Several health care workers were recently honored at the Allied Health Professional Award of Distinction.

The ceremony – which was held recently at Scotland Memorial Hospital's Dulin Center – is a way to recognize non-nursing care professionals, said Ruth Glaser, chief operating officer of Scotland Health Care System. Nominations came from employees of the system, physicians and patients.

The ceremony recognizes a person in each of three areas – operations division, finance and administration division and patient care division – and one of those three is then named that overall award winner.

"It is a way to recognize the great care that staff members give," Glaser said. "It takes a lot of different team members to give patients care."

She said the work is done by more than just nurses and physicians and the Allied Health Professional Award of Distinction is a way to recognize those people.

The winners Thursday were:

• Amanda Parker – patient care divisional;

• Emma Jean Lowery – finance and administration division; and

• Linda Stewart, operations division.

Stewart was also the overall winner.

Maureen Giannini, who oversees primary and specialty care centers for the healthcare system, said Stewart has been working as an x-ray technician for nine years and has done a tremendous job.

"She does a very outstanding job here in the Pembroke Clinic," Giannini said. "She helps in all areas that she can, without complaining – x-ray, lab, nursing assistant duties, and much more. She is very dedicated to her job and always on time.

"She keeps very accurate records of her tasks and checks it daily. If something is missing she gets right on it and finds out what is going on. Comments are made all the time from patients about her kind, gentle and understanding concern that she has for them. Linda is and has been a great asset to Pembroke Family Practice and I think that the staff and patients would be lost without her. She is a true blessing to work with.“