November 1, 2023
November 3, 2023
The Women’s Edge and Globe Magazine Honor Lowell CHC in Annual Top 100 Women-Led Businesses
The Women’s Edge, in collaboration with Globe Magazine, has once again named Lowell Community Health Center (Lowell CHC) as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts. This is the fifth consecutive year Lowell CHC has received this honor. This prestigious recognition celebrates women-led organizations that have a profound economic and societal impact here in Massachusetts.
“Our staff choose to dedicate their careers to this community, and our patients purposefully choose us for their care — a testament to the mutual trust and respect cultivated at Lowell CHC. Receiving this acknowledgment from The Women’s Edge and Globe Magazine for a fifth consecutive year is a remarkable honor that genuinely reflects the commitment and passion of our team,” expressed Susan West Levine, CEO of Lowell Community Health Center. “We are honored to be included among such influential women-led organizations, including UMass Lowell, collectively driving progress and making a meaningful impact throughout Massachusetts.”
Now in its 23rd year, The Women’s Edge, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, has been steadfast in its commitment to uplifting women in leadership roles. This collaboration with Globe Magazine marks a decade of recognizing excellence across both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Criteria for the Top 100 list include revenue or operating budget, workplace and management diversity, board composition, and innovation in projects.
The 2023 awardees were celebrated at a special ceremony on November 3rd, with the full list of honorees available on Globe Magazine’s website.
The Women’s Edge 2023 Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts: https://thewomensedge.org/events-awards/top-100-women-led-businesses/massachusetts/2023-alphabetical-list/
September 26, 2023
Dr. Alison Curcio Appointed as Chief of Patient Walk-In Center at Lowell Community Health Center
Lowell Community Health Center is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Alison Curcio as the new Chief of the Patient Walk-In Center. Dr. Curcio brings with her 18 years of frontline emergency medicine experience and specialized training in Simulation Medicine aimed at enhancing patient safety and care quality. She has also previously contributed to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, developing protocols for optimized medication use in Emergency Departments.
Dr. Curcio received her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, completed her medical education at Emory University School of Medicine, and subsequently pursued a residency in Emergency Medicine through the Harvard program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Susan West Levine, CEO of Lowell Community Health Center, praised the appointment, stating, “We are exceptionally fortunate to have Dr. Curcio join our team. With her years of frontline emergency medicine experience and specialized training in Simulation Medicine, she brings significant expertise to our health center. Dr. Curcio will be instrumental in developing a service model that better guides patients to the most appropriate care settings, thereby reducing unnecessary emergency room visits. Her leadership will be key to expanding our Walk-In Center’s services to better meet the healthcare needs of our community.”
Dr. Alison Curcio expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “I am excited to work with such an incredible team at the Patient Walk-In Center, and at the health center, and to be able to continue and expand upon the tremendous services provided by the walk-in center.”
Dr. Kumble Rajesh, Chief Medical Officer of Lowell Community Health Center, highlighted the significance of her expertise, noting, “Dr. Curcio’s vast experience in emergency medicine will be invaluable in optimizing and expanding our services at the Patient Walk-In Center and to the patients we serve.”
About the Patient Walk-In Center
The Patient Walk-In Center offers a range of Immediate Care walk-in services for Lowell Community Health Center patients. Services include, but are not limited to, sick visits, joint injuries, stitches, assistance with sprains and back pain, treatment of skin infections such as poison ivy, non-severe allergy management, ear lavage, and on-the-spot testing for conditions like COVID-19, pregnancy, urinary infections, vaginal infections, sore throats, and flu.
Click Here – To learn about the Patient Walk-In Center and its hours.
September 22, 2023
Bridging the Gap 2023
Congratulations to this year’s participants in the Bridging the Gap Professional Medical Interpreter Program on successfully completing the program!
“Bridging the Gap” is a nationally recognized Health Care Interpreter Training Program developed by the Cross-Cultural Health Care Program. This rigorous 40-hour training readies participants for National Certification.
Discover more about the diverse programs we offer at our Community Health Education Center (CHEC): https://www.lchealth.org/training-hub/
September 19, 2023
Lowell CHC one of five community health centers selected in nationwide entrepreneurship competition
WASHINGTON – As part of a multi-year collaboration between Advocates for Community Health (ACH) and UnitedHealthcare, five community health centers are receiving $500,000 each to address complex problems affecting the overall wellness of the underserved communities where they provide care. The Community Health Entrepreneur Challenge, launched in April 2023, is the first collaboration between UnitedHealthcare and ACH and was crafted from a joint commitment to empower federally qualified health center (FQHC) leaders to drive change in their communities. Through the competition, ACH member health centers submitted concepts to target improved health outcomes, decrease health disparities, promote system change, and engage organizations across multiple sectors including public, private, government and community groups. Winners receive technical support and seed funding to implement and measure their innovation impact.
July 24, 2023
Lowell Community Health Center announces new Board Chair
LOWELL — Lowell Community Health Center has announced that Caroline Duong was elected the new chair of its Board of Directors.
Read the Story in the Lowell Sun
Duong was first introduced to Lowell Community Health Center 10 years ago. In 2019, impressed by the center’s values and focus on equitable health care access for all, she eagerly accepted an invitation to serve as a member of the Board of Directors.
Duong is a native of Kenya, where she was a respected journalist and anchor on a national news program. She immigrated to the United States in 2001 to attend a professional program at Emerson College. She has worked in various fields in customer service, event planning, and human resources. Her journey eventually led her to Lowell, where she quickly began volunteering at Living Waters, a center serving individuals who had experienced trauma. There, she met a fellow volunteer, now her beloved husband, Thomas, who is of Vietnamese and Cambodian descent. Together they have two children.
Today, her passion for serving others extends to her work as a licensed professional realtor, focused on helping families in Greater Lowell find their dream homes.
“I have always been inclined to help those in need but never thought my journey in life would lead me here,” said Duong. “One of my favorite games to play is Scrabble. I often feel that it imitates life, building any word you can imagine with the random letters you pick; however, always building upon other players’ words. Likewise, we are all interdependent, standing on the shoulders of others before and amongst us, doing our very best to advance the cause with the opportunities that come our way.”
Duong continues, “When I think of our health center, in the years to come, I envision a center leading the way in meeting our community’s wholistic needs, spearheading a health justice movement with a ripple effect throughout our nation, because any community is only as healthy as its people are in every facet of life.”
“We are thrilled to welcome our new Board Chair, Caroline Duong, whose dynamic life experience and journey have led her to our health center, where she can use her incredible knowledge, compassion, and sincerity to improve the lives of those we serve and beyond,” said Susan West Levine, CEO of Lowell Community Health Center. “Caroline’s unique perspective of health justice and a holistic approach to health care mirror our mission. As we continue to serve Greater Lowell, we look forward to building a just and healthy community together under her guidance.”
Lowell Community Health Center is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose members reflect the rich cultural diversity of the health center’s patients and staff. As a federally qualified community health center, a majority of the board are patients who receive care at the health center. The board meets monthly to set policy and direction for the health center and adhere to its mission and values, which are rooted in social justice. The board also ensures financial and institutional sustainability by monitoring financial performance.
Duong succeeds Bruce Robinson, who served as board chair for eight years, overseeing a period of tremendous challenge and growth for the health center. Robinson stood as one of Greater Lowell’s leaders during the charge to declare racism a public health crisis. He was instrumental in the health center’s first building campaign 10 years ago, which enabled the transformational move to 161 Jackson St. He also chaired the health center’s second building campaign, which made the Niki Tsongas Eye Care Center and Nancy L and Richard K Donahue Dental Centers a reality.
Last year, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers recognized Robinson with the Joseph M. Smith Board Member Award. In 2020, he was awarded Board Member of the Year by the Non-Profit Alliance of Greater Lowell for his service to the health center. Despite ending his term as chair, Robinson will continue to serve on the Board of Directors.
July 25, 2023
July 5, 2023
May 9, 2023
EXTRAORDINARY NURSE RECOGNIZED BY COLLEAGUES AT LOWELL CHC
LOWELL, MA – Alexandra Gray, RN, a Pediatric Nurse at Lowell Community Health Center, has been honored by her colleagues with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs nationwide to recognize the extraordinary care nurses provide every day. The award was presented during National Nurses Week.
Alex is Lowell Community Health Center’s second annual Daisy Award recipient. Lowell Community Health Center was the first community health center in the nation to begin present the Daisy Award annually.
“Alex truly exemplifies the vision and mission of the Daisy Awards,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hale, RN, DNP, Lowell Community Health Center’s Chief Operating Officer. “She is a shining example of nursing at its best, providing extraordinary compassionate and skillful care for our community’s pediatric patients as she supports, mentors, and uplifts her colleagues.”
Alex, who joined Lowell Community Health Center in 2021 said, “I am incredibly honored and shocked by this meaningful recognition from my colleagues. It is such a privilege and honorable responsibility to care for the children of our community, and I am so grateful to be working with colleagues and a health center so dedicated to providing caring, quality, and culturally rooted health services to the people we serve. I strive to show up every day with a smile and I hope to continue to encourage my fellow colleagues to provide optimal care to the community.”
The colleagues who nominated Alex spoke highly of her skill and compassion:
- “Alex truly embodies an enduring commitment to promoting health equity for all of the patients she has met or worked with in the health center.”
- “Alex creates a positive experience for patient coming into the health center, even for the pediatric patients who may be absolutely terrified to be there.”
- “Alex goes above and beyond to help her patients receive the care they need.”
- “Alex rises to each challenge with an open mind, a smile, and so much positivity.”
- “Alex is a true mentor to all of her colleagues, and her supportive nature makes her an excellent teacher.”
An acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem, The DAISY Foundation was formed in November 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The nursing care Patrick and his family received while he was ill inspired his family to create this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Doctor of Humane Letters and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “We wanted to give patients, families, and co-workers an easy way to express their gratitude for nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate care. The work the nurses at Lowell Community Health Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”
In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to
the nursing profession internationally in over 5,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity,
Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants, and their new Health Equity Grant programs. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
About Lowell Community Health Center:
Founded in 1970, Lowell Community Health Center serves as the “family doctor” for nearly half of Lowell’s population, by providing “caring, quality, and culturally appropriate health services to the people of Greater Lowell, regardless of their financial status.” For information, visit www.lchealth.org or call 978.937.9700.
Parking Alert For The Edward Early Garage (across from the Health Center)
UPDATE (4/14/23): Maintenance Work Now Expected To Last Through May 1st.
Notice from the City of Lowell: The second-floor left side parking spaces will be closed for maintenance from Friday April 7, 2023 until Friday April 14, 2023. Please use caution while driving on the right side as it will be utilized as both an entrance and exit during this period. Garage staff reminds us that the speed limit is 5 miles per hour in the garage. Anyone parking on the left side in the cordoned off maintenance area will be towed at their own expense.
