Healthcare begins and ends with a solid foundation: Shining a light on the silent champions of our system

Healthcare is about putting “people first”.

While we recognize doctors and healthcare providers for their impactful roles in transforming patient care, we often don’t stop to appreciate the strong community of people that make up the backbone of our healthcare and hospital system.

It’s the porter who comforts a patient as they transport them to an appointment, the food services worker who prepares a special meal for a patient because it reminds them of home, or the environmental services worker who cleans a unit after an outbreak to safeguard others from getting sick. It’s fresh linens on patient beds, clean gowns for a diagnostic test, electricity to power critical equipment and lights in the operating room and security keeping patients and staff safe.

The facility services team puts “people first” every single day – something Betty Best sees firsthand and takes great pride in. In fact, she’s made a career out of it.

‘We are dependable – no matter what time of day or night’

When Betty Best was hired as the Manager of Food Services at Toronto East General Hospital in 1989, she never could have imagined that nearly 30 years later, she would be leading more than 300 employees across 10 teams responsible for 24-hour essential hospital services.

Today, as the Director of Support Services, Betty oversees Environmental services, Patient Portering, Linen services, Mailroom, Purchasing, Stores, Print shop, Security, Maintenance, Plant and Food services.

“Throughout my whole career, I’ve always believed that no matter what level you are at in the hospital, your role is as critical as the CEO,” says Betty, who makes a point to remind her team of the important role they play in the interdisciplinary team.

“Our team here has earned the respect of people throughout the hospital – we are dependable, no matter what time of day or night.”

As Betty prepares to retire from her role on Friday, Sept. 14, she reflects on some of the most memorable moments in her career when facility services went above and beyond to put “people first”:

1. SARS Outbreak

In 2002, in addition to Food Services, Betty added Materials Management to her portfolio, which includes ensuring supply needs are met in the hospital. In 2003, SARS hit Toronto and hospital supplies hit new levels of demand. Betty recalls a mask shortage and having her team call everywhere in search of masks, including going to local shops that sold N95 masks and buying them off the shelves. Another safety precaution included staff entering the hospital through one central entryway and having everyone get their temperatures taken to ensure they were well enough to work. Betty’s team worked quickly on sourcing thermometers with disposable covers. “Every day there was a new requirement from Infection Control to provide safe care to patients and my team in Stores and Purchasing were absolutely fantastic. A great example of teamwork,” says Betty.

2. Power failure during the 2013 Toronto Ice Storm

Betty still remembers the dark drive into the hospital on Dec. 21 after learning the building had lost power and was running on back-up generators. Typically, hospitals plan to have a power failure for a few minutes up to an hour. But during the 2013 ice storm, a code orange (external disaster) was called as power in the hospital was down for at least one day and a half. During this time, emergency power was reserved for critical areas including the emergency department, intensive care unit, operating rooms and maternity ward. But in other areas of the hospital, including J-wing where Betty sits, there was complete darkness. Given the ice storm was felt by Torontonians across the city, Betty and her team helped open up the Coxwell lobby to offer families in the neighbourhood a warm place to stay as many homes didn’t have access to heat or lights, especially so close to the holidays. “You can still provide great patient care when everybody works together as a team – in this case, people took on tasks that weren’t necessarily theirs to own but just stepped up to do what needed to be done,” says Betty.

3. Named 2017 energy efficient leader in green healthcare

Since 2009, Betty and her team have participated in the Honeywell Energy Renewal Program to make the hospital more energy efficient. The team has been successful in reducing its energy consumption by installing low-flow toilets throughout the hospital, replacing fluorescent light bulbs with LEDs and with the updated automation system in the plant, the hospital is able to better control air conditioning, heating, lighting and temperatures throughout the building.  In 2017, MGH received an energy efficiency leadership award from Green Healthcare.

4. A model for safety: MGH tops Canadian hospital charts for risk improvement

In 2015, MGH was recognized by Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC) for its leadership in risk improvement and ranked in the 90^th percentile of Canadian hospitals for making significant enhancements in safety. HIROC makes recommendations to hospitals on safety best practices including fire safety, water events, systems in place for flooding, brick work, policies and procedures and staff training. “It’s not about the recognition, it’s about making sure our facility is safe for patients and staff,” says Betty. “But to know how far we’ve come since I started in the role in 2004 feels really rewarding.”

5. Brick by brick – Helping to build the foundation of the hospital we know today

Betty and her team have been involved in numerous renovation and construction projects to expand the hospital and enhance care. When Betty started working at MGH, floors five, six and seven of J-wing were just a shell. Throughout her career, Betty and her team helped to complete J-wing, doubled the size of the Emergency Department, supported the construction of the catherization lab, endoscopy, the expansion in Diagnostic Imaging and the opening of the hemodialysis unit. MGH also owns the 840 Coxwell Avenue building across the street from the hospital, which houses the South East Toronto Family Health Team; the MGH facilities team has been involved in renovations and upkeep of this building, which helps to bring community programs closer to the hospital.

Leaving a legacy

As Betty reflects on her colourful career at MGH, it’s all about the people.

“When I look back on all these years, I could not have done anything I’ve done without the team I’ve worked with; you are only as strong as the people at the foundation,” says Betty.

Some of Betty’s most rewarding moments involve staff development and playing a role in someone’s career growth from student, to supervisor, manager and director. Over the years, Betty’s colleagues have become her second family that she’s shared life’s moments with – from weddings, to new babies, caring for loved ones through illnesses and mourning the loss of life.

“I have an exceptional team that I am going to miss,” says Betty, “and I think they will miss me too!”

Following her retirement, Betty plans to travel to England and Ireland for three weeks and spend time with family and friends.

Congratulations to Betty on an incredible journey and leaving a legacy of dedication, teamwork and most importantly, for putting “people first”.