We hosted another Community and Oral Health Staff Excellence Awards event today and I joined the team at the Oral Health Centre to acknowledge some great staff.

There were three excellence awards handed out to deserving winners:

2022 COH Staff Excellence Awards Leadership Winner

• Anna-Marie Barrett, Principal Dental Assistant, Oral Health Centre

2022 COH Staff Excellence Awards Innovation Dual Winners

• Angela Stomfai, Dental Technician, Child and Adolescent Oral Health Service
• Dr Helen Fung, Paediatric Dental Specialist, Child and Adolescent Oral Health Service.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our visit to the Caboolture Oral Health Clinic last week where we were going to acknowledge one of our Shining Star Dual winners for 2022.

Congratulations to Di Youles, Dental Therapist, Cabolture Child and Adolescent Oral Health Services who was a Shining Star award winner.

Di has now retired and will receive her award personally at another time. We wish her all the best in her retirement and thank her for such a wonderful and dedicated career.

Our final Community and Oral Health Staff Excellence Award Roadshow event will be held next Wednesday at the Aspley Community Health Centre where we will acknowledge another annual shining star award recipient. 

Continuing to acknowledge our staff

There is always positive feedback crossing my desk and here is another example I couldn’t pass up!

“A few days ago my training experience in Brisbane was over. Earlier this year, without any formal university contact, only sending e-mails to the Palliative Care Australia network I came in contact with Bill Lukin. 

“Bill was an extraordinary companion in this adventure. Incredibly tenacious in overcoming many bureaucracy pitfalls for my Observership. Without his stubbornness nothing could be realised.

“There are no right words to describe the debt of gratitude I contracted with this wonderful person. His friendship and courtesy made my study trip here in Australia an unforgettable professional and human experience.

“After working hard in the ward of the RBWH and on the road in Brisbane, Bill opened the doors of his home and made me a member of his lovely family. 

“Thanks to his knowledge and example, I’ll bring the Health Queensland / Metro North model back and try replicating it in Italy.

“I was particularly interested in the Community Care model and I found in RADAR and SPACE two answers to Italian population needs, both in aged-care and palliative-care.

“Thank you for helping to make my little “Australian dream” possible.”

Mauro Carbone

And, the ball just keeps rolling!

It is no wonder they were recognised in our excellence awards this year – Our SPACE team continue to receive great accolades!

“Thank you for your phone call and condolences for my mum – she is at peace now. I just wanted to thank you for coming in and trying to help mum, in her last days.

“The only thing I wish, is that you and your team [SPACE] could have been brought in a lot sooner, so that the best possible plan was in place to control her pain.

“I did keep saying – I just wanted mum to be calm and comfortable, it was so upsetting to see her in so much distress, it made me feel helpless.  

“But after we met on the Tuesday before Mum’s passing, I finally felt we were getting somewhere. Mum passed on Wednesday 19 October.”

Doing the little things with great care

If you have ever attended an awards ceremony, you will hear me take about the value I place on the little things done with great care and kindness.

I recently read The girl who fell from the Sky about a 20 year old Australian girl who fell 14,000 feet in a skydiving accident in Switzerland.

It is a story of amazing courage and resilience but the thing that really touched me was her response to her experience in a foreign non-English speaking hospital with critical life threatening injuries when a nurse took the time to wash her hair, give her a scalp massage and braid her hair so it would stay in place.

There would have been any number of highly technical lifesaving interventions but she remembered fondly the kindness that crossed language barriers and made her feel truly human. The little things matter. Kindness matters!

And, finally with the COVID-19 Alert Level escalated to amber level I just ask that you and your family stay safe, and continue to look out for one another.

A quote to ponder

Abraham Joshua Heschel said: “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old. I admire kind people.”

Glynis Schultz
Executive Director
Community and Oral Health