HONOLULU – The Queen’s Medical Center (Queen’s) has announced that Scott Morrice has been named 2018 Employee of the Year.
He is a mental health occupational therapist at Queen’s Day Treatment Services, which cares for the psychiatrically ill, chemically addicted, or dually diagnosed patients in an outpatient setting. Morrice has been with Queen’s for 19 years.
“He holds himself to high standards and is a valuable resource to all of Day Treatment because of the extra projects and roles he takes on,” said his supervisor, Ken Hansen, manager for Outpatient Behavioral Health. In addition to his roles of providing occupational therapy services to patients and acting as a primary counselor, Morrice is Day Treatment’s patient rights advisor and an instructor for Crisis Prevention and Intervention for both outpatient and inpatient staff. He participates in the Quality Management Committee and oversees a project that compares Queen’s outcome data with national standards.
“He gets things done with a positive, can-do, solution-focused attitude, and is always concerned for the welfare of others, be it staff, students or patients,” said Hansen. “He is very much respected and very well-liked by both patients and co-workers.”
Morrice feels blessed to be working with the Treatment team. “They’re more than friends and co-workers,” he said. “They’re family. They make coming into work just a wonderful experience every day.”
“I see how our department tackles challenges,” he said. “Everyone tends to stretch outside their comfort zone to help fulfill the mission of Queen’s. We work with a population that’s underserved, often a neglected group. I feel privileged to help people reintegrate into the community and avoid homelessness and living on the outskirts of society.”
The Queen’s Employee of the Year is chosen from 12 Employees of the Month. Morrice was awarded a personally engraved koa box, free reserved parking for a year and a choice of a $2,000 award check or travel voucher. His name will be engraved on a perpetual plaque. He also received $10,000 from a fund established by Art Ushijima, President of The Queen’s Medical Center, in honor of his parents, James and Kay Ushijima.
Originally from Chicago, Morrice attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and Health Science. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, cooking and gymnastics. He and his wife, Christine, live in Hawaii Kai with their four children, Olivia, Elona, Taj and Arisa. They were all present to see him receive the award for Employee of the Year.
