Press Releases

Vicki Ritterband
Media Coordinator
The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center
617-795-0180

CLEOPATRA “CLEO” FERRAO, FNP, WINS SCHWARTZ CENTER COMPASSIONATE CAREGIVER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Quincy resident Cleopatra “Cleo” Ferrao, a family nurse practitioner at Mattapan Community Health Center, has won the prestigious Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award, given by Boston’s Kenneth B. Schwartz Center.

The award, now in its eighth year, recognizes the caregiver in Massachusetts who best personifies the mission of the Schwartz Center to “advance compassionate health care in which caregivers, patients and their families relate to one another in a way that provides hope to the patient, support to caregivers and sustenance to the healing process.”

Ferrao’s award was announced at the Schwartz Center’s annual dinner on November 1 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This year, some 107 healthcare workers, ranging from direct-care professionals to social workers to physicians, were nominated for the award.

“Cleo’s advocacy on behalf of patients who ordinarily feel disenfranchised from the health care system impresses everyone who knows her,” said Schwartz Center Executive Director Julie Rosen. “Patient after patient told us about the countless ways Cleo had cared for them beyond the confines of the examining room: calling them at home to remind them to take their medications, helping them obtain various social services, listening to their personal problems. She is extraordinary.”

Many of Ferrao’s patients are immigrants with little experience with the health care system. At first they are often frightened, bewildered and reluctant to trust a system that may be at odds with their religious or cultural beliefs. Once they meet Ferrao, that all changes.

Ferrao believes that a patient’s story can reveal as much, if not more, than any medical test. She learns about her patients’ family histories, current living situation, and religious beliefs. Then she educates her patient about preventive health care, removing the veil of mystery about their bodies, medication and illness. She ensures that her patients truly understand what she is saying, often repeating herself, calling them at home to make sure they follow her directions, and never mistaking silence for comprehension.

Ferrao’s own life story is as complex and interesting as her patients’. The eldest of six children, she was born in East Africa to Indian parents. When she was 16, the political unrest in East Africa forced her and her younger sister to move to Bombay, India without their parents. Eventually, the rest of her family joined her. At one time she volunteered at an orphanage run by Mother Theresa. In 1985, she and her family moved to Boston.

When asked about her approach to patient care, Ferrao stated, “I try to make sure that my patients know that I need them, as much as they need me.” That philosophy was put to a test when Ferrao was diagnosed with a rare cancer. Instead of slowing her down, the disease seemed to accelerate her drive to help people.

“The connection I have with my patients runs very deep,” said Ferrao. “I truly realized this when I was diagnosed. My patients were there for me as much as I took care of them. Now I was able to get through surgeries and radiation with their support.”

The 2006 finalists for the award were:

Janice Arnold, LICSW, a social worker at Children’s Hospital, Boston

Annabelle Bitter, LICSW, MSW, an oncology social worker at Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge

Paul M. “Alex” Louis, CNA, a certified nursing assistant at Mary Immaculate Health Care Services, Lawrence

Sheila Trugman, MD, a family physician and medical director of Jewish Healthcare Center, Worcester

About the Schwartz Center

The Schwartz Center, established in 1995, is an autonomous, not-for-profit organization, which supports compassionate health care and seeks to strengthen the relationship between patients and caregivers. The Center achieves its goals through education, training, support, and public education. A statewide review committee composed of physicians, nurses, social workers, community health workers and patient advocates reviewed the nominations for the award.