Healthcare Heroes from Across Connecticut Honored at 2024 CHA Annual Meeting

One of the highlights of the 2024 Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) Annual Meeting was the presentation of the 2024 Healthcare Heroes Award, presented to healthcare workers from hospitals across Connecticut.

The award celebrates and recognizes the invaluable contributions of exceptional healthcare workers, both to their field and to the community at large.  This year, the award was presented to an individual from each Connecticut hospital.

Since 2002, CHA has included a celebration of healthcare heroes as part of its Annual Meeting, which took place on Thursday, June 13, 2024. 

At the event, healthcare heroes who represent all types of care from every corner of Connecticut’s hospitals received a certificate from CHA and a Proclamation from the Office of Governor Ned Lamont, which says in part:

“This recognition celebrates your outstanding leadership.  The honor you are receiving signifies your outstanding professional accomplishments in the healthcare services sector…  Through your thoughtful work, you have demonstrated professional excellence and extraordinary service to your community, organization, and to the State of Connecticut.”

Click here to read more about each of CHA’s 2024 Healthcare Heroes.

The 2024 cohort of Healthcare Heroes includes the following individuals:

• Gayle Appleby, Perioperative Services Nerve Block Registered Nurse, Stamford Health
• Ranbir Bains, Pediatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Yale New Haven Hospital
• Jennifer Baldwin, Director of Hospital Medicine, UConn John Dempsey Hospital
• Ava Boornazian, Emergency Department Crisis and Behavioral Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Saint Mary’s Hospital
• Jillian Cacopardo, Outpatient Physical Therapist and Clinical Program Coordinator, Gaylord Wheelchair Services, Gaylord Specialty Healthcare
• Matthew Cassavechia, Emergency Medical Services Director, Danbury Hospital
• Michelle Cunha, Emergency Department Nurse Manager, Johnson Memorial Hospital
• Lisa DeCarlo, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Preventive Medicine, Windham Hospital
• Lori Dilg, Surgical Nurse, Greenwich Hospital
• Olufunmilayo Falade, Medical Director, ICU and Division Chief, Critical Care Medicine, St. Vincent’s Medical Center
• Jerry Galipeau, Mission Integration Executive Director, Saint Francis Hospital
• Sarah Galloway, Registered Nurse, Bristol Health
• Thomas Horkan, Emergency Medical Services Supervisor, Sharon Hospital
• Tracy Huneke, Director, Griffin Hospital School of Allied Health Careers, Griffin Health
• Aaron Katz, Emergency Medical Services Director, Norwalk Hospital
• Iwona Kraska, Certified Nursing Assistant, The Hospital for Special Care
• Seana Lynch, Registered Nurse, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital
• Peter Morgan, Chair of Psychiatry, Bridgeport Hospital
• Joseph Ochieng, Emergency Department Personal Care Assistant, Waterbury HEALTH
• Kimberley Palma, RGH Site Administrator & Administrative Director of Therapeutic Services, Manchester Memorial Hospital
• Barbara Poirier, Catering Associate, The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital
• Luis Rivera, Community Relations Manager, Connecticut Children’s
• Jennifer Shin, Pharmacist, Middlesex Health
• Barbara Sinko, Licensed Master Social Worker, Preventive Medicine, Backus Hospital
• Ginny Soucie, Emergency Department Clinical Leader, Hartford Hospital
• Stacy St. Louis, Women’s Center for Wellness Imaging Team Lead, Rockville General Hospital
• Caitlyn Sward, Director of Dietary, Day Kimball Healthcare
• Matthew Tichauer, Director, Emergency Critical Care, MidState Medical Center
• Kelly Walsh, Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management, The Hospital of Central Connecticut