Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 6/21/2022
SPRINGFIELD – The life and career of the late restaurateur and businessman Any Yee will be commemorated with the creation of Andy Yee Palliative Care Unit at Mercy Medical Center.
Hundreds of family members, elected officials, including Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, businesspeople and friends of Yee gathered at Mercy Medical Center on June 14 for the announcement.
Yee, who suffered from cancer, spent his last days under care at Mercy. According to information released by Mercy, Yee’s family was so impressed with the care he received, they wanted to help other families with a palliative care unit for chronically ill patients as well as provide end of life care.
Deborah Bitsoli, M.B.A., CPA, president of Mercy Medical Center and Trinity Health of New England Medical Group recalled the kindness Andy Yee extended to the hospital. She said that in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, Yee had filled a bus with food items for the medical center’s staff.
She also recalled how he was able to deliver 1,000 sandwiches for staff on about a day’s notice.
“He taught me that life is a journey, life is a quilt sewn over time with many connections made,” Bitsoli said.
She added the new medical unit will “celebrate Andy’s love of giving back.”
Baker said, “Andy felt blessed. I’ve got to tell you we are the blessed.” The governor added, “His greatest mission as far as I could tell was to make everyone feel better about themselves.”
Yee’s widow Sarah said that his health “took a quick turn in his last month.” He was in the intensive care unit and the family wanted him to come back home to pass away, but that was not in his best medical interest, she explained.
She said the idea of the palliative unit came about from the family thinking it would be beneficial to other families in similar situation to have a comfortable environment.
According to the medical center, the unit will be on the fifth floor of Mercy Medical Center and “will be overseen by Dr. Philip Glynn and Laurie Loiacono, M.D., Chief of Critical Care. The unit will be designed to provide an inviting, soothing space for end-of-life care for patients and families, as well as patients with chronic illnesses requiring pain and symptom management. All clinical staff involved in caring for patients and family members on the new unit will receive specialized training that focuses on palliative care.”
Glynn said, of the unit, it will be “transformative” for the medical center.
There is now a fundraising effort to defray the cost of the project. To make a gift in support of this initiative, go to https://give.mercycares.com/andy-yee-palliative-care-unit or contact Geoffrey Hoyt, chief development officer, Mercy Medical Center at Geoffrey.hoyt@trinityhealthofne.org or call 860-331-1102.