Two MetroHealth Volunteers Receive Awards from Community Organizations

October 2023 

We already know that MetroHealth volunteers are special. They donate their time and effort to support our patients and our mission. Now, two of them are being recognized by local organizations for their outreach:

Tracy Greenberg is the recipient of a 2023 Most Treasured Volunteer Award from The Center for Community Solutions. Tracy's volunteer work at MetroHealth has left a lasting legacy. As a member and co-chair of the System's Patient and Family Advisory Council, she helps improve the experience and eliminate potential barriers to care and healing for patients and visitors – especially those with physical challenges.

According to her nomination, Tracy initially contacted our Patient Relations team to share ideas on how MetroHealth could improve accessibility. Her passion resulted in an invitation to join the advisory council.

Tracy has advised design and construction teams on new spaces and patient care areas. During her many accessibility walk-throughs at MetroHealth facilities, she has spotted and helped correct scores of barriers, such as soap/towel dispensers placed out of reach for individuals in wheelchairs; arrangements of chairs/furniture in waiting areas that restrict access; lower patient-check-in counters that are not kept clear for disabled patients; power-assist doors that are programmed incorrectly and do not stay open long enough; and much more.

"Her volunteer work has helped create a more welcoming, more healing and more accessible health system. Because of Tracy's volunteer involvement, MetroHealth patients, family members and visitors with physical challenges enjoy smoother paths to health and healing," stated her nomination.

Tracy's activism extends beyond MetroHealth. Born with a rare genetic condition, she didn't receive a proper diagnosis until later in life. Afterward, she turned her light of advocacy on yet another mission: building awareness for rare diseases. With her tireless volunteer involvement, Rare Disease Day went from being ignored locally to being recognized and commemorated with education and awareness events, including here at MetroHealth. In addition, Tracy single-handedly ignited a campaign for an ADA task force in Lakewood, and created a day-long music festival, BreastFest Cleveland, that raises money for research, and for patients and families affected by breast cancer.

Michael "Mike" Falatach is a recipient of a 2023 Medical Mutual Outstanding Senior Volunteer Award. The program shines a spotlight on some of the most impactful yet unsung heroes across Ohio and celebrates older adults who selflessly give of their time and talent to help the people and communities around them.

At MetroHealth, Mike and his dogs volunteer with Loving Paws, a program that brings teams of therapy dogs and their handlers for short meet-and-greet sessions with patients, visitors and employees.

Mike's calling as a provider of healing through therapy dogs began 33 years ago, when his family got a "big, white and hairy" show-dog Great Pyrenees. They had the dog complete the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen training program, which teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their owners.

After that, Mike started doing therapy work with dogs. Since retiring, he has turned his volunteer work into an almost-full-time endeavor, training other dogs, mentoring dog owners, organizing and scheduling an entire corps of volunteer dog owners and, of course, visiting patients and caregivers at MetroHealth, other area hospitals, nursing homes, and more.

According to the award nomination, hugging, petting and loving Mike's dogs do different things for different people. For some patients, the interactions are simply comfort at a difficult time. For others, the dogs ease the sadness of being separated from their own pets. For MetroHealth employees, it's a comforting and boosting reprieve from a long shift of hard work.

The impact and inspiration of Mike and his dogs – and the network of handlers he's built and mentored – are truly immeasurable. In just the last three years, Mike's 600 visits have touched an estimated 50,000 patients, impacting their health and their lives, and inspiring them to become better owners of their own pets.

Mike's tireless passion to share the healing power of therapy dogs epitomizes the highest ideals of volunteer service: to give away our most precious resource, our time, to help and to serve our community and our neighbors.