Hilda Bettencourt remembers being in her early 20s when she was interviewed to fill a position as a Portuguese translator at the Lowell Community Health Center in 1978. Bettencourt says she was hired the same day. After more than four decades working for the health center, the now 65-year-old Bettencourt worked her last day on Friday and officially retired.
“In the latest round of funding through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation awarded $531,000 to nine local nonprofits. The funding will support nonprofits that work to provide food and housing, support for individuals with disabilities, front-line workers and immigrants, as well as other essential needs for vulnerable populations, according to a GLCF press release.”
“Around 7:45 a.m., Rajesh Kumble starts his day with a call to one of his patients. Over the course of the morning the Lowell Community Health Center Chief of Pediatrics will speak with about 10 patients before spending the afternoon meeting with staff, sorting schedules and coordinating with other care providers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kumble’s routine has not changed much except that now those meetings with staff and check-ins with patients are made over the phone and via video.”
“The Lowell Community Health Center is setting up two ‘linguistically and culturally diverse’ teams to assist groundbreaking state and city contact tracing efforts aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 and enabling the state to eventually reopen.”
