Care Dimensions head Stringer to receive Hope Begins Here Award

PEABODY – Boston North Cancer Association, Inc. will present Diane T. Stringer, president and chief executive officer of Care Dimensions, with the Hope Begins Here Award for her compassionate care for patients and families affected by cancer.This distinction, along with the awarding of three academic scholarships, will take place at the fifth annual Hope Begins Here Awards Reception Wednesday, May 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Peabody Marriott. Proceeds will benefit the Boston North Cancer Association’s Scholarship Program.”Diane has dedicated herself to caring for hospice patients for more than 25 years,” said Susan McCarthy, president of Boston North Cancer Association. “Our organization is honored Diane allowed us to recognize her achievements as a leader in her field.”Stringer has been president and chief executive officer of Care Dimensions (formerly Hospice of the North Shore & Greater Boston) since 1989, transforming the organization from a small volunteer program to its present position as the largest hospice in Massachusetts.Under her leadership, Care Dimensions developed Massachusetts’ first licensed hospice inpatient facility, the Kaplan Family Hospice House, as well as collaborated with area health systems to establish inpatient hospice units in Salem and Gloucester. Other innovative programs include Palliative Care of the North Shore & Greater Boston, and the Bertolon Center for Grief and Healing, which offers bereavement support and counseling. The organization also developed a pediatric palliative care and hospice program to support children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.Stringer is a former president of the Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts. She has led efforts to expand access to hospice care in the state by helping to pass legislation mandating hospice as a covered benefit by all insurers, and to license freestanding hospice inpatient facilities.In addition to honoring Stringer, Boston North Cancer Association will also be awarding three academic scholarships at its Hope Begins Here Awards Reception. Founded in 2009, Boston North Cancer Association’s Scholarship Program helps promising North Shore high school students overcome the challenges posed by cancer so they may achieve their dreams of higher education as well as advances improved methods of cancer treatment and prevention by means of assisting promising medical school students.”It is always a daunting task to select the scholarship recipients from a pool of worthy applicants. We continue to be impressed by their personal experiences and highly regarded academic accomplishments,” said Susan McCarthy, President of Boston North Cancer Association.The three scholarships to be awarded are as follows:The David J. Solimine, Sr. Honorary Scholarship. $3,500 awarded annually to one college-bound North Shore high school senior who is a cancer survivor or is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. This year’s winner is Brooks Saunders of Peabody.The $3,500 Hope Begins Here Scholarship (in honor of Stringer) is awarded annually to a college-bound North Shore high school senior whose parent passed away from cancer or is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. This year’s winners are Bella Capone of Swampscott and Anna Gibbs of Ipswich.The $7,500 F. John Bargoot, MD Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a medical school student who completed high school on the North Shore and has a demonstrated interest in cancer treatment and prevention. This year’s winner is Weston Sacco, formerly of Lynnfield.