LAWRENCE —On Saturday, September 29, close to 400 guests attended Lawrence General’s Legacy of Caring Gala at the Boston Marriot Burlington. This event provides an opportunity for friends, supporters, staff members, and community leaders to come together and celebrate the exceptional care provided by Lawrence General and all those who make it possible. The event raised close to $400,000 toward advanced clinical care.
As part of this year’s program, Debra Silberstein, Esq., chair of the Lawrence General Board of Trustees, and Dianne Anderson, RN, Lawrence General’s president and CEO, each took a moment to recognize and thank the many “heroes” who were involved in the emergency response efforts surrounding the gas fires and explosions that took place in early September.
One such hero, orthopedic trauma surgeon Jason Reid, DO, was then honored with the first-ever Lawrence General Hero Award for his tireless, and successful, effort to save a patient’s life that night and in the days following.
The evening also included a heartwarming tribute to Cardiologist Sunit Mukherjee, MD, Lawrence General’s recipient of the 2018 Santagati Award for Visionary Leadership. Dr. Mukherjee has been instrumental in developing the hospital’s cardiovascular program over more than two decades and has championed a number of leading-edge cardiac treatment techniques during his tenure. In the months ahead, Dr. Mukherjee will lead the development of Lawrence General’s new Heart and Vascular Center.
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, a longtime friend and advocate of Lawrence General both in Boston and Washington, was also honored at the event. Congresswoman Tsongas accepted Lawrence General’s Community Leader Award in recognition of her many years of service and upon the occasion of her upcoming retirement.
Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera also took the stage to provide special proclamations to both Dr. Mukherjee and Congresswoman Tsongas, and to thank the hospital for the crucial role it plays in the community, especially in times of crisis.