Registered Nurse puts patients with mental health at the forefront of care

The following was written by Michelle Pressé, Communications Specialist, Niagara Health:

We are Niagara Health is a series of stories that celebrates the incredible people working and volunteering in our organization and how they make a difference in the lives of patients and coworkers every day.

Anyone who spends even a fragment of time with Anthony Diaz would be hard pressed to walk away from the interaction without cracking a smile at least once.

Dubbed by his colleagues as someone who is “much needed in this world and on our unit,” Diaz, a registered nurse (RN) in the Mental Health Unit at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines, is a ray of sunshine in human form whose mission in life is to cast those rays on patients.

Diaz has taken on various leadership roles throughout his time at the hospital, including clinical coaching and creating seminars for colleagues to better support patients. Recently, he’s become part of the Hospital Information System (HIS) transition team for Mental Health and Addictions, training his colleagues on the system ahead of go-live in November.

“I can’t wait for the future of our HIS to improve patient care and outcomes,” he says. “The HIS is crucial as it ensures seamless communication and data accuracy, and aids in making informed decisions for patient care and treatment. This will help healthcare workers have less time at the desk and more time at bedside providing quality care and building better rapports with patients.”

To Diaz, providing quality care means making a meaningful impact on patient’s ability to make progress, regain their confidence and achieve mental wellness.

“In mental health nursing, it's not just about administering medication or providing physical care,” says Diaz. “It also involves establishing trust, building rapport and actively listening to understand patients’ emotions and needs. It's a holistic approach that focuses on supporting individuals in their mental wellness journey.”

In 2023, to no one’s surprise, Diaz was named one of 25 Nursing Excellence Award recipients. He says he was “so proud” to be recognized, and especially proud to share the news with his mom overseas in the Philippines.

“There’s so many great nurses at Niagara Health,” Diaz says. “I know the organization does their best to recognize hard work, and it was also rewarding to show my parents how their hard work in raising me has paid off.”

The Diaz family is a “family of nurses,” but it was his mom, a retired university professor who took on a nurse-like role in the family, who inspired him to pursue a career in the field.

“Watching my mom care for my grandparents and our family during times of sickness and death showed me the profound impact a nurse can have as a pillar of support,” he says. “I strive to be just like her.”

The connection he has to family made it challenging to move across the world from them to pursue his life and career in Canada, but he hasn’t second-guessed his decision.

“It was a difficult transition and I experienced some culture shock,” says Diaz. “It was important for me to go somewhere I would feel welcome and accepted, and when I came to Niagara – and to Niagara Health – I fell in love.”

A staff member since 2018, one of the reasons Diaz says he was so quick to feel at home at Niagara Health was because of how welcoming the team was.

“I want to work with good people, and to be someone they can count on in return,” he says. “Everyone is so kind and there’s also so many opportunities for nurses at Niagara Health.”

One of the biggest challenges of working in the department is the emotional intensity and unpredictability that comes with supporting individuals in crisis or with complex mental health conditions.

“Kindness is so important, especially when working with patients in mental health, because not everyone in their life or who they encounter understands mental health. That can make it hard for these patients to voice what they need, but a little kindness can make a big difference – it has a ripple effect.”

While kindness to others is something that’s often strongly advocated for in the workplace, Diaz says it’s also important to turn that kindness inward.

“Mental health nursing requires a high level of resilience and self-care,” he says. “It's essential to prioritize your well-being, seek support when needed and create a healthy work-life balance. I would also recommend anyone interested in a nursing career in general to embrace teamwork, seek mentorship and be committed to lifelong learning.”