Three Trinity Health Of New England colleagues have been honored with the 2024 Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) Healthcare Heroes Award – Ava Boornazian, APRN, Emergency Department Crisis and Behavioral Health, Saint Mary’s Hospital; Michelle Cunha, RN, Emergency Department Nurse Manager, Johnson Memorial Hospital; and recently retired, Jerry Galipeau, Executive Director of Mission Integration, Saint Francis Hospital.
The 2024 CHA Healthcare Heroes 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. Ava Boornazian has been working with behavioral health patients at Saint Mary’s Hospital for 21 years. Initially, Ava saw patients in the outpatient clinic, eventually transitioning to the Emergency Department’s crisis and behavioral health division. She currently splits time between the ED and Inpatient Behavioral Health unit with the consultation liaison service, working to ensure patients have the best quality of life possible, by attending to their mental health as well as their physical health. Saint Mary’s Senior Leadership Team describes Ava as working “with grace, showing reverence and understanding for every patient.” They went on to say that Ava’s empathy and compassion, combined with her diagnostic expertise and skilled therapeutic abilities are among the myriad of reasons she is deserving of this recognition.
Michelle Cunha grew up locally in a family of firefighters and she followed in their footsteps, becoming a volunteer firefighter before deciding on a career in nursing. With her background, she knows that she often sees patients on what can be the worst day of their lives, and she understands the importance of staying calm during an emergency because those same patients will follow her lead. While Michelle keeps her patients’ clinical care at the center of everything she does, she also focuses on their comfort and dignity. She recently spearheaded a clothing drive to gather items for distribution to patients in need. The clothing drive was a tremendous success, collecting pants, shirts, sweaters, winter coats, shoes and sneakers, as well as gloves, scarves, and hats – ultimately restocking a “giving closet” to capacity. When Michelle sees a need, she acts – especially when that need involves Johnson’s patients and surrounding community.
Jerry Galipeau, who recently retired after a long career including seven years of service to Saint Francis and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, was responsible for ensuring Trinity Health Of New England’s Mission and Core Values are the driving force behind decisions and patient care. In his role, Jerry provided a caring, comforting presence through transitions and challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery. His tireless support of colleagues and compassion for the most vulnerable members of the community is felt by all those he encounters. Through his daily reflections, thoughtful video messages to colleagues and patients, lending of support to colleagues in crisis, and relationships with community organizations, Jerry dedicated his time to lifting the spirits of colleagues, patients, and families, truly embodying the heart of Saint Francis and Trinity Health.
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.”
Read more about the 2024 CHA Healthcare Heroes here.