Manitoba's Top Employers

14 Vision | Mission | Values | Misericordia Health Centre is a leader in healthy aging through compassion, innovation and excellence. @MisericordiaMB | misericordia.mb.ca Misericordia Health Centre is a leading provider of specialized and long-term care programs designed to meet the needs of the aging population in accordance with the Catholic tradition of ethical and spiritual values through the legacy of the Misericordia Sisters. We serve Manitobans through programs unique to Misericordia: Eye Care Centre of Excellence, Health Links – Info Santé/Provincial Health Contact Centre and Sleep Disorder Centre. Caring • Respect • Trust The faith- based health centre provides acute care for M a n i t o b a n s through the provincial Eye Care Centre of Excellence and provincial Sleep Disorder Centre as well as providing oral health pediatric dental and Home Care Community IV programs among others. Misericordia is also home to Health Links – Info Santé and offers a continuum of long- term care, from Misericordia Place Personal Care Home to Transitional Care Units to PRIME — a health centre for seniors. President and CEO Caroline DeKeyster expressed deep pride in the Winnipeg- based health centre's Mission of providing care specializing in healthy aging. Founded in 1898 by the Sisters of Misericordia, the organization has been named one of Manitoba's Top Employers — and with good reason. "I am seriously proud of how Misericordia works and leaves a legacy of its founding Sisters — and the motto they lived by, which is compassion of the heart for those in need," she said. "We work with value-based care and we have stayed true to that. There have been a lot of changes over the years, but what has not changed are the fundamentals based on caring, respect and trust. This intentionality around value-based care translates into how we deliver in a way that makes a difference." This focus on values provides a solid foundation that's built right into Misericordia Health Centre's strategic plan. At the same time, these values are reflected in everything from workplace celebrations to employees' everyday interactions with patients. "We do things with depth and sincerity so that we can look at the whole person. As a result, we provide patient-centred care and individual care in the fullest way that we can," DeKeyster said. "When you build values into your tools, it translates from the theory right down to the practical. If we're mentoring new people or working with our team, we know we're on track if we use our values to make our decisions in conscious ways. We're doing our utmost to have respect for every person. "There's a lot of attention given to staff. The sisters have left a history with leadership through hospitality, and we continue with their legacy of hospitality in our celebrations of accomplishments," DeKeyster said. "We support our staff with educational opportunities through scholarships or paid education leaves. We also have supports for staff who find themselves in crisis, which can make a really big difference at a critical point." Looking to the future, Misericordia Health Centre continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the community. For example, Health Links – Info Santé is at the heart of the pandemic response, answering COVID-19 questions and triaging health concerns. Health Links – Info Santé was the first bilingual phone- based nursing triage system in Canada when it launched in 1994. "Misericordia is always ready to embrace change through our programming. Our Eye Care Centre of Excellence has 40,000 patients that come through eye clinics each year," DeKeyster said, "with more than 13,000 eye surgeries performed annually, including innovations with non-sedation cataract surgeries." Misericordia's Eye Care Centre is the largest comprehensive surgical and treatment program of its kind in Western Canada. "We also spearhead another provincial program for sleep disorders," DeKeyster added. "We're doing almost 3,000 sleep studies here at Misericordia each year and we're conducting another 2,000 home studies each year. "Our Foundation also pivots to meet Misericordia's needs. This year's 25th Anniversary Angel Squad campaign, which is underway right now, is focused on ensuring the holiday season is merry and bright for our long-term care residents. With COVID-19 visitor restrictions in place, we have critical needs to help prevent social isolation such as personalized therapeutic activity kits designed to help those living with dementia." Misericordia's newest addition to its long- term care campus will bolster the assisted living options in the community. "We're building a 97-unit affordable assisted living seniors' centre. Shovels are in the ground now and it will be up in two years' time," she said. "We've got quite a demand already for it in terms of a wait list. It's a way of rounding out that campus of care for those older adults in the community while also providing what's lacking in the West Broadway and Wolseley area. We try to make sure we're relevant and meeting the needs of the population." For more information, visit misericordia.mb.ca. MISERICORDIA HEALTH CENTRE BUILDING ON A LONG- STANDING LEGACY BY JENNIFER MCFEE With more than 120 years in the community, Misericordia Health Centre strives to be the future of care for Manitobans. MISERICORDIA HEALTH CENTRE PRESIDENT AND CEO CAROLINE DeKEYSTER. PHOTOS BY DARCY FINLEY

• Cover