[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E85-E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING BARBARA PEARCE AND JOE MOONEY FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING 
                  CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONNECTICUT HOSPICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2022

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, nestled along the shore in Branford, 
Connecticut lies Connecticut Hospice, an organization founded in 1974 
by Florence Wald, then an Associate Professor and Dean of the Mental 
Health and Psychiatric Nursing Program at Yale University, and 
dedicated to delivering coordinated, comprehensive and compassionate 
care to people with terminal illnesses and their families.
  Connecticut Hospice was the first such organization of its kind in 
our nation and over the years, has cared for thousands of patients and 
provided comfort to them and their loved ones in their final days, 
becoming a national model of care and inspiring thousands of similar 
programs in other communities. Indeed, it was at Connecticut Hospice 
that I spent the last weeks with my mother, Luisa.
  Just a few years ago, Connecticut Hospice was facing some difficult 
challenges and found itself in need of an organizational shake-up. That 
is when Barbara Pearce and Joe Mooney stepped up and became an integral 
part of Connecticut Hospice reaching a new bar of care and standard of 
service. Barbara took on the role of Chief Executive Officer and Joe 
the dual responsibilities of Chief Operating Officer and Chief 
Financial Officer.
  Barbara Pearce, an active community leader and philanthropist, has 
dedicated countless years of service to a number of organizations as a 
board member or advisor. When she learned of the troubles at 
Connecticut Hospice, she decided to take on an enormous task. In her 
own words, Connecticut Hospice ``is the mothership. We are the one that 
people look to and visit from around the country and around the world 
to see how cutting-edge, end-of-life care is delivered.'' For that 
reason, ``it is not enough to give good care.'' As staff and volunteers 
will attest, Barbara was straightforward about the tough decisions that 
needed to be made. And anyone who knows Barbara will tell you, once she 
is focused on a goal, she is a force of nature.
  Recently retired from state service as a Deputy Commissioner at the 
Connecticut Department of Revenue Services and with over forty years of 
experience as a financial executive in both the government and private 
sector, Joe Mooney was just the person Connecticut Hospice needed to 
step in as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. With 
his background, Joe was in a unique position to utilize his talents and 
expertise to not only right the ship but ensure its solid foundation 
for the future.
  Since its inception, Connecticut Hospice has always been a leader in 
caring for the terminally ill and their families. Under the careful 
direction of Barbara and Joe, the organization has navigated many 
challenges and obstacles, including the Covid-19 pandemic. Though they 
both originally planned for their intervention to be brief, they have 
chosen to stay on. It is their vision and leadership that will ensure 
Connecticut Hospice can continue in its mission to provide the very 
best of comfort and care to the terminally ill and their loves ones in 
the most vulnerable of times. It is a gift we are all beyond grateful 
to them to have preserved. It is my honor to join the staff, volunteers 
and families of Connecticut Hospice in extending my deepest thanks and 
appreciation to Barbara Pearce and Joe Mooney for their outstanding 
efforts on behalf of this very special organization. I look forward to 
continuing our work together.

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