Hilda-Gail Achampong: UMass Memorial's First-Ever Bee Award Winner!

Over one-hundred fifty UMass Memorial caregivers were nominated for the 2023 Bee Award. And the first ever presentation of the Award, which stands for “Be Exceptional Everyday,” was made to Hilda Achampong, a SHARE member and PCA on the South 6 nursing floor on the Memorial campus of our hospital.

A couple dozen hospital administrators, nurse educators, and others came to South 6, where Hilda works, bringing flowers, pizza, and cupcakes to celebrate with staff on the floor. The award recognizes outstanding work going above and beyond to support patients and exemplify standards of respect. Justin Precourt, UMass Memorial’s Chief Nursing Officer, and Nurse Manager Lori Peasley presented Hilda with the award.

Hilda responded graciously, saying, “We work as a team here.”

““Hilda-Gail is an exceptional example of teamwork, respect, and safety. A patient was mentally escalating with frustrations. The patient had a language barrier (ASL primarily preferred). Hilda-Gail spent the day ensuring a safe environment for this patient and communicating not only with an interpreter but sharing written messages back and forth in the room. As the patient began to escalate, she acted quickly and thoughtfully to ensure safety for all involved parties! We see you, Hilda-Gail!” ”

— Natalie Dellecese, Nurse Educator, in her Bee award nomination of Hilda-Gail Achampong

SHARE is happy to recognize the meaningful work that PCAs do every day throughout our hospital, including South 6. And we are especially excited now to celebrate you, Hilda, on receiving this well-deserved award. Congratulations!

Hilda-Gail Achampong (center), shown with South 6 PCA Teammates Chris Franklin (left) and Hellen Itemere (right)

Janet Wilder, SHARE Lead Organizer, Wins Cushing-Gavin Award

This December, the Cushing-Gavin Awards (CGA) recognizes SHARE’s own lead organizer, Janet Wilder, for her accomplishments. This recognition is a high honor -- the most respected labor award in our region -- and highlights Janet’s decades of dedication to the well-being of SHARE members.  Although this year’s award ceremony was, for safety reasons, held virtually, Janet brought the warmth and dedication of SHARE members, organizers, and union reps into this year’s award presentation as she described SHARE members’ efforts in the past year. 

Janet Wilder, SHARE Organizer, holding her Cushing-Gavin Award plaque. Established in 1967, the CGA represents a crowning achievement of a life’s work of labor activism. Janet’s leadership, perseverance, and compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic mirrors the commitment she’s shown for workers since helping to organize our union’s beginnings in 1997. 

About the Cushing Gavin Award

Every year the CGA celebrates four awardees: one labor leader, one labor attorney, one management leader, and a neutral/arbitrator. The CGA Ceremony (which is typically a gala dinner event) is hosted by The Labor Guild, part of the Archdiocese of Boston, an organization that aims to provide training, assistance, and recognition to those in the labor-management fields. Janet was selected as the labor leader winner for this year’s 54th annual prize. Describing the occasion in her acceptance speech, Janet said the CGA event is a place where we can “recommit ourselves” to the labor movement and this work.

The Importance of Healthcare Workers

Throughout her acceptance, Janet described the changing and often overwhelming conditions since the onset of COVID-19. Janet and her co-workers on the SHARE team at UMass Memorial organize healthcare workers in over one hundred different roles -- roles that, as Janet points out, tend to be overlooked by the press when describing those who are essential to hospitals.

Partnership Matters

Janet also described SHARE’s Labor Management Partnership with UMass Memorial as a crucial tool for making sure SHARE members have a say in how their workplace functions. When direct caregivers participate in the design of healthcare, it leads to better outcomes for all, especially patients. (Besides, as UMass Memorial Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Bart Metzger put it in his congratulatory remarks to Janet: “There’s no business case for adversarialism.”) SHARE’s strategic partnership with the hospital aligns with the overall aims of the CGA and The Labor Guild to “foster a healthy labor-management climate.” 

Janet’s devotion to true collaboration and collective problem-solving has changed the lives of many of us in Central Massachusetts. We’re grateful for her, and proud that she represents all of us with this recognition. Congratulations, Janet, and to everyone in the SHARE community! 

Congratulations to Our Union's Latest Scholarship Winner

Liam with SHARE Organizer Carol Hehir. The Scholarships are typically awarded during the annual Central Massachusetts Labor Day Breakfast. Since the breakfast is cancelled this year for social distancing reasons, Carol took the celebration on the road.

Congratulations to Liam Foskett, who recently received the $1000 Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship, a prize awarded to select rising college students in AFSCME families. Liam’s mother, Nancy Foskett, is a SHARE member in the HIM department.

Liam recently graduated from South High. This Fall, he will begin at Westfield State College, where he plans to major in English. Liam was required to write an essay about Labor History in his scholarship application, and he is grateful to all of the union members who have made this scholarship possible.

Keep your eye on the SHARE blog over the coming school year for more #scholarships. For other educational opportunities, including the ongoing AFSCME Free College program, check out posts tagged #education.

SHARE Member Jackie Rodriguez Receives AFSCME International "Never Quit" Award

Jackie Rodriguez is a SHARE member in Pathology at UMass Memorial. In December, Jackie was recognized by our parent union, AFSCME, with a “Never Quit Service Award” for the work she does to help patients get accurate test results as quickly as possible. Click here for a short video of Jackie talking about her life, her work, and her union.

Jackie has been taking advantage of the hospital’s Lean training. Below, you can check out the poster she made describing her Green Belt project. By developing a smart standard process for slide management and storage, she’s getting rid of unneeded frustrations for herself and her co-workers, and helping to provide efficient care to patients who need it.

Anticoagulation Clinic Receives Josie King Award

We are very happy to let you know that the UMass Memorial Anticoagulation Team was awarded the Josie King Hero Award. The Award is given to those who work hard to create a culture of Patient Safety by listening to the patients and their families, encouraging them to speak up and ask questions, quickly catching and correcting potential hazards, and improving team work.

On February 22, 2001, eighteen-month old Josie King died from medical errors. Over 250,000 people die every year from medical errors, making it the third leading cause of death in the United States. The Josie King Foundation’s mission is to prevent others from dying or being harmed by medical errors. By uniting healthcare providers and consumers, and funding innovative safety programs, we hope to create a culture of patient safety, together.

Congratulations Anticoagulation Team! This is a wonderful honor, and we’re very happy to see your important work recognized.

Congratulations to all of the SHARE members and their colleagues in UMass Memorial’s Anticoagulation Team!