Go......Red Sox! Go......Food and Nutrition team!



Front row (Left to Right) Emi Rizik, Maria Petkiewich, Yuko Gosselin, Herb Rukin, Rose Noseworthy, Diane Cushing,
Rich Delacy
Back row: James Tuson, Betty De la Cruz, Jason Surette

I am going to be honest, I love the Boston Red Sox! Not based on how well they play, but it is the team spirit displayed by the team and most importantly by all Bostonians that makes me fall in love with the team. One can truly understand why we are called Red Sox Nation in Boston. You can walk around Boston and you will see everyone proudly wearing their Red Sox gear. You could go to any event, whether at someone's home or at a business meeting, and the Boston Red Sox somehow will always be in the conversation. When the team wins, everyone comes to work motivated. When the team loses, everyone feels depleted.

I couldn't help but feel this is the best team spirit that a team could display. A sense of belonging, pride and unity. I felt these feelings are similar at the Food and Nutrition department at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. Recently, our team won the Spirit of Sodexo NorAm award, which is the highest honor in Sodexo North America. We also achieved a Tier 1 result, which is the highest score in the recent Hospital’s employee engagement survey.

When you walk into the department, everyone has the same goal: providing exceptional service to our patients, visitors and colleagues and there is a sense of pride, belonging and unity in the department.

I am proud to work with my team here at Lahey. Recently, Maria Petkiewich, a Jazzman's staff member submitted the below compliment about our director in Lahey's Above and Beyond page, which is a colleague recognition program at Lahey:

"Not Just My Boss, Also My Friend!
I want to thank Linda Clay. This September, the Food and Nutrition Department won the the award for being the "Best Team in North America." My colleagues in the department are very good workers, but Linda makes us be the best we can be! Under her leadership, we became not only a "team," but also a family. We work well together, not just for our paycheck, but to make the patients and visitors know that Lahey Hospital & Medical Center is a very special place. We have a wonderful role model in Linda. Whenever I have a concern or problem, she tries to solve it immediately. Every day, when I come into work, I try to be like Linda. I want to congratulate and thank her from the bottom of my heart. She is not just my boss, she is my friend!"

Exemplary service really starts from the top. I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize Linda, the Food and Nutrition management team, and all colleagues in the Food and Nutrition department for making everyday a better day for all those you served.

Go Red Sox! Go Team!

Patients are the heart of everything we do.......

Patients are the heart of everything we do……

Have you ever heard the phrase, “do what you love and you will never work a day?” I always wonder if this is just another cliché or if there is some truth to it? Perhaps it is just another one of those “pick me up” lines when one needs some motivation. I started to look around and found my inspiration in two of my colleagues in the Environmental Services department- Irene Camacho and Gustainvil Lozius.

Irene Camacho, supervisor in the Environmental Services department has been working at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center for 21 years. She comes to work everyday with a smile and a positive attitude. Last week I got a call from her. She sounded so happy and excited and I had to tell her to calm down so I could understand her. She told me she was checking her floor and came across a patient who needed assistance to scratch her back. She offered to help the patient. The patient was so shocked when she realized Irene works in the Environmental Services department and she will help the patient even though it is not part of her job. Irene told the patient that it is her job to take care of the patient and she is more than happy to assist the patient whenever she can. The patient told Irene that this is the first time the patient is admitted at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center and she is very impressed with the hospital and everyone who works here. Irene was so happy to hear the compliment about the hospital and it just made her day. When I saw Irene later, she still had a smile on her face. The smile of satisfaction and happiness.

Gustainvil Lozius, “Gus”, linen handler and turndown service attendant has been working at the hospital for 8 years now. He also comes to me each day with a smile of satisfaction on his face and I enjoy hearing the story about “his patients”. Due to patient privacy, he did not share patient information with me. Just brief information on how he makes a difference in the patient’s day by making them smile, assisting them with their needs or when a patient told him they missed him and hope to see him again the next day. We receive compliments from patients almost once a week on Gus. A few days ago, a patient called down to the office to compliment Gus and told our administrative assistant she believes he’s the one that helped her make it through her surgery! I went up to see the patient with Gus to thank the patient for her recognition. When we left, the patient asked Gus “Will you come back to see me later?” .The patient already missed Gus.

I believe the stories from these two individuals provide me with the answer. It is indeed true that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. You make a difference for everyone you serve and take joy and satisfaction just by looking at their smile.

Thank you Irene and Gus! Thank you for putting patients at the heart of everything we do…..

Irene Camacho and Gustainvil Lozius