Wendy Walters, LICSW, clinical ethics consultant at UAB Hospital, is a finalist for the 2018 National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year® Award, bestowed by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national leader in the movement to make compassion a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction. Walters is one of six healthcare professionals named as finalists for their efforts to make a profound difference through their unmatched dedication to compassionate, collaborative care.
The Schwartz Center cites Walters more than 30 years of experience in supporting patients, family members and healthcare professionals coping with end of life in the nomination, noting that “she has worked extensively at opposite ends of the spectrum of how people die – from her early years as a hospice social worker, through her many years in the intensive care unit working closely and compassionately with families facing incredibly difficult decisions.”
“In her 30-year career at UAB, Wendy Walters has touched the lives of thousands of patients, faculty and staff, who every day witness her devotion to providing compassionate, meaningful care,” said Samuel T. Windham, III, M.D., professor in the Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, and one of the physician leaders for Schwartz rounds at UAB. “She is truly deserving to be recognized for her efforts to provide just, compassionate and patient-centered care. UAB Hospital is made better by her work because she helps elevate the holistic care of our patients.”
2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the award program, created by the Schwartz Center to honor outstanding healthcare professionals who display extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families. Finalists are chosen by a national review committee, which includes past award recipients, in collaboration with representatives from the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association.
“We are honored to recognize these six outstanding caregivers as 2018 NCCY Award finalists,” said Matt Herndon, Schwartz Center CEO. “The tremendous impact each makes every day by providing the deepest level of emotional support, respect and compassion to patients and their families is truly remarkable.”
This year’s award recipient will be announced on Nov. 8, 2018 at the 23rd Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner in Boston.
More information about the award and dinner is available at theschwartzcenter.org/award.