2016 National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award Finalists Announced

BOSTON, Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national leader in the movement to make compassion a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction, has selected six finalists from across the U.S. for the 2016 National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year (NCCY) Award. These finalists represent healthcare professionals who make a profound difference through their unmatched dedication to compassionate, collaborative care.

From these six finalists, the 2016 award recipient will be announced on Nov. 15, 2016 at the 21^st Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner in Boston. More than 2,000 healthcare leaders, caregivers and patients are expected to attend.

The award is a national recognition program that celebrates excellence in compassionate healthcare. Since 1999, the Schwartz Center has honored outstanding healthcare professionals who display extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families. Finalists are chosen by a national review committee, which includes past award recipients, in collaboration with representatives from the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association.

"We are thrilled to honor this year's remarkable caregivers as the 2016 NCCY Award finalists. Their dedication to engaging patients and families with respect, dignity and compassion is immeasurable; they truly encompass what compassionate care really is," said Julie Rosen, executive director of the Schwartz Center.

The 2016 NCCY Award finalists are:

• Randi Kaplan, LMSW, of Montefiore Health System in Bronx, N.Y., a social worker and the director and co-founder of the Arthur D. Emil Caregiver Support Center at Montefiore, the first and only medical center in New York City to offer families and friends of patients emotional support, practical assistance and comfort as they navigate the stress, anxieties and challenges of providing care to a loved one. "The word I hear most about Randi from caregivers, patients and staff is angel," said a colleague. "Randi works with her heart – it is like having your oldest, most trusted friend next to you during your greatest time of need."
• Shieva Khayam-Bashi, MD, of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco, Calif., a doctor and medical director of the hospital's long-term care facility and preceptor for the Foundations of Patient Care course to UCSF medical students, she delivers guidance and support to her patients, students and colleagues. "Dr. Khayam-Bashi's loving spirit and compassionate essence provide sustenance to her patients, inspiration to her medical students, and motivation to her colleagues," said a colleague. "Her commitment to compassionate care remains unmatched, unwavering and resolute."
• David Pascoe, MA, BCC, of Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, an interfaith chaplain with specialty training in pediatrics and palliative care/hospice. "Through both his professional and personal values and practice, David has demonstrated great regard for the human spirit," said a colleague. "Staff from all disciplines know that at times of impending death, critical news or decision-making regarding our young patients, one of the most valuable resources they can offer a family is to call David."
• Allissa Randazzo, BSN, RN, of Aspen House Memory Care Assisted Living in Loveland, Colo., a nurse who cares for severely cognitively impaired residents in an assisted living home. "When providing care for people with dementia, it is easy to lose sight of the human being who is lost in a world of confusion and lashes out in fear and anger as a result," said a family member of residents. "Allissa never lost sight of our parents as complete human beings who had led full and interesting lives. She treated them sensitively and with great respect even in challenging situations."
• Vincent Waite, MD, MPH, of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Mass., a doctor and mentor with a decades-long commitment to the poor, homeless and medically underserved in both Lawrence, Mass. and Ghana, where he has taught medical students and physician residents. "With a quiet, respectful demeanor, Dr. Waite meets patients where they are, without judgment, whether their struggles are with drug use, mental health issues, post-traumatic stress and abuse, poverty, or not uncommonly all of these things together. From that groundwork of respect, he builds a collaborative and therapeutic relationship," said a colleague.
• The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) in Columbus, Ohio, a dedicated team of individuals caring for cancer patients and their families. "The team spirit on this floor was seamless and we were privileged to experience this outstanding care," said a former patient's spouse. "Not only did they save my husband's life, but they did it as an outstanding and multi-layered team. We will never forget the truly astonishing and heart-filled care that we experienced in the OSUCCC - James MICU."  

"By honoring these special caregivers, we hope to share the immense difference they are making in their communities and beyond, and to illustrate the impact of compassion as a vital element of the patient-caregiver interaction," said Ruth Kilduff, RN, chair, Integro USA and Schwartz Center board chair.

The award recipient will receive a $5,000 monetary prize, and the five finalists will receive $1,000 each.

The NCCY Award is made possible through the generous support of Modern Healthcare, the media sponsor of this year's award.

More information about the award and dinner is available at theschwartzcenter.org/award.

About the NCCY Award

The Schwartz Center's National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year (NCCY) Award is a national recognition program that elevates excellence in compassionate healthcare. Since 1999, the Schwartz Center has honored caregivers who embody the characteristics of compassionate care, which include effective communication, emotional support, mutual trust and respect, the involvement of families in healthcare decisions, and treating patients as people, not just illnesses. Award finalists are chosen by a national review committee, which includes past award recipients, in collaboration with representatives from the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association. Visit theschwartzcenter.org/award for award details.

About the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare

Established in 1995, the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a leader in the movement to make compassion a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction, was founded on the belief that greater compassion and more meaningful collaboration are fundamental to the kind of care clinicians want to deliver and patients want to receive.

The Schwartz Center is an independent, non-profit organization, with more than 550 organizational members in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, supporting 200,000 healthcare professionals each year. Schwartz Center members rely on programs, education and resources to support clinician well-being, enhance the quality of care, enable better outcomes and create a more positive and rewarding experience for all members of the care team, patients and their families. The innovative Schwartz Rounds^TM unites caregivers from a range of disciplines to share experiences, learn from each other and focus on the human dimension of medicine. The Center's Annual Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference (compassioninactionconference.org) will bring together clinicians, patients and families, health system leadership and others to advance a common goal of delivering more compassionate, collaborative care.

To help patients and family members acknowledge caregivers who epitomize the qualities of compassionate care the Schwartz Center established the Honor Your Caregiver program. Through its National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award, the Center celebrates healthcare professionals who display extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families.

Visit us at theschwartzcenter.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150320/183484LOGO

SOURCE The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare

Related Links

http://www.theschwartzcenter.org