLSCs Parc-Extension, Côte-des-Neiges, René-Cassin and Métro.
At the JGH, staff members gathered for a barbeque on May 9. The Beat 92.5 played a mix of pop songs while attendees munched on hotdogs and chips under a clear blue sky.
“I had been checking the weather a week leading up to this event and this is the nicest day we could have had,” said Dominic Labranche, Associate Director of Nursing at the JGH, who helped organize the event. “I’m pleased with the turnout. It’s very important to recognize the involvement of the nursing units.”
The hospital also organized a breakfast for nurses on the night shift, and a dinner for those on the evening shift, with both events taking place in the Atrium.
On May 10 at the participating CLSCs and Info-Santé, cake, fruits and coffee were served to nurses at different times throughout the day. Catherine Booth also set up a photo booth for staff to come away with a souvenir from Nurses Week.
“The acknowledgement we get from patients, we take pride in that,” says Georgia Papadopoulos, Assistant Head Nurse at CLSC de Parc-Extension. “We’re doing this because nursing is our passion.”
The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Nursing Department showed appreciation to staff with a special breakfast, lunch and dinner for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and PABs on May 16.
The meals were organized as a joint collaboration between Head Nurses Fruan Tabamo, Ryan Bissesar and Judith Marchessault as well as Administrative Technician Sophie DeVito from the Nursing Department.
Mr. Bissesar sought out food donations from popular Montreal eateries Snowdon Deli, Cheskie’s Bakery and Montreal Kosher. The Mount Sinai Foundation also generously provided funding for the treats as well as takeaway gifts for staff. Some lucky staff members won raffle prizes including gift certificates to Scores restaurants and flowering plants.
