For more than 34 years, Clement “Clem” Beaulieu has kept Saint Anne’s Hospital warm, lit, and alive. As the boiler operator lead, he manages the high‑pressure steam plant, the system he calls the hospital’s heartbeat, and he treats it with the seriousness of someone who knows exactly what depends on it.
“As we celebrate our 120th year with our Fall River community, I have no doubt we will be celebrating another milestone in the future with the amazing longevity of Saint Anne’s Hospital.”
- Clem Beaulieu, Boiler Operator Lead, Saint Anne's Hospital
Beaulieu believes that excellent patient care begins long before a nurse enters a room or a physician lifts a stethoscope. It begins in the boiler plant, where steam powers almost every unseen function that allows the hospital to operate.
“The boiler plant is the heart of the hospital—without steam production, operations cease,” said Beaulieu. “The hospital will shut down, no heat, no domestic hot water, no sterilization, no humidification.”
Beaulieu began at Saint Anne’s Hospital as a per diem employee, moved into a part‑time swing shift, and then into a full‑time evening role. Eventually, he stepped into the lead position, taking responsibility not only for the main plant but also for offsite steam generation. Under his watch, the boiler plant has never lost steam pressure, not even during the blizzard of 2026.
For Beaulieu, that reliability reflects the spirit of Saint Anne’s itself. The hospital has stood with the Fall River community for 120 years, and he sees that legacy in every shift he works. Now part of the Brown University Health family, Saint Anne’s continues to evolve, but its mission remains constant.
“As we celebrate our 120th year with our Fall River community,” he said, “I have no doubt we will be celebrating another milestone in the future with the amazing longevity of Saint Anne’s Hospital.”
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