News & Stories
Former Cooper Nurse Donates $5,000 to Palliative Care Fellowship Program
During her 20-year tenure at Cooper University Hospital, Cathy Young had the privilege of working under leaders who set the foundation of today’s Critical Care and Palliative Care programs at Cooper. Dr. W. Eric Scott of Moorestown, N.J., a retired ICU Medical Director, was one of those leaders, who Young remembers fondly.
“He was an outstanding example of clinical excellence and collaboration,” said Young, who has a home in Medford Lakes, N.J. and currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. She recently retired as Vice President, Cardiac/Medicine/Geriatrics at The Queens Medical Center in Honolulu. “He taught us how to look at the whole patient and create an individualized plan that respected the needs and values of the patient and their family.”
Young recently made a $5,000 donation to the Palliative Care Fellowship Program in honor of Dr. Scott’s contribution to the well-being of intensive care patients and families.
The donation will support the development of a training fellowship in Palliative Medicine. This would be the region’s second allopathic palliative medicine fellowship with the other training site at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
On December 19, Cathy visited Cooper to present a check to Susan Bass Levin, President and CEO of The Cooper Foundation; Mark Angelo, MD, Director of the Palliative Care Program; and Barbara Sproge, MSN, RN, OCN, CHPN, Clinical Educator II, Palliative Care Program.
After serving as the Director of Critical Care Nursing at Cooper, Young moved up the ranks in leadership positions at Hahnemann University Hospital, Saint Barnabas Health Care System and The Queens Medical Center. Dr. Scott’s lessons in providing comfort measures, palliative care and support for critically ill patients stayed with Young and her colleagues.
“Cooper was good to me in many ways,” said Young, who pursued a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from Temple University while working at Cooper. “I can’t thank Cooper enough for supporting
me.”