“Honoring Our Heroes” pays tribute to the unsung heroes of the Coronavirus Pandemic
The four award categories included:
- Healthcare Hero Award, presented to StationMD,
- Nightingale Hero Award, presented to the IAHD Nursing Team Osman Lizardo, Director of Nursing, Carmel Walbrook, Assistant Director of Nursing and Christina Wong, Residence RN
- Leadership Hero Award, presented to Stephen Lewis, Residence Manager
- Frontline Hero Award, presented to Edwin Pintor and Denise Dunkley, Direct Support Professionals who have been with IAHD for 30 and 14 years respectively.
A virus like COVID-19 is especially dangerous to people with I/DD who may have pre-existing conditions. Healthcare Hero Award Honoree, StationMD, joined with IAHD in early March 2020 to provide telemedicine services to the residents – not knowing that in less than a week, they’d be put to the test as they worked together to keep these vulnerable citizens safe and out of the hospital. Together, IAHD and StationMD helped more than 100 individuals with Coronavirus related illnesses and they continue to provide exceptional individualized care to people with I/DD.
Omayra Andino, CEO of the Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics, notes, “I am so grateful to the “Honoring our Heroes” honorees. Their steadfast, relentless care has made such a difference in the lives of the vulnerable people we support here at IAHD. They not only impacted those lives, but those of the families as well. They became surrogate family and their love shined through during this pandemic. They deserve this honor and more.”