Woman to be honored for health advocacy
Woman of the year Sabrina Mousseau to be honored for dedication to patients and families
TROY >> A clinical sales specialist for Genentech has been chosen by the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region as its 2016 Resourceful Woman of the Year.
Sabrina Mosseau will be honored by the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region at a luncheon scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, at the Hilton Garden Inn on Hoosick Street.
The YWCA is honoring Mosseau for her tireless advocacy on behalf of patients and families served by Samaritan Hospital Radiation Oncology, the Samaritan Women’s Health Center and the St. Mary’s Cancer Treatment Center for nearly two decades.
“I graduated from Siena College and started out doing some research work briefly, and I realized that wasn’t really my niche or where I belonged,” said Mosseau. “I then went back to school for nursing, I really knew that being in healthcare working with patients was what I was meant to do.”
Mosseau started out working at Albany Memorial Hospital in 1997 where she did inpatient nursing, and continued to work for Northeast Health for almost the next 20 years.
“I was able to work in the emergency room, in the ICU, and I worked with oncology patients,” explained Mosseau. “I then really fell in love with patient care and not only fell in love with caring for patients and their families, but then started to fall in love with the community that I was living in.”
Mosseau then took on the roles of Nurse Educator and Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, and worked for both Albany Memorial and Samaritan Hospital, which are now members of St. Peter’s Health Partners. During that time Mosseau was then chosen to be the Administrative Director of Cancer Services and Women’s Services at Samaritan and St. Mary’s Hospital.
“Becoming a leader in healthcare over a dozen years ago really opened my eyes to the fact that we provide healthcare but then we don’t necessarily always have people who have the option to afford all of their healthcare, especially in the world of cancer,” said Mosseau. “Living with a cancer diagnosis, we know those patients need treatment for more than their disease”
At that point she then began asking herself how she could become more active in her community and help to find more programming services for patients.
Mosseau has been responsible for coordination of all services to oncology patients and their families and has also worked with staff at the facilities to develop and implement innovative patient-centered programs such as No Woman Left Behind, No More Sleepless Nights and other patient navigation and survivorship programs that have been recognized both locally and nationally as best in practice.
She is also responsible for raising more than $600,000 over the past nine years with the Visions of Strength event, whose proceeds provide access to integrative wellness services needed by individuals living with cancer.
Mosseau serves as the
chairperson for the Visions of Strength event which takes place this year on Oct. 20 also at the Hilton Garden Inn of Troy and says the community aspect of the event is always so great to see.
“Troy is such an interesting vibrant community filled with the businesses and community leaders that show up and help give back,” said Mosseau.
In June of this year, Mosseau decided to take on another role but this time with Genetech as a Clinical Specialist.
“I still have the responsibility to influence best patient care, but now my efforts not only have outcomes at the local level, but also the entire community in the world of stroke care,” said Mosseau. “The job is incredibly fulfilling and it keeps me firmly embedded in the community, so it is really exciting.”
Mosseau said that she was surprised when it was announced earlier this year that she would be named the Resourceful Woman of the Year by the Y WCA.
“It was actually really surprising to me,” she said. “I have an incredible amount of respect for all of the women that I have consistently been very blessed to surround myself with and also with some amazing male mentors as well. I look at this award and look at people who recently received it like Benita Zahn and Corey Jamison, and if you say their names people will know who they are and they have a tremendous amount of respect for them. So it is unreal to me that anybody would put me in the classification of women like that. I am truly honored and humbled to be the recipient and so proud to be recognized by an organization dedicated to empowering women and eliminating racism.”