Jake’s Award for Amazing Health Care Providers, named for Jacob (Jake) Trossman, is a recognition program created by his family that honours and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care that health professionals at Holland Bloorview provide each and every day. We recognize the importance of seeing our clients and families as equal partners. This includes getting to know who our clients are, understanding what is important to them, and treating them with genuine human understanding.
Each year, a Holland Bloorview clinician (nominated by a client or family, colleagues, students, or volunteers) will be selected to receive Jake’s Award.
A Jake’s Award recipient is a clinician who clearly understands our vision of the most meaningful and healthy future for all children, youth and families and demonstrates the ability to see each child or youth as a whole person with likes, dislikes, passions and interests. Their clinical skills, and their ability to deliver exceptional client and family-centred care, exemplify the kind of clinical staff that our clients, families, and teams recognize as an outstanding role model and leader. They also embody the Holland Bloorview values of compassion, equity, courage and resilience, excellence and innovation.
Jake’s Award for Amazing Healthcare Providers is generously supported by CURE PMD.
In keeping with Jake’s spirit and sense of fun, Jake’s Award will be presented in a surprise celebration in the clinical setting.
The award winner will be given a one-of-a-kind piece of art as a keepsake of this recognition.
Meet Jacob Trossman:
Just like all of us, Jacob (Jake) has many interests and hobbies. In winters past you might have found him on the ski slopes where he loved to go really fast. On a hot summer day he loves hanging out in the pool. With some free time on his hands, you may find him watching movies, or re-reading his favourite book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” which he first read in fourth grade. While he has had a feeding tube for many years, some of Jacob’s favourite flavours are found in a bag of cheezies, and in a jar of pickles. Although he cannot verbally communicate, he loves to be included in the conversation. Jake understands so much and loves interacting with people. Jacob has a rare form of a neurodegenerative disorder called Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), which has impacts on his vocal cords, breathing and mobility. At Holland Bloorview we know Jake is more than just PMD. He is a very happy young man who gets joy from the simple things, like a joke, a funny sound, or someone taking the time to interact with him.
Read more about Jake in this interview with Jake’s mom, Marcy White.
Holland Bloorview health professionals and clinicians eligible for this award include individuals from the following groups:
Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech language pathologists, occupational therapist assistants, physiotherapists assistants, communicative disorders assistants, social workers, recreation therapists, recreation therapy assistants, psychologists, psychometrists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, dietetic assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, therapeutic clowns, child life practitioners, child & youth workers, spiritual care provider, behaviour therapists, music therapists, art therapists, artists, early childhood educators, youth facilitators, life skills coaches, life skills assistants, and assistive technology consultants.
Criteria:
- Understands Holland Bloorview’s vision of the most meaningful and healthy future for all children, youth and families.
- Ability to see each child or youth as a whole person with likes, dislikes, passions and interests.
- Outstanding role model and leader.
- Embodies a strengths-based approach to care.
- Establishes a special connection with clients and families.
- Include specific stories describing why this clinician shows the criteria listed above
- Personal knowledge of the employee is not taken into account. Stories help scorers in deciding the winner of the award.
Exclusion: Winner of any of the STAR awards or Jake’s Award in the last three years would make a clinician ineligible for Jake’s Award.
Complete the nomination form below and send it to starawards@hollandbloorview.ca. Stay tuned for more details about this year's nomination deadline.
