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HEALTHCARE HEROES | 2026 AWARDS B8 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 Winner Category | Nurse June Napolitano Director of Nursing Operations Gaylord Specialty Healthcare J une Napolitano (RN, BSN, PCCN, CRRN and VA-BC) is director of nursing operations at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare. She oversees nursing operations across multiple service areas, including staffing, vascular access, hemodialysis contract services, cardiac monitoring, virtual nursing, patient flow and nursing emergency management. What makes you a Healthcare Hero? Gaylord cares for Connecticut's sickest patients who are recovering from a life-altering accident or illness. Over the past year, I have focused on strength- ening nursing operations and improving access to care for our patients. I have continued leading initiatives that optimize patient flow throughout the hospital, ensuring patients receive the right level of care at the right time. I have led the growth of our internal Vascular Access Team. In addition, I have supported emergency prepared- ness efforts and interdisciplinary collaboration, helping build systems and teams that enhance patient care, safety and outcomes across the organization. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining staffing levels while preserving exceptional patient care became a significant challenge. I helped develop and implement Gaylord's nursing float pool through extensive collaboration, recruit- ment, training and change management. Today, the program enhances staffing flexibility, reduces reliance on agency personnel, and helps ensure patients consistently receive high-quality care. What's your next major goal and/or challenge? My goal is to continue advancing inno- vative staffing and care delivery models that support patients and caregivers. As healthcare workforce challenges persist, I remain focused on building sustainable programs that attract and retain talented nurses, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, expand professional growth opportunities, and improve oper- ational efficiency to serve more patients. Winner Category | Nurse Sandy Grela Nurse Manager, South 7 Middlesex Health S andy Grela (RN, MSN, MHA and CNML) is the nurse manager of South 7, the Palli- ative and Hospice Unit at Middlesex Health, where she has worked since 2018. She co-chairs the Nurse Management Collaborative and Medication Safety. A certified nurse manager and leader, she precepts and mentors new nurse managers. What makes you a Healthcare Hero? is past year, I co-presented a discharge improvement initiative at the Magnet conference, exceeded my patient experience and employee engagement goals and received the Transformational Leadership Award at our Nurses' Week Professional Practice Award ceremony. I've maintained a highly engaged, well-retained team while onboarding and mentoring newer nurse managers. I accomplished all of this while undergoing breast cancer treatment, which taught me firsthand what compassionate, patient-cen- tered care truly means, and deep- ened my commitment to leading with resilience and empathy. Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome. is past year, I led a highly engaged, compassionate team delivering excellent patient outcomes, all while undergoing breast cancer treatment myself. Balancing my own care with my responsibilities as a nurse manager pushed me to lead differently: leaning on my team and staying present for my staff even on my hardest days. What's your next major goal and/or challenge? One of my professional goals is to share my leadership experience more broadly through conference speaking engagements and poster presentations. I want to help other nurse leaders navigate the chal- lenges of team building, staff engage- ment and leading through adversity by presenting the strategies that have worked for my team at South 7. She Cares. Boldly. As she underwent breast cancer treatment and cared for her own family, she continued to lead her Middlesex Health team with the same compassion, strength and determination she brings to every patient and family. She didn't just CARE BOLDLY. She LIVES BOLDLY. For her extraordinary leadership, courage and commitment to others, Nurse Manager Sandy Grela, RN, MSN, MHA, CNML has been named a Healthcare Heroes Award winner. Congratulations, Sandy, from your Middlesex Health family!