Caregiver of the Year Award Nomination

About

Purpose
The MHA Caregiver of the Year Award is presented annually by the Maine Hospital Association to recognize a caregiver from a member institution who, on a daily basis, demonstrates extraordinary commitment to the delivery of care to patients and their families.

Eligibility
Any caregiver from a member institution may be nominated. The winner must be able to attend the award ceremony the evening of Wednesday, June 18 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate the following characteristics:

exemplify extraordinary commitment to patients on a daily basis;
show compassion, empathy and respect in the delivery of care to patients and their families;
acknowledge and meet the unique physical, emotional and practical needs of patients and their families; and
promote an environment of cooperation and collaboration in which the expertise and experience of all healthcare professionals are available to patients.

Key Dates Coming Soon
April: Deadline for Nominations
May: Winner Selected
June: Award Presented at MHA's Summer Forum at the Samoset Resort in Rockport

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I submit a nomination?

A. Submit a nomination by completing this online form.

Q, What are the key dates for the nomination process?

A. Nominations must be received by Friday, April 25, 2025. The award recipient will be selected by Wednesday, May 21. The awards ceremony will be held Wednesday, June 18 at the Samoset Resort.

Q. What is required of the nomination process?

A. Your name and contact information, the name of your nominee, and an essay of 500 words or less to explain why your nominee meets the criteria, as well as at least two, and up to three, examples of how your nominee has gone above and beyond the call of duty in demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to patient care. You may also upload any supporting documentation, awards, articles, letters etc.

Q. Who may nominate someone to be Caregiver of the Year?

A. Anyone may nominate an employee of an MHA-member hospital to be the MHA Caregiver of the Year. However, the nomination requires at least two or up to three examples of going above and beyond the call of duty. The people who would know of such examples are typically the nominee's co-workers. If you are a patient who would like to nominate one of your caregivers, but don't have enough information to complete the nomination, we suggest conferring with that caregiver's co-workers.

Q. Can I nominate someone from a practice or nursing home that is affliliated with an MHA member hospital?

A. Yes, if the practice or organization is owned or affiliated with an MHA member, any caregivers there may be nominated.

Q. I know the perfect person to nominate. However, I’m hesitant about my writing skills. What advice can you give? What are the judges looking for in a winning entry?

A. Having professional writing skills is not essential for writing a good entry. After giving a brief, but thorough, background on the nominee, remember to provide specific examples of why that person deserves the award. Does she go out of her way to help patients? Give an example. Does he always show his co-workers how special they are? Give an example. Is there one heroic or meaningful event that stands out in your mind? Be as descriptive as possible. Does your nominee participate in good works outside the hospital and her job? Tell us about them. Remember, the judges don’t know your nominee as well as you do – that’s why an essay and examples are required. The entries that stand out above the others are those that describe the various reasons you and/or other co-workers believe the nominee is an extraordinary caregiver.

Q. Must the nominee be a doctor or a nurse?

A. No, but successful Caregiver of the Year nominees do have direct contact with patients and their families. Over the years, the award has gone to social workers, a rehabilitation therapist and a director of volunteer services in addition to doctors and nurses.

Q. May I submit a posthumous nomination?

A. No. The awardee must be available to attend the opening banquet of MHA's Summer Forum on Wednesday, June 18 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.

Q. How is the winner selected?

A. MHA staff will narrow nominations to one from each hospital. The final decision will be made by a committee. The winner will be selected by May 21, 2025.

Q. What does the winner receive?
A. The MHA Caregiver of the Year is honored at the Opening Banquet of the MHA Summer Forum on Wednesday, June 18 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. An award is presented and the awardee is given the opportunity to speak to MHA members. The awardee will be invited to attend the rest of the conference, which ends on Friday, June 20.

For more information, contact Carol Sinclair at MHA

Past Winners

2002: Suzanne Laliberte, RN - Goodall Hospital
2003: Stephanie Schmermund, RN, BSN - St. Joseph Hospital
2004: Dorothy Petersen, LCSW - Miles Memorial Hospital
2005: Diane Frechette, RN, BSN, CNOR - Southern Maine Medical Center
2006: Gregory Leach, MD - Southern Maine Medical Center
2007: Francis Moore, Director of Rehabilitation Services - Mayo Regional Hospital
2008: Janice Wood, RN - Miles Memorial Hospital
2009: Mark Publicker, MD, Medical Director, Mercy Recovery Center - Mercy Hospital
2010: William Legere, RN, ARNP - Central Maine Medical Center
2011: Betty Walker, Director of Volunteer Services - Cary Medical Center
2012: 75th Anniversary Celebration, no award given
2013: Margaret “Miki” MacDonald, FNP - St. Joseph Hospital
2014: Charles Hendricks, MD - Mount Desert Island Hospital
2015: Clayton Bell, MD - Rumford Hospital
2016: Kelly Hughes Wheeler, RN - Redington-Fairview General Hospital
2017: Lois Latour, LCSW - Eastern Maine Medical Center
2018: Jennifer Cavalari, DO - Houlton Regional Hospital
2019: Karen Rumo - Spring Harbor Hospital
No awards were given in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022: Nirav D. Shah, MD, JD - Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention
2023: Kieran Kammerer, MD - MaineGeneral Pediatrics
2024: CMMC Trauma Response Team - Central Maine Healthcare
2025: Karin Cole, MD - Mercy Hospital

How to Nominate

Nominations for the 2026 Caregiver of the Year will be open soon. Any caregiver from a member institution may be nominated. The deadline for nominations is April 25. The winner must be able to attend the award ceremony on the first evening of the MHA Summer Forum (dates to be announced) at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine.

Caregiver of the Year Award Nomination Form

* Indicates required field

Nominee's Name: *

First

Last

Nominee's Title: *

Hospital: *

Nominee's Email: *

Nominee's Phone Number: *

Nominee's Address: *

Line 1

Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

Country

Nominator's Name: *

First

Last

Nominator's Title: *

Nominator's Email: *

Nominator's Phone Number: *

Nominator's Address: *

Line 1

Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

Country

Please briefly describe (500 words or less) how the nominee demonstrates the criteria set forth in this award and as such is deserving of the award. Nominees should demonstrate the following characteristics: 1) exemplifies extraordinary commitment to patients on a daily basis; 2) shows compassion, empathy and respect in the delivery of care to patients and their families; 3) acknowledges and meets the unique physical, emotional and practical needs of patients and their families; and 4) promotes an environment of cooperation and collaboration in which the expertise and experience of all healthcare professionals are available to patients. You can cut and paste from a word processing program, or you can upload your essay and any supporting material below.

Why should this person be Caregiver of the Year? *

Please cite example one of at least two specific examples of how the nominee has gone “above and beyond the call of duty” in demonstrating extraordinary commitment to patient care.

Example 1: *

Please cite the second of at least two specific examples of how the nominee has gone “above and beyond the call of duty” in demonstrating extraordinary commitment to a patient care.

Example 2: *

Please cite a third specific example, if you have one, of how the nominee has gone “above and beyond the call of duty” in demonstrating extraordinary commitment to patient care.

Example 3: *

Upload File: *

Max file size: 20MB

You may attach any supporting material (awards, articles, letters etc.).

Submit