Filipina Nurse in UK Honored with British Empire Medal for Covid Effort

A Filipina nurse has been honored with a British Empire Medal for her “tireless work to support her colleagues and community” amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Minnie Klepacz, a matron for ophthalmology, leads the hospital’s Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

She has also worked for the hospital for 19 years–going to the United Kingdom (UK) from the Philippines as a teenager for work.

The UHD National Health Service Foundation Trust was pleased with the award granted on Klepacz.

“What an incredibly proud day for Team UHD (University Hospitals Dorset) — our brilliant matron Minnie has been recognized in the Queen’s birthday honors list and awarded a British Empire Medal. Minnie was honored for her tireless work to support her colleagues and community during Covid-19, and said she feels ‘truly humbled’ to be recognized,” the UHD National Health Service Foundation Trust said.

Klepacz provided support to the Filipino community inside and outside work. She organized virtual community events to offer comfort and reassurance, and also cooked for colleagues who were recovering after being in the intensive care unit , according to UHD.

She knew of the award via email, and initially thought that she’d done something wrong when she received the email, but said she felt “privileged and honored” to be recognized.

“When I saw an email from the Cabinet Office, I was so worried and thought I’d done something wrong. I plucked up the courage to read it again and responded asking if it was a spam email because I just couldn’t believe it. They told me it was true and then rang me to reassure me, I couldn’t believe it.”

Klepacz also said that the award goes out to all Filipinos in the UK who goes above and beyond in the line of duty.

“This award is not just for me, it’s for everyone who works here and goes above and beyond. As a Filipino, I’d also like to share this award with all staff from a BAME background. I’m truly humbled to work with amazing colleagues. They inspire me and give me confidence,” she said. (GFB)