New award recognizes behind-the-scenes staff at Mott and Von Voigtlander

A new award celebrates staff members in C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital who go above and beyond in their job descriptions to positively impact the patient and family experience.

The Unsung Heroes and Heroines Award was designed and generously donated by a former patient, Cara Rosaen, and her mother, Jane Dutton. Cara and her son, Gus, were admitted to Mott and Von Voigtlander in 2018 after a complicated and high-risk birth and recovery. The award is inspired by the staff members across 21 different departments within the children’s and women’s hospitals who provided care to the family and made them feel seen, heard and safe.

“The hospital is full of exceptional individuals who make a positive difference in the lives of patients and families every day,” Rosaen said. “These interactions come in many different forms and can range from a hospital cleaner who smiles and asks if there is anything else that needs attention, to a medical assistant that works to make the patient’s experience gentle, to a security guard or receptionist who makes the extra effort to quell people’s fears. These individuals understand that there is no action too small to make a difference in the patient’s and family’s experience. The acts of kindness and care make patients and families feel more at home and make their experience more humane.”

The family is very grateful for the care they received from their physicians and nurses, but also wanted to recognize what they called “behind-the-scenes staff members” who played a role in their stay.

The donors have asked that the award spotlight team members, other than physicians, nurses and student learners, who are improving the patient and family experience and provide services in Mott and/or Von Voigtlander. All members of the Michigan Medicine community can submit nominations, including faculty, staff and patients/their families, but the nominee must be a current employee at Mott and Von Voigtlander.

The nomination will require a story or example of how the nominee improves the patient experience, goes beyond the call of duty and upholds Michigan Medicine’s core values. Those examples or experiences must have occurred within the past five years for the nominee to be eligible for the award.

Recipients of the Unsung Heroes and Heroines Award will be selected on an annual basis by a selection committee of their peers and will receive a $500 cash award and a handmade sculpture made by Rosaen. The recipients will also be recognized at the annual HOPE Awards Ceremony hosted by the Office of Patient Experience. Nominations for this year’s awards are due Nov. 1, 2021.

For more information and to submit your nominations: https://umichumhs.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3mJCWl5SaUcWTjw.

Questions about the award can be directed to Jen Hurand from development, or Darnysus Jackson from the Office of Patient Experience.