At its annual Compassionate Caregiver Award event held recently, two members of Emerson Hospital's clinical team were honored for their devotion to patients and for consistently providing outstanding care. Nominated by their colleagues, Gerald Malkin, DDS, anesthesiologist, and Vicki Mihalek, RN in the interventional radiology department, were chosen by their colleagues to receive Emerson's highest honor for patient care.
Dr. Malkin's colleagues described him as, "an outstanding clinician and person who handles his role with expertise and finesse." One peer said that he is, "the pillar of our anesthesiology department who has a special knack for working with children." Another described him as, "an excellent teacher and clinician. He has a youthful energy and passion and he is every surgeon's first choice for anesthesia."
A resident of Acton, Dr. Malkin has been an anesthesiologist at Emerson since 1984.
"I am humbled to receive this award," said Dr. Malkin. "Every day I see compassionate care all over the hospital - each person on our team provides special care to patients. That is why people come to Emerson - for the compassionate care."
Vicki Mihalek's colleagues wrote that she, "consistently goes above and beyond for our oncology patients." "She puts patients first every single time, making the unbearable - bearable." Vicki's daughter, Kelly Flynn, herself a nurse at Emerson, spoke about her mother's "empathetic, selfless and determined" approach with her patients. "She gives one-hundred percent of her heart. Every decision, thought and task is for her patients."
A resident of Hudson, Vicki has been a nurse at Emerson since 1978.
"I come to work eager to care for my patients and their families," explains Vicki." I am grateful to have had a long career at Emerson in which I can make a difference in the lives of many people who need care."
“Dr. Malkin and Vicki embody compassionate care," said Christine Schuster, president and CEO of Emerson Hospital "They both put patients at the center of all they do. Our entire community is honored to have them on our team.”
Emerson Hospital's annual Compassionate Caregiver Award was established in 2004 and recognizes compassionate care as exemplified by the late Terry Croteau, a social worker at Emerson who made an exceptional difference in the lives of her patients and co-workers. All hospital employees, medical staff and volunteers involved in caring for patients and their families are eligible to receive the coveted award.
The concept for the award grew out of Emerson’s involvement in the Boston-based Kenneth B. Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care. The Terry Croteau Compassionate Caregiver Award is sponsored by Emerson’s Schwartz Rounds Committee, which recognizes and supports those who provide exceptional patient care in their daily practice, and the Berry Supporting Foundation. Jon Dubois, MD, Mass General Cancer Center at Emerson Hospital - Bethke and chair of the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care Rounds at Emerson, presented the awards to the recipients. Members of the Emerson community, family members and patients were in the audience.
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Emerson Hospital is a multi-site health system headquartered in Concord, Mass., with additional facilities in Sudbury, Groton and Westford. The 179-bed hospital provides advanced medical services to more than 300,000 individuals in 25 towns. To learn more, visit www.emersonhospital.org.
