Madsen honored with Pete DePina Legacy Award

Advantage Truck group (ATg) has named its 2022 Pete DePina Legacy Award winners for Massachusetts, recognizing one individual from each of its locations in raynham, Shrewsbury and Westfield for making an impact on their fellow employees, customers and the company.

The highest recognition that an ATg employee can receive, this annual award was created as a memorial to ATg employee napoleon “Pete” DePina, who worked at the company’s Shrewsbury facility for 25 years until his untimely death in 2019. Today, the legacy award is given to a person at each ATg location in Massachusetts, new Hampshire and Vermont who most embodies the values and qualities DePina was known for, including integrity and a quiet leadership grounded in humility, generosity and selfless service to others.

“Our ability to provide the best service and experience for our customers starts with our people,” ATg President & CEO Kevin Holmes said. “This award helps us honor those who go beyond expectations, and whose efforts and attitude, like Pete’s, elevate the quality of service across our network and make ATg a special place to work.”

Holmes announced the award winners and spoke about each during an employee luncheon held at each ATg facility. Michael Madsen, Warehouse Associate at ATg Shrewsbury and northbridge resident was amoung the winners. “Mike has been an integral part of ATg’s shipping and receiving departments for 17 years and played a key role during our transition to a larger, more extensive warehouse. He leads training for all incoming warehouse staff and is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who asks.”

Over 100 employees across the ATg network were nominated by their peers for the award, and a winner from each of ATg’s eight locations was selected by Holmes and his leadership team. Winners were presented with a monetary award that they will continue to receive as part of their profit-sharing bonus each year throughout their employment with the company.

The largest Daimler Truck north America dealer in new England, ATg offers employees performance pay programs and benefits starting day one, company training programs, and career development and advancement opportunities – all in a culture that is committed to giving back to its communities.

MRMC Clinical Leaders publish in American Journal of Medical Quality

Milford regional Medical Center’s Peter Smulowitz, MD, MPH, Jeanne McCoy, MD, and Bert Thurlo-Walsh, MM, rn, CPHQ, collaborated on an article recently published in the American Journal of Medical Quality. The three medical professionals authored, Building a Just Culture Through Transforming our response to Adverse Events. Just Culture refers to a system of shared accountability in which an organization is responsible for the systems in place and employees are accountable for their choices and reporting errors.

“Creating a safe, supportive and transparent environment for patients and staff ultimately helps to improve the overall quality of care we deliver,” said Smulowitz, who serves as chief medical officer for Milford regional. Dr. McCoy is the president of the medical staff and Thurlo-Walsh is the chief quality officer and vice president for Milford regional.

The published article discusses key actions hospitals should take in the aftermath of an adverse outcome as well as Milford regional’s adoption of the CAre policy, which promotes early and interactive communication with patients and families. CAre is an acronym for Communication, Apology, and resolution.

Dr. McCoy notes a Just Culture of transparency and answerability “marries the hospital’s efforts to be a highly trusted and compassionate organization that fosters a supportive environment which will not only help to retain quality staff but also enhance our continuum of care,” she said.

“We were pleased to share our insight and viewpoint regarding our experience with fostering accountability and peer support to help advance the trust our patients have in the care we provide them,” said Thurlo-Walsh. The American Journal of Medical Quality is a bimonthly, peer reviewed journal that focuses on resources, processes and perspectives contributing to quality healthcare services.