Our newest Sunshine Award winner is Diane Schaffer!

A program to recognize the extraordinary care and contributions of our non-licensed nursing support staff continues at UHS with Diane Schaffer, MHT, Krembs 3, UHS Binghamton General Hospital, being named the December winner of the Sunshine Program Award! Diane was recognized and presented with the Sunshine Award and sunflowers for her achievement and enjoyed cookies as part of the celebration.

The Krembs 3 mental health tech was nominated by a colleague. In the letter, her colleague spoke about how Diane provides empathetic patient care by understanding the challenges associated with patients diagnosed with mental health concerns, approaching each individual with genuine, heartfelt kindness and giving them hope for their future. The colleague continues to talk about how Diane makes teammates feel valued, is always there to help and is dedicated to her craft. Diane even missed a holiday party to complete a recertification.

"Diane’s years of experience have helped her master the skill at building trust. During many shifts, patients have sought out Diane’s direct care because they trust her and can count on her for assistance in a non-judgmental way," said the nominating colleague. "Diane works hard to create a unit that is safe and does so in an honest, straightforward manner. She is respectful by being authentic and sincerely listening to patients as well as staff."

Thank you to Diane for displaying such Compassion and Respect to our patients and staff, a stellar example of our team living "The UHS Way!"

Patients, families, and colleagues are able to nominate any of our non-licensed support staff based on our UHS Values of Respect, Teamwork, Innovation, Trust, and especially Compassion. Nominations will be collected via paper - look for nomination kiosks and boxes at all UHS locations, via email at sunshine.awards@nyuhs.org, and electronically.

All nominees will be recognized, but each month, one nominee will be selected for a special recognition.