Covenant News

Ohlson, Thorpe, to be Honored with Compassion Awards

CHICAGO, IL (November 5, 2002) - Two well-known Covenanters will be honored as the first recipients of the newly established Spirit of Compassion Award to be presented by Swedish Covenant Hospital (SCH) during is 47th annual Gala November 9 at Navy Pier.

The honorees are Dr. Virginia M. Ohlson, Ph.D., and Dr. Roger G. Thorpe, both known for their medical work, but also for their compassionate endeavors during their decades of service. "In its first year, our Spirit of Compassion Awards will be presented to members of the Swedish Covenant family for their humanitarian spirit and excellence in medical care, but we will continue to seek out those providing compassionate care and, in the future, extend the awards to include individuals and organizations who embody compassion," said Mark Newton, SCH president and chief executive officer. The hospital, where more than 40 languages are spoken, is well known for its excellent health care to a diverse community of nearly one million Chicago residents.

Ohlson, 85, is being honored for her humanitarianism in healthcare. She has been affiliated with Swedish Covenant Hospital since she was first admitted to the hospital's nursing school in 1934. "Virginia Ohlson's missionary spirit and enduring faith in humankind make her a perfect recipient of the award," Newton said. She is internationally known as a public health nurse, nurse administrator and care advisor throughout Asia, particularly in Japan. In 1991, she was the first non-Japanese citizen to be awarded the prestigious Butterfly, the Third Order of the Precious Crown, by his Majesty the Emperor of Japan, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to shaping and developing nursing in Japan from the close of World War II to the present. "I never forgot my impressions of meeting people in their homes and the opportunities to develop relationships with families, caring and helping them to be well - physically, emotionally and spiritually," said Ohlson.

Thorpe, an emeritus member of the Swedish Covenant Hospital medical staff, will be honored for his humanitarian contributions in medicine. Thorpe and his wife, Eileen, served as Covenant missionaries in the African Congo where he performed an average of three surgeries a day while providing regular patient care to an area with a population of approximately 300,000 people. In 1991, when most Covenant missionaries had to evacuate Africa due to war, the Thorpes stayed behind to help in the medical transition process before leaving for the United States. "Dr. Thorpe exemplifies the compassionate administering of medicine both as a physician and as a missionary, symbolizing the long-honored tradition of care at Swedish Covenant Hospital," Newton said.

"We're confident that the Swedish Covenant Hospital's Spirit of Compassion Awards will ultimately be received with as much pride as the other, highly-coveted Swedish prize - the Nobel," Newton added.

Swedish Covenant Hospital is a comprehensive healthcare facility providing health and wellness services to the communities of Chicago's North and Northwest sides. It is part of Covenant Ministries of Benevolence of the Evangelical Covenant Church. As one of the few independent, nonprofit hospitals in the area, Swedish Covenant Hospital remains focused on its mission of compassionate care. More than 500 physicians join the hospital's nurses and professional staff to strengthen a foundation of excellence established more than 115 years ago.

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