Connecticut Hospital Association Honors Portland Resident Jillian Cacopardo as a “Healthcare Hero”

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation-focused healthcare systems, is proud to announce that Portland resident Jillian Cacopardo, MPT, ATP/SMS, was honored with the Connecticut Hospital Association’s 2024 Healthcare Hero Award.

The Healthcare Hero Award celebrates and recognizes the invaluable contributions of exceptional healthcare workers both to their field and to the community at large.

A Gaylord employee since 2003 and a 2022 Gaylord Employee of the Year, Cacopardo is an outpatient physical therapist and the clinical program coordinator of Gaylord Wheelchair Services. She is considered one of the most highly respected and recognized seating specialists in the nation.

Senior Director of Outpatient Clinical Services Jacob Hunter said that Cacopardo is “hyper-focused on getting every patient exactly what is needed and does not settle for anything less. She fights for her patients without exception to make sure that the appropriate equipment they need for a better and healthier quality of life is approved by insurance.”

“Jillian is one of the hardest workers I know … and one of the most compassionate for our patients,” he continued. “She is truly an asset and personifies the reputation that Gaylord is so well known for.”

Cacopardo is a fierce advocate for Connecticut’s wheelchair community. She works closely with wheelchair users to ensure that they receive appropriate equipment customized to their needs to improve mobility within their home and community, provide proper positioning to ensure their safety, comfort, and skin preservation, and ultimately empower their independence and quality of life.

She spends countless hours – often on her own time – documenting and advocating for patients' needs with their insurance and testifies in support of legislative efforts, including a bill to better serve Medicaid recipients with complex medical needs who require complex rehabilitation technology. She also readily shares her extensive knowledge with other seating professionals by contributing numerous articles to national publications.

“Working for Gaylord for the past 21 years has afforded me opportunities to gain the knowledge needed, have access to high-end technology, and forge relationships with providers within Connecticut and across the country that I never thought possible. These opportunities are what allow me to do right by my patients. I am their voice, and I need to make sure they have what they need to get around their home and community.” 

About Gaylord Specialty Healthcare:
Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is a rehabilitation-focused, nonprofit health system headquartered in Wallingford, Connecticut, that provides inpatient and outpatient care for people at every point in their journey from illness or injury to maximum recovery.

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is anchored by Gaylord Hospital, a long-term acute care hospital, and includes Gaylord Outpatient Services and Gaylord Physical Therapy for patients who require diagnosis and treatment on an outpatient basis. Gaylord's Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation is a hub for accelerating world-class rehabilitative research, technology development and innovation to improve the quality of life and function of people around the world. Together, these entities deliver a complete continuum of rehabilitative care driven by clinical experience, innovation and human compassion.

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