March 17, 2015

Alice Kolasa, DO, Director of the Palliative Medicine Program at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, was honored by the Town of Brookhaven at its annual Women’s Recognition Awards. The awards recognize the achievements of women who work or live in the town.

Dr. Kolasa joined the Mather staff in 2012 as the founding director of the Palliative Medicine Program. Palliative care provides patients with relief from distressing symptoms including pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite, problems with sleep and many other symptoms. It can also help patients deal with the side effects of the medical treatments they are receiving, leading to an improved quality of life.

From the start, Dr. Kolasa demonstrated her compassion when dealing with patients and families to coordinate care with physicians, palliative care nurses, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, nutritionists and others. As those who work with her on the Palliative Care Consult Team have observed, Dr. Kolasa’s integrity, kindness and compassion are evident as she strives to provide palliative care service to our patients and families. So, too, is her willingness to be a continuing resource for patients as families as they struggle to deal with serious, chronic illnesses.

Dr. Kolasa’s work was recognized by Long Island Business News in 2013 with a Health Care Hero Award.

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather also has received six consecutive top "A" ratings from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety, and was ranked among the top hospitals in New York State by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals.

Pictured: Alice Kolasa, DO (center) with her Brookhaven Women’s Recognition Award, Phyllis Macchio, APN, Palliative Medicine Nurse Practitioner, and Mather President Kenneth Roberts.