They are a dynamic duo on UHN's Transportation team.
Jennifer Meireles and John Lourenco are the two truck drivers responsible for transporting supplies to and from the loading dock at UHN's Toronto General Hospital (TGH) to other UHN sites across the street, and around the city.
Jennifer and John work closely with other members of the Transportation team on the loading dock and colleagues in Central Stores to fill their 20-foot box trucks twice each day for trips to deliver equipment such as X-ray machines and patient beds as well as personal protective equipment and medical supplies.
"It feels good to arrive at a site with a really full truck and know you're helping keep them running," says Jennifer, who has been at UHN for 17 years. "That was especially true during COVID when we had skids and skids of masks and gloves and gowns.
"It was a hard time but we got it done."
John, who has been at UHN for nearly 10 years, says "we're a really good team and we work well together, not just the two of us but everyone down here who comes together to get the job done."
Nov. 4 to 10 is UHN Support Services Week, which recognizes more than 1400 members of TeamUHN within Environmental Services, Linen & Laundry, Nutrition Services, Facilities Operations, Transportation Services and Research Facilities, who collectively keep UHN running around-the-clock every day.
The majority of UHN Support Services staff are members of the Facilities Management — Planning, Redevelopment & Operations (FM-PRO) Department.
"I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything they do to support patients and TeamUHN every day," says Joanne Bridle, Executive Director of UHN's FM-PRO.
"From providing meals, cleaning every inch of the organization, and transporting patients and equipment, to literally making sure the lights stay on, this dynamic team is absolutely critical to patient safety and patient care."
To mark the week, UHN News spent some time with a few members of UHN Support Services to better understand the work they do and the pride they take in it.
The first two hours at work are Heidy Delfinado's favourite part of the day.
That's when the linen room assistant at UHN's West Park Healthcare Centre visits every unit of the hospital to assess the quantity of linen required and do what she absolutely loves — interact with patients.
"It makes my day to bring a smile to a patient's face with a spirited 'good morning'," says Heidy, who has been at West Park for a decade now, as she neatly stacks piles of freshly laundered linen.
Responsible for ordering and receiving linen from a vendor, Heidy ensures no unit runs short or is overstocked.
"I strike the balance of supply to minimize wastage and yet have the right quantity for patient care," she says.
Besides linen duties, Heidy manages patients' laundry by sending it out for a wash to the vendor after meticulously labelling each lot. Once it is cleaned, she sends it back to patients on different units.
It is always a busy day at work for Heidy, and she wouldn't want it any other way.
"The grind is beautiful, isn't it?" she smiles.
Rowena Pailma is passionate about her work.
"I love cleaning, I'm really obsessed by it," says Rowena, a member of the Environmental Services team at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre since 2020. "I'm motivated to make sure everything is super clean."
Hygiene is particularly important where Rowena works — 14C, the stem cell transplant unit. There, many of the patients have severely weakened immune systems. So she takes extra care in cleaning the 12 private rooms, often donning and doffing personal protective equipment to do her work.
"It's a transplant unit, so it's very important I ensure every touchpoint is cleaned properly," she says.
In addition to the great pride she takes in cleaning, Rowena also loves talking to the patients, many of whom are there for weeks at a time as they undergo treatment.
"I always interact with them, get to know them," she says. "And, if I find they're not themselves one day, I will stay for a few minutes to chat with them because I know they need someone to talk to."
Rowena says she's also developed a bond with her Supervisor, Faiza Attassy, and fellow members of TeamUHN, including nurses, the Nurse Manager, unit clerks, members of Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) and others.
"I love this unit because everyone works so well together on behalf of the patients," she says.
Carlita Lacuesta is among the pioneers in UHN Nutrition Services.
The dietary aide at Toronto Rehab, Lyndhurst Centre, is one of the staff members implementing the new CBORD Room Service Choice that gives in-patients at Toronto Rehab sites, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre an opportunity to choose their meals by making their selections to a Nutrition Services team member who visits their room daily to take the orders on a digital tablet.
The result of a partnership between Nutrition Services, UHN Clinical Nutrition and UHN Digital, it replaces the system where in-patients received standard food trays or ticked choices on paper menus.
"This is great for the patients and for me, too," says Carlita, who has worked at UHN for 16 years. "They're excited because they have more food options and get to talk directly with me every day.
"And I love it because I get to see them, visit briefly and feel a real part of their care team."
Sooyeon Chapman, Nutrition Services Supervisor of the 10-member team at Lyndhurst Centre, says she hears from patients all the time that they love talking with Carlita and making their daily menu choices.
"I can see them waiting for her to come to their room," Sooyeon says. "It makes them feel engaged in their decision-making and that is such a great feeling for all of us on the team."
There are three in-patients units with a maximum of 54 beds at Lyndhurst Centre, where most treatment is for spinal cord injuries. Carlita spends up to five minutes with each patient daily, going over choices for the next day's lunch and dinner, and breakfast the day after that.
"I feel very inspired when they are happy to see me and discuss their food choices," Carlita says. "It means that I am valuable to their well-being and doing my part for their therapy."
They keep the lights on, the water running and the medical gases flowing.
And, that's only part of the to-do list for the FM-PRO team at UHN's Toronto Western Hospital (TWH).
"It's 24/7 and 365 days a year," says Pat Mehta, Manager of the FM-PRO team focused on TWH building operations, who has been at UHN since early 2021 after 32 years in Facilities at the University of Toronto. "Any time there's a small hiccup, there's only one number to call, and they know it's ours.
"Nothing happens without us working as a team and that's very satisfying."
In a hospital more than 100 years old and integrating two major ongoing construction projects — the world's largest raw wastewater energy transfer (WET) system and Project Aspire, the 15-storey patient and surgical tower — there's no shortage of work for the more than 30-member team of tradespeople such as plumbers, electricians, painters, mechanics, technicians, locksmiths, building operators, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians, and other staff on the FM-PRO team at TWH.
Shahid Siddiqui, Chief Engineer and Manager of the FM-Pro team that maintains the boilers, HVAC and medical gas supplies at TWH, says "it's a humongous place and every room has different requirements."
"We get a lot of respect because if something needs to be done people know it will be done to their satisfaction," says Shahid, who has been at UHN for nearly five years and previously worked at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. "No project, whether it's big or small, can move without FM-PRO."
Edgar Francisco hopes his name finds space in the history of UHN's Reactivation Care Centre (RCC).
Rightly so, because he was the first member of the Environmental Services team from UHN's West Park Healthcare Centre to be transferred to RCC, months before it became operational in June 2024.
"I played a small, yet crucial part in transforming this space to provide top-notch patient care," says Edgar, an assistant in Environmental Services.
The RCC is located at 82 Buttonwood Ave., the site of the previous West Park location, which is right next door to the new West Park, which opened in the spring of 2024.
In his daily work, Edgar expertly navigates a variety of tasks, from cleaning floors with a ride-on machine, sanitizing public washrooms, elevators and offices, to emptying garbage and linen bins, and restocking supplies on all RCC units.
"I understand how important my role is, especially in the context of infection control and caring for seniors and the most vulnerable," says Edgar, who takes great pride in the clean hallways of RCC.
