Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital (FMH) engineer Craig Bell has a simple but powerful goal when he comes to work every day: Make patients and staff happy.
Craig’s first introduction to healthcare maintenance and engineering came in 1992, when he got a part-time job at South Shore Regional Hospital, which had just opened. He left in 1995 for full-time work elsewhere and returned for a full-time job at Fishermen’s Memorial in 2009.
Craig’s role includes maintaining the hospital’s heating system and boilers, fixing broken items and doing outdoor maintenance.
Nursing staff nominated Craig for a Nova Scotia Health Unsung Heroes Award in October 2024, noting that “Craig is the backbone of FMH! He goes above and beyond to help nursing staff with fixing broken items, redoing patient rooms, and more. He is so busy, but always takes the time to smile and say hi. We appreciate all that he does, and his hard work does not go unnoticed!”
Every day is different for Craig, who says, “You just don’t know what you’re going to walk into.” That doesn’t bother him; he jumps in wherever he can to help.
“I like helping patients. I don’t mind dropping what I’m doing to help them out. I’m there to make their stay the best it can be.”
Craig is also quick to help the public find their way around the facility when he sees someone who’s having trouble navigating the facility. “I just try to make the staff and the patients as happy as I can. As long as I see a smile on their face, it puts a smile on my face when I go home.”
Photo of Craig Bell.
