July 1, 2005

Honoring MGHers behind the scenes

Workers from departments ranging from Buildings and Grounds to Parking and Commuter Services to the Warren Library took a well-earned respite from their jobs to attend Operations Support Staff Day June 23. The event honors staff who are not always recognized in the hustle and bustle of the MGH environment but who are integral to allowing the hospital to operate in a smooth and efficient manner.

The celebration included a luncheon under the Bulfinch Tent for day-shift employees, a dinner for evening-shift staff and boxed dinners in the East Garden Dining Room for staff on the midnight to 8 am shift. Each employee received a summer-themed gift, and day-shift workers were welcomed by Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH. The evening shift was treated to a surprise visit by Daniel Graham of the New England Patriots who chatted and posed for pictures with MGHers.

At the luncheon, Tony Ricci of MGH Nutrition and Food Services was honored with the third-annual Ricardo Diaz Memorial Award, established to acknowledge a dedicated and hardworking support staffer who consistently exceeds the requirements of his or her job. Ricci has worked in Nutrition and Food Services for 39 years, the past nine as a cafeteria worker in the Eat Street Café. He was praised by Susan Barraclough, MS, RD, director of the department, and Ridwan Himawan, general manager of the Eat Street Café, for his remarkable dedication, his kind and generous manner and his willingness to take on any task with good cheer. Diaz, after whom the award is named, was a 12-year employee of MGH Buildings and Grounds who died while plowing snow from the hospital's sidewalks during a blizzard in 2003.



From left, Jean Elrick, MD, Slavin, Ricci, Himawan and Barraclough

Slavin said it was a "great pleasure" to attend the daytime event and to see the sense of camaraderie and purpose that makes operations support such an important part of the hospital's success.