2021 Wellness Champions
Olivia Mitchell, Discharge Planner
Olivia has made a personal commitment to health and fitness over the last few years, which has allowed her to make positive changes in her life. She exercises daily, both through using her rowing machine and also by taking her dog Doug for an hour walk every evening.
She uses inclusive language when discussing her fitness and health practices, and encourages others to engage in activities that give them fulfilment. She is an avid cook, and tries and shares recipes that use tasty and healthy ingredients.
She is also a champion for change on the unit, having supportive conversations with staff and patients around smoking cessation. She stopped smoking nearly two years ago and recognizes how hard a change like that is.
She checks in with the front-line staff and makes sure that they are supported and have the chance to take their breaks.
We are lucky to have such an amazing person in our midst and on our team.
Olivia started a health and fitness journey a couple of years ago and has since made significant health and wellness changes/improvements for herself, physically and mentally. She is consistent, healthy and upbeat. Is open and honest with her lifestyle changes when people approach her and ask how she has done it all throughout this pandemic.
Olivia is a great nominee for Wellness. She is also a great RN, an asset to our unit, for staff and our patient population.
Nancy Chapman, Supervisor
I am nominating Nancy Chapman as a wellness Champion because she is one! Nancy is mindful in all aspects of her life to ensure that consideration is made for the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of herself and those around her.
Nancy leads by example, always trying new ways to stay active, living life to its fullest, trying new things and meal prep. She encourages others by sharing recipes, ideas for staying active and her experiences. She runs marathons, bikes, snowshoes, skates, paddleboards, practices yoga and reiki. She loves hearing about others’ activities, upcoming plans and adventures. Nancy is motivating and others are drawn to her as everyone embraces her calmness, and feels better after being with her.
Nancy is thoughtful, sincere and positive. The joke in DI is that she always sprinkles her fairy dust on today’s issues, problems or events and makes these challenges feel less like obstacles. We are always asking Nancy to get out her fairy dust!
Nancy’s decision-making always includes the emotional well-being of others and she works to ensure good outcomes with consideration to quality of life. Conversations, coffee breaks and time spent with Nancy ensures positivity and most often will include her sharing her passion for life, healthy lifestyle and her grounding perspective. She is a motivating and safe place to land when you need inspiration to get through the challenges of your day.
Covid cancelled many marathons, biking trips and treks for Nancy. Rather than dwell on the loss, she embraced the positive of online classes, podcasts and enjoyed the activities available in our northern landscape even more.
Thank you for consideration of Nancy as SAH’s wellness champion!!
Ladia Troverllo, Office Assistant
Since returning to work Ladia has encouraged me to go for walks every lunch period that we possibly can. I have been able to meet my “step” goal every day because of this.
Marissa Lobert, Registered Nurse
Not only does Marissa pick up extra overtime to help her coworkers, but she also bikes to and from work.
She encourages people to be their best selves not just physically but as an overall caring person (who will remember your birthday and bake you cookies).
I think she is very deserving of this title!
Pam Kennedy, Registered Nurse
Pam is always trying new adventurous activities to improve her health and well-being. Pam is always the first to show support and companionship to anyone who wishes to engage in the same activities. She has a positive outlook on health and is always looking for her next activity to conquer.
She was recently featured in Soo this Week (Sept 8th) as a “trail runner’, and she has done several long-distance runs for charity over the years and she enjoys encouraging more activity in her co-workers and friends.
Pam also took part in growing her own garden this year at her new home and even took up canning her own vegetables. She is always sharing recipes with friends and coworkers to inspire healthy eating.
She is a lovely example of what a Wellness Champion should demonstrate.
Shirley Pulkkinen, Social Worker
Shirley is a true champion of wellness in the many facets of life. Shirley is a positive and supportive colleague to all. Shirley promotes wellness through her work on the SAH joint health and safety committee, participation in various wellness committee initiatives including the commute to work challenge, and in her communication to others. Shirley encourages her patients and others in her life to focus on physical, mental, workplace, and individual wellness.
Shirley is a well-rounded champion of wellness and very deserving of this title. We are so fortunate to have Shirley here at SAH and she is one individual who helps make this organization a great place to work.
Corey Murphy, Pharmacy Technician
Corey practices mindfulness and meditation and has a lot of insight into multiple wellness topics. He is kind and has offered me advice and guidance with regards to my own mindfulness practise on multiple occasions.
He has motivated me to explore mindfulness as a way of coping with stress and mental health and I have seen positive changes in myself because of his motivation and guidance.
I am grateful for his knowledge and for his friendship.
Shannen Scott, Addictions Counsellor
Shannen consistently models an exceptionally healthy lifestyle in her free time and in her work environment. She is extremely disciplined and creates time for health and fitness before and after work, daily, regardless of external factors. Shannen is a runner, dog walker, and functional training enthusiast.
In her professional life, Shannen has helped develop programming for A New Day that includes a variety of wellness activities, helping to teach her clients how to make significant changes in their mental & physical health. This has been extremely successful and feedback consistently reflects how valuable these health and wellness skills are to her client demographic.
As a psychotherapist, Shannen epitomizes how to prioritize your mental and physical health. Her passion for wellness is contagious and motivates everyone around her, including personal, professional, and client relationships. She is an ideal candidate as a Wellness Champion and reflects the discipline, consistency and motivation we could all aspire to achieve in our own lives.
Dr. Adam Parent, ER Physican
Dr. Parent or Adam, as he asks all staff to call him, is constantly promoting staff wellness. This carries over to patient wellness, as he creates an environment of kindness and empathy.
He has started “feel Good Friday” where every Friday he has a trivia question and then gives out a prize to the winner. He includes anyone who walks through the department. This is just one of the ways he promotes happiness and wellness. He is always smiling (as seen through his eyes while his mask is on) and he makes people feel better by just being present. He definitely leads by example, carrying a positive attitude that is infectious to all.
He is definitely our department Wellness Champion and every day I work with him is a great day!!
Tracey Devuono, Registered Nurse
Consistently positive and encourages others to be positive.
Participates in regular physical activity for health.
Active in her religion.
Eats well and nutritiously.
Practices moderation in alcohol.
Really just a person who brings out the best in others.
Lyndsey Oesch, Patient Flow Supervisor
-exercises daily
-takes time for self-care
-makes hard decisions for her own happiness
-motivates friends to maintain a healthy lifestyle
-maintains a healthy diet
Jane Denley, Registered Cardiology Technologist
If there is one person to be recognized for the hard work she portrays throughout her life it is Jane Denley. Jane is 6* years old and works part-time in our department but works close to if not full-time work hours. Jane never refuses a shift and is always the first to help us out when short. Aside from her hard work at SAH, she continues to be a role model for someone young like me with the dedication to her healthy habits outside of work.
Whether it’s a 7 AM shift or a 3 PM evening shift one of Jane’s passions/favourite past time is going swimming at the community pool in Goulais or on Goulais River close to home. She will never miss a day of physical activity no matter how busy her day is and you bet she will be out there rain or shine. As Jane would say “it’s raining anyway I might as well swim!”.
Not to mention the pandemic never stopped her. When Jane saw the pool in Goulais was closed in the winter due to Covid she went ahead to order Concept 2 rower and continues to keep crushing her 10,000m rowing time every day in her Canada-wide category! Jane is a true inspiration to me and others as someone we would value learning lessons from throughout our young adult years and who I would hope to aspire to be one day when I am her age.
Aside from working at SAH and her own physical goals she is always on the hunt for a new home project/renovation. Whether it’s redoing an area within her house or her rental house doing some basic building work which she often does (she teaches herself many projects also), to her current project of building herself a beautiful gazebo to read in after her workouts, this lady never stops!!
Jane your positivity and bright spirit shines bright also! Jane is the perfect candidate for this award/recognition as her #1 value in life is her healthy habits/lifestyle! It never goes unnoticed amongst your fellow coworkers!
Renee Gouge, Team Leader
Leads by example. Also promotes a positive work environment. Goes out of her way to both educate and foster a true team mentality during this very stressful period as we deal with the pandemic and the challenges involved as front-line workers.
Samantha Forbes, Registered Nurse
Sam inspires me by always putting her health first. She enjoys running long distances, biking, weight lifting among many other activities. She was featured as a “trail runner” in Soo this week on Sept 8th. She makes her health a top priority in her life. She is always seeking new marathons to get involved in and even completed a triathlon last year.
She is always encouraging her friends and coworkers to treat their physical wellness as an important part of our health. She takes nutrition very seriously and has a keen eye for finding healthy snacks and meals that are wholesome and nourishing.
Coworkers are always interested to see what’s in Sam’s lunch. She is well-rounded in health and wellness and is a great example of what a Wellness Champion should be.
