Barbara Kurpisz, clerk

Barb’s professionalism and willingness to collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders is second to none. Not only does she work closely alongside the inter-disciplinary teams at Villa Caritas and across Covenant, she also supports a sub-specialty program at the University of Alberta. 

Barb is an expert with Mental Health Act processes. She ensures that all disciplines are aware of new changes and feel supported implementing those changes when caring for patients. She also supports patients and families at Villa Caritas when it comes to advocating for their mental health rights.

Last year, Barb was an integral part of assisting her site in developing new processes, procedures and tools to ensure that they were meeting all of the new provincial guidelines put into place regarding the Mental Health Act. This was no small feat as many of the previously existing forms were changed, multiple new forms were added and new procedures were put in place due to changes in legislation. This multitude of changes affected every single patient at Villa Caritas as well as all nursing staff and physicians. Barb worked tirelessly with the physician group, management team, and affected staff to provide education and support with the utmost patience and a positive attitude as everyone navigated the many changes. Barb also helped the mental health teams at the Misericordia and Grey Nuns hospitals adapt to the changes and shared the tools she helped develop to assist in easing the burden on those two programs. Barb’s collaborative efforts with all three sites exemplify how working together can create a ripple of positive impact across multiple Covenant sites.