For more than 20 years, Sharon Daley helped deliver healthcare from the Sunbeam, building the Mission’s telehealth program, and shepherding the eldercare network. Last month, Bowdoin College awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters for her commitment “to delivering health care to those without easy access and strengthening coastal and island communities through education and connection.” She was honored alongside author and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and economic policy thought leader Cecilia Elena Rouse.
Sharon says when she received the call from Bowdoin about the degree she was surprised, adding, “I kept saying the only reason that I felt that I could accept it was I feel like I was accepting it for all of the nurses that do such good work and usually do not get recognized.” During the commencement weekend, Sharon also gave a talk entitled “What Happens When the Tide Goes Out? Caring for a remote population” in conversation with Barron’s Editor at Large Andy Serwer. In his remarks, Andy introduced Sharon saying, “We talk a lot here at Bowdoin about the ‘common good,’ but you are a living embodiment of doing that every single day.”
During that conversation, Sharon spoke about her time at the Mission, the unique challenges of providing care to island residents, as well as providing vaccines during the pandemic. Sharon, who is an islander herself and lives on Islesboro, explained more about the changing populations and demographics on islands. She also explained some of the logistics involved when living in some of Maine’s most remote areas. She shares that people are always interested in hearing about how islanders deal with emergencies like heart attacks or injuries.
Later during the commencement address, Associate Professor of Psychology Hannah Reese, who introduced her, shared that Sharon provided care by Sunbeam, and traveled by lobster boat, pickup truck, golfcart, and on foot to see patients, providing a caring ear and seeing what they most needed. She also noted Sharon’s use of telehealth decades before the word became part of the regular lexicon. Finally, she highlighted that much of Sharon’s work went beyond healthcare; she built trust and relationships that spanned the ocean.
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Mission Board Member the Hon. Jill Goldthwait, who attended the event, shared, “Throughout the weekend, Sharon’s quiet confidence and complete commitment to the islanders she served came through, with a mainland audience marveling at the efforts of the Sunbeam to get Sharon to the communities the Maine Seacoast Mission serves. It was the highest of honors for a deeply deserving recipient.”
To learn more about the Island Health program that Sharon was instrumental in creating, please visit https://seacoastmission.org/sunbeam/island-health/