Dr. Matsuo Compassionate Care Award winner – Dr. Carol Beechy
At Helios Care’s Grand Oneonta Opry fundraising concert on October 10th Helios Care was proud to announce the recipient of this year’s Dr. Yoshiro Matsuo Compassionate Care Award, an honor recognizing individuals who demonstrate exceptional kindness, empathy, leadership and selfless service to others.
This year’s Compassionate Care Award Winner is Dr. Carol K. Beechy, Retired MD at Bassett Medical Center, whose commitment to the health of the rural community for over 30 years providing comfort, dignity, and support to patients and their families during challenging times. Dr. Beechy started and championed the palliative care department at Bassett Medical Center, is a Deacon and Elder at First Presbyterian Church, Member of Cooperstown Area Interfaith Coalition for Social Justice, advocate for community medicine- school based healthcare programs, worked in hospitals in Africa, refugee camps in Sudan, mentored interns at Bassett, volunteered at the food pantry, is active with Otsego Land Trust and OCCA. She has made a lasting impact on her community and the patients she has served.
Dr. Beechy joins the previous winners: Lisa Schmidt and Dr. Ben Friedell.
In addition to our winner, Helios Care wants to recognize the nominees who made this selection so difficult, as they all are doing outstanding work helping our community.
The other Nominees:
- Charitie Perkins, West Edmeston: caring for elderly in our community with extreme kindness and compassion.
- Jacqueline Webster, Otsego County, RN, Palliative Care at Bassett Medical Center, advocating for and helping to overcome barriers, streamlining processes for OPWDD patients.
- Joyce Barber, Hobart, Family farm bookkeeper, Stamford Student Scholarships donor, Town of Harpersfield Board, advocate for all in need.
- Brittany Goodrich, Sherburne, Dir. of Kennedy Willis Center, Pathfinder Village, volunteers/advocates for Ronald McDonald House, the food pantry, teaches Sunday school, chairs Philanthropy Comm. at Christian school, advocates for all individuals
- Kathy Diamond, Cobleskill, Marathon for a Better Life Board, grants supervisor for MFBL. Goes out of her way to assist individuals facing financial hardship.
- Mike and Carole LaChance, Cooperstown, started seniors’ socialization programming that is now called Connections, Started Men’s Shed, senior citizen advocates- volunteering at church and other local orgs.
- Virginia Kennedy, Cooperstown, founder of Cooperstown-Oneonta Indivisible, started with 3 people, now over 300- organizing nonpartisan pro-democracy rallies
- Paula Johnson, Oneonta, RN at Helios Care, patients and their families are supported and treated with compassion- volunteers for HC events, Turkey Trot, and Camp Forget Me Not, Tree of Lights- often attends calling hours or funerals of patients, calls co-workers to support after they lost a patient.
- Daisy Shortsleeve-McMullen, Hobart, Circle of Life scheduler, problem solver, helping all patients with kindness and compassion and goes above and beyond to make patients requests happen. Behind the scenes leader with compassion.
- Carrie Sargent, Otego, HHA at Helios Care, helps the patients in any way she can, helps her co-workers- ready to step in if they need her to take a shift, etc. Always kind and compassionate.
“Each nominee represents the spirit of care and selfless service and leadership that defines Dr. Yoshiro Matsuo and we are grateful to the nominators who worked to present them for the award, Thank you!” Committee Chair Eric Stein.
