Page 11 - 2020 Healthcare Heroes Program

I wish I could
convert my award into an ‘unsung heroes award.’
So many things happened behind the scenes to enable us to step up.”
that Baystate, on an average day, has about 720 patients, but was able to open up hundreds more beds by postponing elective surgeries and finding other creative ways to open up space and redeploy staff.
Or Dr. Andrew Artenstein, the system’s chief physician executive — and, like Haessler, an infectious- disease expert — who led Baystate’s Incident Command Center. In addition to his day-to-day role
HEALTHCARE HEROES OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Mark Keroack, M.D.
President and CEO, Baystate Health
His Efforts to Coordinate the Region’s Pandemic Response Saved Lives
DBy Joseph Bednar
r. Mark Keroack doesn’t feel like a Health- care Hero. But he’ll gratefully accept the honor on behalf of everyone who does deserve the award.
In his estimation, that’s a lot of people. “Whenever some new challenge comes up, it’s
been our tradition to step up and play a leadership role in Western Mass.,” said the president and CEO of Baystate Health. “I wish I could convert my award into an ‘unsung heroes award.’ So many things happened behind the scenes to enable us to step up.”
And so many people stepped up. Like Dr. Sarah Haessler, an epidemiologist who has long had a
keen interest in emerging infections. “She got us to construct an ebola-treatment unit in 2014, and she put together a small team of people interested in unusual infections,” Keroack said. “That team reassembled
this year, in early January, when they started issuing alerts looking out for anyone
“
traveling from China.”
Or Dr. Lauren Westafer,
an emergency medicine physician who helped determine, early on, that not rushing to place patients on ventilators actually decreased COVID-19’s mortality rate. “We were far ahead of the curve on that,” Keroack said.
Or Baystate Medical Center President Nancy Shendell-Falik, a former nurse who understands patient flow, he said, noting
Dani Fine Photography
OCTOBER 2020 A11
2020 HEALTHCARE HEROES