Healthcare Heroes Event Postponed
SPRINGFIELD — Out of an abundance of caution, and at the advice of area healthcare leaders, some of whom were among those slated to be honored, BusinessWest and the Healthcare News have decided to postpone the Healthcare Heroes event slated for Wednesday, Nov. 18 to a future date.
This difficult but necessary decision was made as COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the region and across the country, and as area hospitals see a surge in admissions due to the virus.
“Given what’s been happening the past several days, those of us at BusinessWest and the Healthcare News decided that this was certainly not the time to be staging any kind of live event, even one with the few dozen people that were slated to be in attendance,” said George O’Brien, editor and associate publisher of the sister publications. “This year’s honorees deserve a moment in the spotlight, and we will provide them that moment. But at this time, when local, regional, state, and national healthcare leaders are encouraging people to avoid gatherings of any size, we decided the prudent and responsible move is to postpone our event.”
This year’s honorees, who will be recognized on a date to be determined, include Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health; Christopher Savino, Emeline Bean, and Lydia Brisson, clinical liaisons for Berkshire Healthcare Systems; Friends of the Homeless; the Nutrition Department at Greater Springfield Senior Services Inc.; the staff at Holyoke Medical Center; the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at UMass Amherst; Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, director of Spiritual Life at JGS Lifecare; Maggie Eboso, Infection Control and Prevention coordinator at Mercy Medical Center; Jennifer Graham, home health aide at O’Connell Care at Home; and Helen Gobeil, staffing supervisor at Visiting Angels West Springfield.
The Healthcare Heroes program is sponsored by Elms College (presenting sponsor), Baystate Health and Health New England (presenting sponsor), and partner sponsors Bulkley Richardson, Comcast Business, and Trinity Health Of New England/Mercy Medical Center.