In Memory of Paul Sweet: WNY Healthcare Association, January 1992 - Dec. 31, 2014

Greetings, all.

   I want you to know that we at the Western New York Healthcare Association stand in unanimous mourning with the many family, friends, and colleagues at the sudden and unexpected loss of our Senior Vice President, Paul Sweet, after he suffered a stroke on New Year's Eve.

What Paul brought to his job—indeed, to his life—was a passion for thoroughness and goodness that I have never seen paralleled.  His knowledge, his expertise, his experience and his insight wove a fabric of professionalism that made him, for so many, a consummate source of healthcare finance information and insight.  He was constantly available to nurture those in the field of healthcare finance as well, and did not hesitate to take the time to assist anyone at any time who called on his expertise in the area.

However, more important than his professional attributes are the personal attributes of the man.  As someone who had the honor of lunching with Paul nearly every day for the past seven years, I was able to watch as he peeled back his professional exterior to reveal his personal side.

Never one to boast of what he did for others, I learned—almost accidentally—of how he selflessly cared for an elderly neighbor for years...how he power-cleaned another elderly neighbor's siding every year...how he gave a legally blind neighbor rides to work every day...among dozens of other unselfish acts I could mention.

When he spoke of his family, his eyes glistened with pride and love.  And when he spoke of his granddaughters, they lit up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July.  He loved to tell stories of their accomplishments along with the times he and his wife enjoyed taking them to the beach, to the pool, to museums, or out to eat.  Most recently, he glowed when describing how they had worked with him over Thanksgiving, building a fort with the massive November snow.

He never stopped learning, never stopped trying to improve the financial situation of our members, never stopped digging for that extra morsel of information or advice that might help hospitals squeeze an extra dollar out of reimbursements.

With me, he visited lawmakers and boiled complex healthcare finance into digestible morsels for them and for those not familiar with the jargon and nuances of the system.  When Paul Sweet spoke finance, everyone listened.  We at the Association have been blessed and Paul continually benefitted our members with his critical knowledge and insight in the world of finance.  It is a legacy which we will continue in Paul's excellent tradition with the knowledge base he has built up in our healthcare finance community.

I always kidded Paul that I couldn't anger him, because he could make me look foolish by giving me some made-up healthcare financial mumbo-jumbo to use in my legislative or media visits.  Especially in my early years at WNYHA, I wouldn't have known the difference.  He never did.

What amazed me most was his ubiquitous presence in Western New York healthcare circles.  No matter where we went, whether on a member visit or legislator visit to Albany or elsewhere, someone would walk up to him, embrace him, and thank him for his influence on their careers.  If it happened once, it truly happened 100 times.

Certainly, Paul Sweet influenced my professional career.  But he did much more than that...he profoundly changed how I look at life.  The word "calculated" has negative connotations that it does not deserve.  When I say Paul Sweet lived a "calculated" life, I mean he measured his words, his actions, and indeed, his life, as to how he could improve the situations, the environment and the people around him.  In that way, he was incredibly calculating.

  Every day, I would walk into his office and say, "Mr. Sweet!"
  Invariably, he would reply, "Yes, I am!"
  Yes, you were.  Sweet, compassionate and selfless.
  Rest in peace, my friend.  Rest in peace.

John

John Bartimole

President

Western New York Healthcare Association

1876 Niagara Falls Boulevard

Tonawanda, NY 14150

716.695.0843 (main) / 716.512.7105 (direct)

jbartimo@wnyha.com