Cooper University Health Care recently named Barry Hunter, a veteran of the Marine Corps, its 2023 Cooper Armed Services Person of the Year. Hunter, an emergency medical technician, has been a team member of Cooper EMS Services for eight years.
In addition to his expertise and compassion providing care as a first responder in the city of Camden, Hunter, a Camden resident, is involved in many community outreach activities, including health education, career mentorship programs, neighborhood cleanup events in Camden and coordinating the Cooper EMS Services Adopt-A-Family program every holiday season.
In 2018, Hunter’s compassion and generosity was demonstrated in the wake of a devasting fire in North Camden. In his role as an EMT, Hunter was on the scene and witnessed the devastation firsthand. More than 20 residents, many of them children, were left homeless due to the fire. In less than a week, Hunter helped to coordinate a campaign to provide for the families, collecting food, clothing, toiletries and toys for the children. On the Saturday before Christmas, he arranged for a caravan of Cooper emergency vehicles to drive to the temporary homes of the displaced residents to provide them with the donated gifts to make their holidays brighter during that difficult time.
“Barry has demonstrated his selflessness and exceptional character by going above and beyond in everything he does. From serving our nation to serving the residents of Camden, Barry’s commitment to others makes him a very deserving recipient of Cooper’s Armed Services Person of the Year for 2023,” Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper, said.
“Serving others has been at the center of Barry’s life. He is well-deserving of this year’s Armed Services Person of the Year Award. We are fortunate to have a team member as outstanding as Barry at Cooper,” Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, co-CEO of Cooper, said.
The Cooper Armed Services Person of the Year Award was established in 2018 and is presented near Veterans Day each year. The award recognizes a Cooper team member who is nominated by their colleagues and who has made outstanding contributions to the health system, the community, and the nation in support of Cooper’s mission: to serve, to heal, to educate.
To learn more about how Cooper is committed to serving those who served our country please click here.
