In a year full of difficult challenges, the people on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis have had to react in real-time to a nearly unprecedented situation. The Union's Fight For Philly campaign has sought to honor and support all those that have had the strength to battle and support those battling COVID-19, and the people at Premier Orthopaedics certainly qualify.
The Union and Premier Orthopaedics want to honor a few members of the healthcare community that helped make a difference in 2020. The following people were nominated by the workforce at Premier as heroes for going the extra mile.
Kathy Williams - Aston physician office
If there's one thing we've learned by now it's that seniors and the immunocompromised are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Early on, Kathy Williams sought out a way to help protect this vulnerable population and put her mask-making skills to work. Not only did she outfit the seniors in her apartment complex with face coverings, but she donated a supply to her Premier coworkers as well. Kathy also provided home-cooked meals to shut-ins and continues to do so today.
Glenn Lipton, M.D. - Pottstown and Exton offices
Like many of us, Glenn Lipton, M.D. knows how to pivot. But what sets him apart is his innovative approach to problem-solving and ability to think critically.
Back in March, with patients still needing to be seen and COVID cases steadily rising, Dr. Lipton conceived a process to mitigate the virus' spread. His "pod" concept, which created small care teams, ensured that if there were an outbreak, it would be contained to the smallest number of people possible. As a result of Dr. Lipton's innovation, the successful pod concept was adopted across Premier's enterprise.
Nathan Candelaria, PTA - West Chester physical therapy office
Fostering positive relationships builds stronger communities. Nathan Candelaria serves as Westside Community Center’s Vice President, providing support and after-school activities for at-risk youth in West Chester. The Westside Community Center aims to inspire their youth to take on leadership roles within in the community, and empower them academically, socially and spiritually. The pandemic never slowed Nathan and the community center down as they’ve continued working to keep their community’s youth active, positive and engaged.
Bernadette Nucifora, R.N. - Corporate office
Bernadette Nucifora was nominated as a Healthcare Hero for devising a plan to ensure that all Premier employees and their families are protected from the flu this year.
Back in the early spring, Bernadette saw the trend the virus was taking and instinctively knew the Fall could prove disastrous - with both COVID and the flu circulating - if protective efforts weren't undertaken early. As a result, Bernadette spearheaded a campaign that resulted in Premier offering and administering free flu shots to all employees.
Mary Wascavage - Corporate office
In mid-April, a quick-turn project to make 15 trays of lasagna for her former hospital colleagues brought Mary Wascavage's community even closer together. That initiative turned into a three-month effort to feed frontline workers all over Delaware County. Mary coordinated the entire effort - from signups to dropoff to delivery - and in many cases she and her neighborhood friends fed entire hospital departments with plenty left over. Later in the summer, Mary helped her 13-year-old daughter coordinate a contactless bake sale. The end result was 400 scratch-made cookies and a $500 donation to Wings for Success, a nonprofit that helps underserved women get back on their feet.
Mary is donating her Healthcare Hero gift to Jim McCans, Haverford Township's Director of Paramedics, who she says "is a real-life hero."
