HealthReach welcomes Bethany Shalit to Governing Board of Directors

Bethany Shalit

Waterville – Connie Coggins, President & CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, and the HealthReach Governing Board of Directors are pleased to welcome Bethany Shalit as their newest volunteer Board Member.

Shalit brings a wealth of experience to HealthReach, including from her work at Redington-Fairview General Hospital — a longtime organizational partner of HealthReach — as their current Director of Education and former HR Recruitment Coordinator. She is also a current member of the Board of Directors for the Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Shalit shares, “I am honored to join the HealthReach Board of Directors, and look forward to working with such a talented group of leaders who are committed to making a difference in rural healthcare in Maine.”

The HealthReach Governing Board of Directors is comprised of an incredible group of volunteer leaders, the majority of whom are patients of HealthReach. This model of patient representation ensures that the most important perspectives — those of rural Maine communities and, especially, of patients — form the basis for all major organizational decisions made at HealthReach.

Working alongside Shalit on the HealthReach Board are: Jack Ducharme, Chair; Bruce Harrington, Vice Chair; John Opperman, Secretary & Treasurer; Jenny Boyden, Jim Higgins, Michelle Kelley, Juliana Richard, Candy Sherman, Brenda Stevens, Carolyn Tranten, and Allen Wicken, Members.

HealthReach Community Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare — inclusive of behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, dental, and podiatric services — to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs — including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 49-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources.

The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.

HealthReach Announces New Board Members for 2024

Jenny Boyden

Carolyn Tranten

WATERVILLE – Connie Coggins, President & CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, is pleased to announce that two new members joined the organization’s Governing Board of Directors.

Carolyn Tranten of Kingfield, Maine, has a rich history with the HealthReach organization. Working with the organization for over 25 years, Tranten began as a Practice Manager for the Mt. Abram Regional Health Center before graduating to the position of Compliance Officer. In 2015, she became Director of Operations, serving in this role until her retirement in 2023.

Jenny Boyden of Clinton, Maine, comes from a finance background with particular expertise in healthcare. She spent four years with HealthReach as its Director of Finance before transitioning back to the State of Maine’s Department of Administrative & Financial Services in the role of Associate Commissioner.

Of the new board members, Coggins says, “We are glad to welcome Carolyn Tranten and Jenny Boyden back, and onto the Board of Directors at HealthReach Community Health Centers. Their previous experience in health center management and finance will be invaluable as the board continues to evaluate opportunities to improve services to our patients across rural Maine.”

In 2024, returning to serve as officers are Jack Ducharme, Chair; Bruce Harrington, Vice Chair; and John Opperman, Secretary & Treasurer.

HealthReach Community Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across rural Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, He

althReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs – including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 49-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources.

The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.

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HealthReach welcomes longtime patient, Shirley Lataille, to Governing Board of Directors

WATERVILLE – Connie Coggins, President & CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, is pleased to join the HealthReach Governing Board of Directors in welcoming its newest volunteer member, Shirley Lataille.

Lataille is a longtime patient of HealthReach. The Maine Primary Care Association recently collaborated with HealthReach to feature Lataille’s healthcare journey with her integrated team of clinicians in a powerful new documentary, A Secret No More. The short 12-minute film highlights the “best kept secret in Maine” – community health centers that have provided everyone access to affordable and high-quality healthcare close to home for 50 years. Lataille is well-versed in HealthReach’s many services. She now passionately advocates for both mental health awareness and access to integrated healthcare.

 

Photo of Shirley Lataille - glasses and smiling in a tan sweater with a beige scarf.

Shirley Lataille

 

Lataille shares, “I’m really looking forward to working with everyone on the Board. I’m also looking forward to the future of HealthReach, Madison Area Health Center, and all of the improvements that we can continue to make!” You can watch and listen to Shirley’s story here – https://bit.ly/madisonstory

 

 

The HealthReach Governing Board of Directors is comprised of an incredible group of volunteer leaders – the majority of whom, like Shirley, are themselves patients of HealthReach. This model of patient representation ensures that the most important perspectives – those of rural Maine communities and, especially, of patients – form the basis for all major organizational decisions.

Working alongside Lataille on the HealthReach Board are: Jack Ducharme, Chair; Bruce Harrington, Vice Chair; John Opperman, Secretary & Treasurer; Terry Brann, Candy Henderly, Jim Higgins, Michelle Kelley, Lisa Landry, Juliana Richard, Brenda Stevens, and Allen Wicken, Members.

HealthReach Community Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center organization consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health and dental services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers.

In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured residents. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with the cost of your healthcare and medications, including Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 48-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources. The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

HealthReach welcomes return of Allen Wicken to Governing Board of Directors

Waterville – Connie Coggins, President & CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, is pleased to announce the return of Allen Wicken, PT, PTMS, of Rangeley to the HealthReach Governing Board of Directors.

After earning his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Duke University, Allen joined Maine Medical Center as a Physical Therapist. He was promoted to Director of the Physical Therapy Division just one year later. 16 years later, he joined IMPACC, inc. as an Ergonomics Consultant, while at the same time joining the Center for Tobacco Independence at MaineHealth as their Clinical Outreach Specialist. Following several busy years with the Maine Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association – including two terms as president – Allen joined staff at the association’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, as Associate Director of the Practice & Research Division.

Allen is a prolific volunteer, dedicated to serving his community. He served 14 years as a member of the Leadership Board of the Maine Chapter of the American Lung Association. He has also previously held several high-profile positions, including as Vice-Chairperson on the Maine Governor’s Council on Physical Activity, and as a Board Member with the Healthy Community Coalition.

Allen’s many years as a clinician and in healthcare leadership roles have led to his perspective regarding HealthReach: “My first five years on the HealthReach Board of Directors have shown me how talented the organization really is. Its staff and leadership are deeply committed to the very best health services for its twelve rural communities – including the Rangeley Region, where my wife and I have lived for the past 23 years – across Central and Western Maine. I am excited to return to serve on its Board once again.” Please join us in thanking Allen for his continuing service to the people of Maine!

The HealthReach Board has seen three new members elected in 2023 – Michelle Kelley, James Higgins, and Lisa Landry. Returning Board Members include the full slate of 2023 officers: Rep. Jack Ducharme, as Chair; Bruce Harrington, as Vice Chair; and John Opperman, as both Secretary and Treasurer.

HealthReach Community Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health and dental services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured residents. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with the cost of your healthcare and medications, including Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 48-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources. The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

HealthReach Announces New Board Members for 2023

WATERVILLE – Connie Coggins, President and CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, is pleased to announce three new members have joined the organization’s Governing Board of Directors.

Michelle Kelley of Albion works as a Postal Clerk for the United States Postal Service in Albion. She also brings a background in childcare and customer service.

James Higgins comes from a background in insurance, working over 40 years with Cigna Global Health Insurance Company. James brings a passion for the healthcare industry after working with clinical teams throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Lisa Landry is the Director of Human Resources at Redington Fairview Hospital in Skowhegan. She received her Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Ohio. She graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 2011. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Maine at Orono.

In 2023, returning to serve as officers are: Jack Ducharme as the Chair, Bruce Harrington as the Vice Chair, and John Opperman as the Secretary & Treasurer. Board members and staff expressed their appreciation to outgoing Board members Mer Doucette, Lynn Matson, Ann Nicholson, and Marty Weiss during the Board’s January meeting.

HealthReach Community Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health and dental services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured residents. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with the cost of your healthcare and medications, including Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private non-profit with a 48-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources. The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.