Business journal names four from YNHHS as 2024 healthcare heroes

NEW HAVEN, CT (October 7, 2024) – Yale New Haven Health is proud to announce that four members of its health system were named to the Healthcare Heroes Class of 2024 by Hartford Business Journal. 

The 23 honorees throughout Connecticut were chosen in nine categories and run the gamut from physicians, nurses and volunteers to mental healthcare providers. Heroes were nominated by those who know their work the best – coworkers, patients, etc. They share a common passion for the services they provide and life-changing impacts they have on the lives of others.

The Yale New Haven Health honorees (pictured from left) are:

• Father Adrian Budica, director of Spiritual Care and Education at Bridgeport Hospital, won in the category of healthcare staff. Father Budica oversees all chaplaincy staff and supervises the chaplain residents and interns in the Clinical Pastoral Education program. This past year he has aligned the spiritual care units at Bridgeport Hospital under one shared vision.
• Elyssa Noce Ely, APRN, nurse practitioner, Yale New Haven Hospital, won in the category of nurse. She provides care for patients across the spectrum of kidney disease. She also teaches in the primary care program and diabetes concentration at the Yale School of Nursing. Ely leads educational initiatives for patients and staff to enhance their understanding of renal care. Her commitment to optimizing patient outcomes and fostering a collaborative learning environment has significantly advanced the organization’s mission of providing exceptional patient care.
• Pedro Hernandez IV, RN, Yale New Haven Hospital won in the category of nurse. He works as a floor and charge nurse, as well as a preceptor for new oncoming staff. Hernandez won the hospital’s PEACE award in June 2024 and works closely with many disciplines including nursing floor staff, management and Yale Medicine doctors to ensure patients, staff and visitors are safe and cared for properly.
• Athanassios Petrotos, MD, medical director of trauma at Greenwich Hospital, won in the category of physician. He practices general, acute care and minimally invasive surgery at Greenwich Hospital.This past year, he played a pivotal role in the hospital’s Level III Trauma Center designation from the American College of Surgeons and the State of Connecticut. 

The Hartford Business Journal Healthcare Heroes class of 2024 will be honored during an event in early November at Farmington Gardens. 

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org