This year’s Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) Week, held October 25 to 29, highlighted employees who actively demonstrated acts of empowerment — speaking up and promoting change to provide better care for patients and a better work environment for colleagues.
To recognize empowered employees, Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) held the annual Patient Advocacy Awards. Staff could nominate their peers, submitting exemplary stories of exceptional patient care and advocacy. This year, staff gathered to honor 10 employees, recognized for everything from comforting a patient during a stressful procedure to providing access to vaccinations to patients who were unable to leave their homes. Michael N. Braffman, MD, chair of Medicine, who retired in October, received a Lifetime Patient Advocate Award for his 35-year career in patient care.
“The pandemic has made things challenging, but our staff still found time to recognize their peers for the amazing work they do each and every day,” said Cassandra A. Cisneros, MHA, CPXP, director of Patient Experience. “These stories bring us all together and showcase how impactful employee engagement can be.”
In addition to the award ceremony, PAH scheduled an assortment of festivities for staff. Kicking off the week was a “Welcome to Work” breakfast in the Elm Garden, followed by a night shift celebration with cookies and a photo booth. PAH provided live music, performed by the Fralinger String Band, and a pumpkin-carving competition, along with games and prizes. PMX Week also emphasized employee wellness, holding massage therapy sessions and a de-stress event with pet therapy.
“Despite all the barriers we’ve faced these past two years from the pandemic, our staff continued to strongly advocate for our patients and each other, truly embodying the PMX theme,” said Cisneros.
Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s Patient Advocacy Awards:
Ghada Alhaj, BS, RDMS
Donna Cartwright, BSN, RN
Paul Cunningham, MS, RD, LDN
Justine Devito, BSN, RN, nurse
Chaplain Brian Dunlop, M. Div.
Robert R. McCarthy III, BSN, RN
Donna Quinn
Jamileh Saleh, MS
Teresa Smink, RN, MSN, OCN
Karen Stillwell, MSN, RN