Waterbury Regional Chamber's Health Care Council to Host Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast June 20

WATERBURY, Conn. - May 23, 2017 - PRLog -- The Waterbury Regional Chamber's Health Care Council (HCC) will host its 12^th Annual Members Breakfast and Awards Ceremony Tuesday, June 20^th, 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Wyndham Southbury Hotel. The event will include presenting awards to four exceptional healthcare professionals and organizations in Greater Waterbury.

State Healthcare Advocate Ted Doolittle will be the event's keynote speaker. He will speak on the Advocate's office's responsibilities and current healthcare issues. He is a seasoned government executive, attorney and former federal prosecutor who served as the Deputy Director of the Center for Program Integrity at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS).

The four awards to be presented are: the 2017 Leadership Award, to Dr. Peter Jacoby of Saint Mary's Hospital; 2017 Unsung Hero Award, to Robin Cracco, nurse navigator in the Emergency Department at Saint Mary's; 2017 Organizational Excellence Award to Easterseals Center for Better Hearing in Waterbury; and 2017 Stephen Sasala Health Advocate Award to Meghan Lennon, Health & Wellness Director for Greater Waterbury YMCA.

2017 Leadership Award:  Dr. Jacoby, founding chairman of the Chamber's Health Care Council, is Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Saint Mary's, a member of Trinity Health – New England. He is a past Council Speaker of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Traumatology and Emergency Medicine at the University of Connecticut, School of Medicine. He is a past winner of the Phil Stent Award given to the Emergency Physician of the Year in Connecticut, and 2005 recipient of the ACEP Council Meritorious Service Award. He was named an ACEP "Heroes of Emergency Medicine", and a "Healthcare Hero" by the Connecticut Hospital Association.

Dr. Jacoby is a member of the Board of Directors of Saint Mary's Hospital Foundation, serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Emergency Medicine Political Action Committee (NEMPAC), Vice-Chairman of the Palace Theater, and Chairman of the Israeli-Palestinian Cooperative for Economic Expansion (IPCEE). He was selected for the 2017 Leadership Award for his complete body of work over the past decade, and specifically his work with Sen. Christopher Murphy on legislation to improve care for mental health patients nationwide, and his work with Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary's Opioid Task Force.

2017 Unsung Hero Award: Cracco, RN, MSN, is a Waterbury resident and has been a nurse at Saint Mary's for 42 years. As Emergency Department Nurse Navigator, she provides support and guidance to patients after being discharged to understand their medical conditions and recommended treatment. She guides patients and their families through the healthcare system's complexities, helps identify the best facility or specialist for follow-up care, and connects them with community resources.

A parishioner of Saints Peter and Paul Church since 1978, Cracco has served on the school's board for 30 years and received the school's Medal of Honor in 2016 for her leadership and volunteerism. She is a past recipient of the H.O.P.E.S. Award and the Reverend Moon O'Donnell Award. Cracco serves as vice president of the board of Family Services of Greater Waterbury and was the 2014 Family Champion of Family Services of Greater Waterbury. She has served on the Steering Committee of the Greater Waterbury Health Improvement Project (GWHIP), and subcommittees focused on improving access to care for the underserved and those in need of behavioral healthcare services. She is vice president of Saint Mary's Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association and a recipient of the Saint Mary's Hospital Award for Caring.

2017 Organizational Excellence Award: Easterseals Center for Better Hearing in Waterbury is a nonprofit audiology practice that has served Greater Waterbury since 1969. It focuses on meeting the unique hearing needs of patients ranging in age from birth and up. Medicaid patients make up approximately 70 percent of those served. Because hearing aids are not covered under all medical insurance programs, the center offers assistance to those with significant financial hardship. In 2016, nearly 2,000 individuals and families were served at its three locations and approximately $50,000 in financial assistance was provided. The goal is to ensure that patients' hearing needs are addressed regardless of their ability to pay.

The center's audiologists and staff provide education to community groups on hearing loss and prevention. They are active advocates at the state and national levels for causes and legislation related to hearing care.

2017 Stephen Sasala Health Advocate Award: Meghan Lennon of Southbury resident, is the Greater Waterbury YMCA Health & Wellness Director. She speaks with youth about nutrition, helping the morbidly obese start toward change, and helping cancer survivors feel whole again. Lennon has implemented the Y's signature chronic disease prevention programs, such as LIVESTRONG and Diabetes Prevention Program. She oversees all community wellness programs, group fitness, senior programming, procurement, and budgeting.

Lennon has worked for more than 10 years to provide friendly, and professional wellness programs, and was the cohort leader for New England for all YMCA's in implementing LIVESTRONG. Her work has provided more than 150 people access to a cancer wellness program, she has led more than 300 people toward their first 5K or 10K road race, and she has made a significant health impact on the Y's more than 20,000 visitors annually.

Platinum sponsor for the event is Saint Mary's Hospital. Gold sponsors are Harold Leever Regional Cancer Center; OptiCare Eye Health and Vision Center; Spectrum Associates Market Research Inc. and Waterbury Hospital. Silver sponsors are CohnReznick LLP and G.S. Regan Associates.

The Waterbury Regional Chamber is one of Connecticut's largest, representing over 1,100 businesses. The Chamber and its Health Care Council create and distribute a semi-annual "HealthMatters" magazine produced in cooperation with the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury.

Costs for the Annual Meeting and Awards Breakfast are $35 for chamber members, $50 for not-yet-members, and $400 for a table of 10. For information, and to reserve a seat, visit www.waterburychamber.com or call 203-757-0701.