By Alesha Capone
Emergency department staff at Werribee Mercy Hospital have been presented with an award for their “heroic” efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lalor MP Joanne Ryan presented the ED workers with a Lalor Hero Award for 2020.
The annual award recognises people who make a contribution, or provide a service, to the federal Lalor electorate community.
Emergency department nurse unit manager Lynn O’Neill said that while the award was a tremendous honour, every Mercy Health staff member deserved the recognition, not just those who work within the ED.
“We stepped up to the plate, and we know that, but equally we are proud and humbled by the response and gratitude we received from the community,” Ms O’Neill said.
Ms Ryan said Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH) has built a great rapport with residents not only in Wyndham, but across the west.
She said the hospital staff were worthy recipients of the award.
“Given the year we’ve endured, and the significance of the hospital’s role, it was not difficult to choose the emergency department as the award’s first recipient,” Ms Ryan said.
“It’s well documented that Melbourne’s west was a hotspot during the peak of COVID-19 but the community was protected by WMH.
“From all reports, the treatment was well above par and was everything it was meant to be.”
Werribee Mercy Hospital emergency department director John Pasco said COVID-19 had generated “outstanding cohesion amongst staff”.
“We understood the battle we faced and appreciated how important it was to work as a team,” Dr Pasco said
“It was a tremendous team effort.”
In October, Mercy Health Group chief executive Stephen Cornelissen, said that Werribee Mercy Hospital could have been “brought to its knees” during the COVID-19 pandemic if it were not for the efforts of “heroic” frontline staff.
“At its height, the second wave of this terrible pandemic added extraordinary pressure and danger,” Adjunct Professor Cornelissen said.
“Our team’s bravery and the support of their families who watched workers return to work each day can never be understated or permitted to be forgotten.”
