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22 Hartford Business Journal • December 9, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com 22 Hartford Business Journal • December 9, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com SPECIAL SECTION PGS. 22–36 Putting the 'care' in health care H ealth care is a loaded term these days with many meanings. But we often forget the "caring" aspect of keeping people healthy. The reality is, practicing medi- cine is more than just about mak- ing a diagnosis or prescribing med- ication. Good medical practitioners must actually show that they care about their patients or the people they are trying to help. Often that requires doctors, nurs- es and other care providers to go above and beyond the call of duty. Hartford Business Journal's 2019 Health Care Heroes exemplify what it means to truly care about people, whether they be individuals suffer- ing from a debilitating disease or grieving after a mass tragedy. Our winners this year run the gamut from a physician who walks elderly patients to their car when they need help, to a nursing super- visor who comes in late at night on her day off to help her colleagues cope with a patient's death. Our winners also include an advocate who has spent her career fighting healthcare inequities, a doctor who has brought life-saving heart treatments to community hospitals, a physician who has significantly improved pediatric care and a team that has developed a life-saving early detection system to help prevent opioid overdoses. Collectively, their efforts are do- ing a lot to improve the health and patient experience for many people in our community. The winners this year were chosen by HBJ's editorial staff, which used standard criteria to judge nominees in eight different categories ranging from nurses, physicians and healthcare staff to industry leaders and organizations that made advancements in health- care prevention and innovation. We recently honored our 2019 Health Care Heroes during a Dec. 12 luncheon at the Hartford Marriott. Our heroes were nominated by those who know their work the best — co-workers, clients, etc. They share a common passion for the services they provide and for the life-changing impacts they have on the lives of others. We hope you join us in congratu- lating them. And remember, it's not too early to start thinking about who you'd like to nominate for next year's class of Health Care Heroes. — Greg Bordonaro , Editor EXCLUSIVE MEDIA SPONSOR: PRESENTING SPONSORS: EVENT SPONSORS: CONTENTS 24 CATEGORY: VOLUNTEER Brad Cole 25 CATEGORY: PHYSICIAN Dr. Daniel Gerardi 26 CATEGORY: ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTHCARE — INNOVATION Dr. John Pelegano 28 CATEGORY: HEALTHCARE STAFF Katie Joly 29 CATEGORY: COMMUNITY SERVICE — ADVOCACY/POLICY Pat Baker 30 CATEGORY: CORPORATE ACHIEVEMENT — INNOVATION Hartford Hospital's Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation or ECMO Team led by Dr. Jason Gluck 32 CATEGORY: NURSE Shawnna Scirpo 34 CATEGORY: ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTHCARE — PREVENTION UConn Health's Connecticut EMS Statewide Opioid Reporting Directive PHOTO | ASHTPRODUCTIONS, SHUTTERSTOCK.COM