Congratulations to Christie Beausoleil
Each year at the ECHO Cancer Foundation Gala, a very special individual is recognized for his/her tremendous impact. This year’s winner was the amazing Christie Beausoleil who serves as ECHO’s Director of Practice Operations. The award is presented in recognition of her unwavering commitment and support to the ECHO Cancer Foundation and the patients of Eastern Connecticut Hematology & Oncology.
Below is an excerpt from a speech given by COO Dana Dowdell, on why Christie was selected for this honor:
“Christie embodies everything that this award stands for – unwavering compassion, ongoing support, and a dedication to putting our patients first. She runs our holiday programs for both Thanksgiving and Christmas – also known as Christi-Mas – providing for at least 20 families each year. She has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in community funding and co-pay assistance for patients. She doesn’t even think twice. She is the epitome of giving the shirt off her back for someone else.
As a testament to her outstanding contributions, we have not only chosen to honor Christie this year but have also renamed this award the Christie Beausoleil Award going forward as she sets the standard of what it means to care for patients and their caregivers within the oncology community.”
In addition to being recognized for this Foundation award, Christie was recently singled out by a member of the ECHO Team for a Ripple Award which recognizes when one of our staff goes above and beyond and the positive impact ripples down to our patients and team members. Here is what the staff member shared:
“I am nominating Christie for the incredible compassion she showed to a patient in the waiting room. The patient was having an extremely hard time in the waiting area. Christie went right over to the patient, placed her hand on her shoulder and asked her what was going on. Christie was patient, showed compassion, empathy, showed absolutely no judgement towards the patient, and gave the patient a safe space to talk about her situation. You could visibly see the patient relax and it was clear she trusted Christie and her genuineness. Christie talked to her about how important it is to make sure she took care of her mental health and that we are here to support in whatever way the patient needed. The patient expressed gratitude. Thank you, Christie, for making this patient feel at ease and for your unbelievable kindness. You made a difference for her.”
ECHO is so grateful for Christie and the huge difference she makes in the lives of our patients, team, and overall operations. Please join us in congratulating Christie. We are so lucky to have her!