Dame Mary Perkins Medal winners announced
On Wednesday, 15 September, Specsavers hosted the CooperVision SCC Live Series in Brisbane with the 2021 Dame Mary Perkins Medal for Outstanding Patient Care formally announced by none other than Dame Mary Perkins herself.
A proud Dame Mary Perkins highlighted the invaluable contribution the two individuals have made and how they are positively impacting their communities.
AUSTRALIAN WINNER:
Mariella Coluccio from Specsavers Bankstown, NSW
Mariella is recognised for her persistence in following through with a three-year-old child with severe swollen optic nerves but was discharged from the hospital with severe fever and nausea. With the child’s parents speaking limited English, Mariella persisted until the child was taken back to hospital; later discovering the child went into emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage.
“Mariella is awarded for her extraordinary work helping a precious three-year-old. What an amazing achievement in your career and to play a part in saving a life,” says Dame Mary.
NEW ZEALAND WINNER:
Celeste Raisbeck from Specsavers Rotorua
Celeste is recognised for her outreach work by providing an ocular health screening program to Murupara, a small Maori community in Rotorua that would not have had access to eye care. More than 100 people in the community were screened with 38 pairs of free hobby glasses supplied. It is Celeste’s sixth outreach to Murupara.
“Well done to Celeste for her ocular health screening to a small Maori community resulting in many positive outcomes, and that shows what Specsavers stands for in our community. It’s an important part of our values,” says Dame Mary.
While the Doug Perkins Medal is based on clinical and benchmarking data, the Dame Mary Perkins Medal recognises exceptional acts of patient care by going above and beyond and positively impacting a patient or a community. Individuals, stores, retail, optometrists, and partners are eligible.
Ten Australian and three New Zealand finalists were recently chosen by a panel of industry experts in Australia and New Zealand. Dame Mary congratulated all finalists and everyone across ANZ, acknowledging what we have achieved even during adversity.
“A huge thank you to all the staff, teams, partners and individuals who have collectively made such an impact in Australia and New Zealand over the past 12 months, especially during these challenging times. Well done, all of you,” says Dame Mary.
The Dame Mary Perkins Medal will now be a permanent fixture on the SCC calendar every year.
Click here to see the video of Dame Mary Perkins announcing the winners.
