Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Chief Development Officer (CDO) Tim Sheehan, and Director of Disaster Recovery Tina Quagliato Sullivan joined with Mercy Medical Center President Dr. Robert Roose, Mercy’s Director of the Sister Caritas Cancer Center Dr. Philip Glynn, Mercy’s Chief of Critical Care Dr. Laurie Loiacano, along with members of the Mercy team on Tuesday for a tour of the progress on the Andy Yee Memorial Palliative Care Unit project at Mercy Medical Center.
The Andy Yee Palliative Care Unit will be located on the fifth floor of Mercy Medical Center and will be overseen by Dr. Glynn and Dr. Loiacono.
Mercy received $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) state and local fiscal recovery funding from the City of Springfield toward this project to renovate and redesign more than 5,000 square feet on Mercy’s 5th floor into a dedicated palliative care unit utilized to care for up to 300 seriously ill patients a year in an intimate, supportive and soothing environment.
Mayor Sarno states, “Mercy is again on the cutting the edge with their entire 5th floor dedicated to palliative care with the Andy Yee Memorial Palliative Care Unit that is currently in progress and looking great so far. While some of our area hospitals and medical facilities provide some type of palliative care services, Mercy’s new Palliative Care Unit (PCU) will be the only dedicated, hospital-based palliative care unit in Western Mass. Thank you to Dr. Roose, Dr. Glynn, Dr. Loiacano, and team for sharing the progress already underway at Mercy. This type of focused care will enhance quality of life for patients and their families. I am grateful to Dr. Roose, always so kind and professional, and the entire team at Mercy for their continued compassion and care for our community.”
Mayor Sarno continued, “My administration is proud to support this project with $250,000 in ARPA funding, which is being used to transform the unit with furnishings, including sectionals, lounges, tables, chairs and a built-in nourishment center for the family lounge and sleeper chairs for loved ones to enable them to stay in patients’ rooms, as well as all the glasswork throughout the unit which offers an intimate, supportive and soothing environment. This is a unique setting that is very conducive to families and equipped for modern technology and communication. Not only will the new Andy Yee Memorial PCU offer enhanced quality of life for patients and families, it will support the creation of four, new, full-time medical/surgical nursing positions as well as a chaplain, social worker and a pharmacist as part of the unit’s multi-disciplinary care team. Mercy is also contracting with many local businesses to complete all the beautiful work. Just like his late father, Johnny Yee of Hu Ke Lau fame, Andy Yee was so kind hearted, visionary, and always that can do attitude of why not and not only think big, but do big. His legacy of generosity will continue on at Mercy with the Andy Yee Memorial Palliative Care Unit.”
