Everyone, Everyday. Relentlessly.

In the UMass Memorial Health Care Anthem video, dozens of caregivers were filmed to help explain to the world who we are, what we do and what we stand for as a health care system. Find out more about these caregivers and why they were chosen to be in the video to demonstrate how it takes everyone, everyday working together relentlessly to care for our patients and each other. This week, we feature Matt Lagueux, Director of Food and Nutrition, at the Clinton Campus of HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital.

Matt found that being a part of the Anthem video was a special experience. “It was awesome seeing all the caregivers pulled together from all our campuses into the video. I was proud to be a part of our organization and impressed by the leadership of Dr. Dickson and his focus on supporting our teams that provide essential services to our community, especially during this difficult time.”

As a first-degree black belt in the Korean martial art of Kuk Sool Won, Matt Lagueux knows a thing or two about meeting challenges. Making the rank was no easy task, taking years of training which taught him about himself. “Through facing and overcoming challenges that I thought were barriers made me realize that it’s possible just by keeping at it,” said Matt. And, he brought this relentless approach to managing obstacles in his professional life when COVID-19 hit. 

New cleaning processes brought about from the pandemic has made safely preparing healthy meals for patients and caregivers more difficult. Everything touched needs to be sterilized; these safeguards continue to take a toll on Matt and his staff. However, Matt found that the pandemic brought a silver lining too: “Leaders have realized that the team is the biggest asset. They have seen the impact team members make here operationally.”

This appreciation extends to Matt as well. HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital CFO Steven McCue has seen Matt’s leadership in action. “Matt is a leader who knows how to support his team. When the COVID-19 surge hit, it brought challenges to all our caregivers personally and professionally. As a leader, Matt quickly recognized this and focused on creating a safe working environment. And, when many caregivers faced challenges with availability due to child care and home schooling, Matt was flexible with scheduling and picked up additional hours to make it work,” Steven said.

It’s not an easy job, but Matt is focused on his purpose: “Healthy food is part of the care plan. I’m proud to be a part of providing healing to our patients.”