Tim Gens, the longtime executive vice president of MHA who stepped down from his post last year due to health reasons, was awarded the annual Stephen J. Hegarty Memorial Award at MHA’s annual meeting on Friday. Governor Charlie Baker (left in photo with Gens) presented the award.
The Hegarty award is named after the late Steve Hegarty, who was president of MHA from 1986 to 1995 and a strong advocate for high-quality,
accessible healthcare. Governor Baker, who was the state’s Health & Human Services Secretary during Hegarty’s time at MHA, recalled MHA’s former leader with great affection for his ability to work collaboratively and form consensus on the important healthcare issues of the day. Baker said that Gens’ important work and talents mirrored those of the much-admired Hegarty.
In presenting the award, Baker said to Gens, “In the world we live in today where virtually everything seems to be at sword points – which makes it really hard for anyone to accomplish much of anything – the legacy that you have created and that you leave behind for all of us to build on is extraordinary ... I’m here because I really wanted to be able to look at you and say God bless you for all you’ve done because you’ve made a big difference.”