[Chronicle]

Jan. 20, 1994
Vol. 13, No. 10

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    Hospitals honors four employees

    Four Hospitals employees were jointly presented with the 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award in a ceremony last week.

    Departing from the norm of honoring one employee and several finalists, the Hospitals presented the award to all of the finalists this year because "it was felt that each of the finalists possessed the humanitarian qualities that Dr. King embodied, and each of them also performed diverse community-service activities," said JoAnn Shaw, Vice President for Human Resources & Support Services for the Hospitals.

    Honored for their humanitarian contributions were Mary Carey, a social worker in Pediatric Social Services; Zena Leah Harris, a resident in Pediatrics; Linda Roberts, a nurse in the Adult Echo Cardiology Lab; and Sidney Shirley, a housekeeper in Environmental Services.

    Carey, a Hospitals employee since 1990, was honored for the support she gives to families both in the Hospitals and in the community at large as a counselor of children who have been abused and of victims of sexual assault. She also trains volunteers for the Hospitals' rape-victim advocacy program.

    Harris, who will finish her fellowship in pediatric critical care in June, also works with children who have been abused. One co-worker who nominated her for the award called her "a leader while being a team member -- she is an intellect who has great wit and compassion." Harris has a regular program on radio station WBEZ in which she speaks on health topics as they relate to children.

    Roberts, a registered nurse who works with patients in noninvasive cardiac imaging, was noted for giving "more than 100 percent at all times" and for treating "each patient as if (he or she) were one of her own family members." In addition to her work at the Hospitals, Roberts is a lobbyist and educator who promotes nursing as a career choice.

    Shirley, a Hospitals employee for 10 years, was cited for his warmth and friendliness. Described as an employee who "knows everyone," Shirley was honored for the good cheer he spreads by always having a warm greeting for patients, visitors and fellow employees. He was also cited for his community involvement with young people at his local YMCA, where he plays basketball once a week and interacts with youths in an effort to help keep them out of gangs.