United Hospice Honors Staff for Extraordinary Service

United Hospice of Rockland Executive Director Amy Stern presented the 2010 Harvey Pachter Staff Recognition Award to  home health aide Evelyne Cazeau, one of 24 nominees at an awards breakfast at Dellwood Country Club in New City.

The annual award honors a dedicated UHR staff member for extraordinary service to the organization and the community.  It goes to an individual who "goes beyond expectations in performing his or her role, helps others on the hospice team to perform their role effectively, comes up with new ideas and creative solutions, handles multiple demands of the job well, and has two relevant illustrations of clinical or administrative excellence.  

The Award was established in 1997 to honor the memory of Harvey Pachter, a long time supporter of United Hospice of Rockland and husband of UHR board member, Judith Pachter.

"What is striking about this particular candidate is the number of nominations she received (more than a single person in the history of the award), that the nominations were submitted by her colleagues across the organization (not just by one discipline) and there were many, many examples (too many to actually cite) of her excellence," Stern said.           

In describing Evelyne, Stern said, "Each day for the past12  years, she has worked full time with UHR and each day has been one that humanity has been renewed.  She has always been excellent and caring and continues to become better with each year's experience.  She treats each patient with dignity and respect allowing them to maintain as much or as little independence as they wish and are able.  Stressful situations are made calm by her quiet and unassuming manner.  

"She enters each family's life with openness, letting their situation show her how she might best serve them. When she walks through the door, she doesn't assume she knows what they need.  She lets them teach her.  She has an intuitive sense of what is needed and what is not.  If a patient is struggling hard to maintain independence, she will shadow their unsteady steps, ready to help if needed and ready to remain in the background if not. She has been described by our patients and families as an 'angel' and a 'godsend.'"  

United Hospice of Rockland, based in New City, serves as a community resource for bereavement support, palliative care, and information about end of life issues, leading the health and human services community in improving the provision of care to those affected by serious illness.

For further information, contact United Hospice of Rockland, 11 Stokum Lane, New City, NY 10956. Call 845 634-4974 or visit www.hospiceofrockland.org.