State Stimulus Office Visits GLFHC

Jeffrey Simon, the Director of the Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office, visited GLFHC to see firsthand the progress taking place at our North Site Renovation and Expansion Project. GLFHC has received more than $1.5 million in stimulus funding to expand our oldest clinical site. Director Simon was clearly impressed by what he saw. After talking with both staff and patients, he wrote on his "Faces of Economic Recovery" blog: "I could see that the Health Center lies at the heart of this diverse community...a community that deserves a health center that can accommodate its needs - and, thanks to Stimulus - it's getting it."

New Faculty Members Join  Lawrence Family Medicine Residency

GLFHC welcomes three new behavioral science faculty members to our Lawrence Family Medicine Residency (LFMR) program beginning in July. Carlos Cappas-Ortiz, Psy.D., is currently completing a fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology in Primary Care at UMass Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Alan Smith, Ph.D. and Marty Cohen, Ph.D. are coming to GLFHC with more than 16 years of faculty experience, having worked since 1993 at the Tufts Family Medicine Residency in Malden. According to Dr. Joseph Gravel, Chief Medical Officer: "All three psychologists will not be providing direct independent clinical services to patients due to our current regulatory requirements, but will be working closely with our clinicians and residents in teaching,  developing programs, and helping us care for our patients." Gravel concludes, "I believe this is a very important building block in providing optimal primary care, improving patient outcomes, and developing a stellar Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)."

GLFHC Nurse Practitioner Receives Award

At its annual "Our Children, Our Stars" gala, The Professional Center for Child Development named GLFHC Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Gene Landis as the 2010 Children First Award recipient. Not only is Gene a compassionate caregiver for all her GLFHC patients, she also started and continues to manage the Growth and Nutrition Program. For more than 10 years, Gene has helped failure to thrive children and their families. Her Health Center colleagues congratulate Gene on receiving this honor, and we applaud her commitment and dedication to our youngest and most vulnerable patients.

Hundreds Turn Out for La Feria de Salud in May

For the 7th year, the Mayor's Health Task Force organized La Feria de Salud, a health and wellness event offering health screenings, cooking demonstrations, and exercise tips to hundreds of Lawrence residents. GLFHC staff members from our Asthma program, Latino CEED, and North Essex Tobacco Free Partnership volunteered their time and expertise to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Diane Knight, GLFHC Director of Tobacco Free Community Partnership, explains to a Health Fair participant the dangers of new tobacco products being marketed to youth. Looking on is Jackie Doane, NCHC Community Health Support Specialist.

HIV Caregiver Awards

Nearly 50 health care professionals gathered at the 19th annual HIV Caregiver Awards breakfast in May to honor 10 outstanding people working in the field. Among the 10 honorees were six GLFHC employees recognized for their dedication and commitment to patients diagnosed with HIV. Congratulations to these special caregivers: Eliza Alon, MassCare Coordinator; Noemi Ayala, Case Manager; Jacqueline Marte, Case Manager; Lidia Rivera Garcia, Adherence Counselor; Donna Picard, R.N./Pediatric HIV Coordinator/Manager of Clinical Services; and Aimee Selenius, R.N./Nurse Medical Manager.

Recipients of the HIV Caregiver Award include: (Front Row, L-R) Lidia Garcia, Donna Picard, Aimee Selenius, Eliza Alon, Jacqueline Marte, and Ivelisse Alvarado (Back Row, L-R) Tasha Geliklich, Leslie Bresnahan, and Cheryl Lubas-Mossio accepting the award on behalf of Sara Dubik-Unruh.

GLFHC is Recipient of Several Grants and Awards

With a MA Department of Public Health grant of nearly $25,000, GLFHC embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign encouraging residents to come in for their flu shot. To accomplish this, the Health Center teamed with the City of Lawrence offering two free-to-the-public vaccination clinics as well as adding additional hours for flu shots at our clinic. Throughout the campaign, GLFHC stressed the importance of good hygiene to lessen chances of getting either seasonal or H1N1 virus.

For a 3rd year, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation MA Affiliate awarded a grant to GLFHC's Imaging Center. This year's award for more than $21,000 will target direct mailings in two phases: the first as a reminder to women 40+ who are nearing the due date for their annual mammogram, and the second phase as a follow-up, or recall, if patients are overdue for their screenings.

The Lawrence Family Medicine H.I.P. (Holistic, Integrative, and Pluralistic) Fellowship was the recipient of a $10,000 donation from EBSCO Publishing, the leading service provider of e-book and e-journal package and print subscriptions, e-resource management tools, full-text and secondary databases, and related services for all types of libraries and research organizations. In announcing this contribution, EBSCO's President Tim Collins said, "We are pleased to assist in bringing evidence-based integrative medicine practices to an underserved community through our partnership with Greater Lawrence Family Health Center." Our H.I.P. Fellowship is one of only 6 alternative medicine fellowships in the country and the only one that focuses on an underserved patient population.

The American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation favorably reviewed GLFHC's application for a $7,500 grant to conduct a survey-based study on diabetic patients' glucose control and their literacy levels. The study will determine what social, internal, and external factors are helping patients with diabetes maintain low HBA1C levels despite their illiteracy.

YWCA Recognizes GLFHC Women

In May, the YWCA of Greater Lawrence's 27th annual Tribute to Women luncheon recognized 29 remarkable women who have made extraordinary contributions to the Merrimack Valley community. Among this year's honorees were four women with ties to the Health Center.

• Director of Development, Lorraine Patton, was the GLFHC honoree this year. During Lorraine's 14-year career at GLFHC, she has spearheaded our grant writing and fundraising efforts; six years ago, Lorraine took on the challenge of building a development team charged with raising awareness of the Health Center's mission among the larger business community. By encouraging partnerships with business, corporate, and community leaders from the Merrimack Valley, Lorraine has helped to ensure continued support for the vision and work of GLFHC.

• Notre Dame High School in Lawrence nominated Delia Duran-Clark, Dean of Academics, as its honoree. Among her many community commitments, Delia also serves on the GLFHC Board of Directors.

• Representing Coco, Early & Associates at the Tribute to Women luncheon was co-owner Linda Early. An influential woman in Merrimack Valley business circles, GLFHC is pleased to have Linda as an active member of our Business Leaders Network.

• Trinidad Tellez, M.D. is now the Director of the Office of Minority Health in New Hampshire. Prior to her recent appointment, Trini was a GLFHC physician who also served as the Associate Director of our CEEDs program, which addresses health disparities among Latinos.

Enjoying the Tribute to Women celebration are three of the honorees with ties to GLFHC: (L-R) Delia Duran-Clark, Lorraine Patton, and Linda Early.