Celebrating the Women of Lynn Community Health Center

Brenda Rodriguez, MBA
Chief Executive Officer

Brenda is entrusted with our mission to lead the charge in providing top-notch healthcare services to our community. This fearless leader navigates the complexities of running a health center with finesse, ensuring that every team member is empowered to do their best work. Here’s to the captain of our health ship – the CEO!

Brenda is a beacon of inspiration, rallying staff members to strive for excellence in delivering compassionate care to patients. Though she has not been with LCHC long, she has jumped in full force to immediately create positive change throughout the organization and community. She is focused on building a strong foundation of growth with investments in the proper resources, people, and partnerships to improve access and health outcomes. Brenda has emphasized the importance of amplifying: [emoji] our voices [emoji] our services [emoji] our talents & [emoji] our mission. She brings appreciation, recognition, growth, and development to our staff, patients, and community!

Carina Coleman, RN, BSN, CCM
One Care Manager

Carina serves as the Senior Care Options and One Care Program Manager, leading a dynamic team of social workers, CHWs, and nurses. In her role, she adeptly navigates challenges and ensures exceptional care for our patients.

Carina’s impact extends far beyond her role as the manager of One Care. She actively engages with members, visiting them personally to address any concerns, connect them with external resources, and advocate tirelessly on their behalf. Carina provides unwavering support and empowerment. She fosters a culture of continuous growth within our team, encouraging us to seize educational opportunities and amplifying our potential. Through her actions, she embodies the essence of leadership, inspiring us to strive for excellence and achieve our fullest potential.

Whitney Hong
Nurse Practitioner 

Whitney is responsible for delivering prompt and efficient medical care to patients with acute illnesses or injuries, providing timely assessments, treatment, and referrals as necessary to ensure optimal health outcomes.

Whitney is a champion of women’s health, advocating for better access to contraception, working to make it as easy as possible for patients.

Sam O’Neil
Interim Chief Operating Officer

The COO’s primary responsibility is to implement more strategies into daily operations to achieve LCHC and patient goals. Sam manages and handles the daily business operations of the company, working closely with department heads and supervisors to support the day-to-day activity of employees.

Samantha has a number of strengths, which she demonstrated during the pandemic by implementing new rotations, coverages, and schedules that helped to ensure fair rotation and coverage. Samantha has such an impressive customer service and management background, and we are lucky to have her as an interim COO! In addition to supporting others, Samantha is always eager to make LCHC a better place.

Clare Hayes
Development 

Clare has been instrumental in the development of this health center since its inception. She helps inspire friends, funds, and community awareness through utilizing her skills and expertise.

Her dedication to the health center over the years has been invaluable, starting from the very beginning and playing a crucial role in shaping it into what it is today. With her compassionate nature, she puts her heart into every project and story, leaving a lasting impact. This is why her work is so important and impactful. Without Clare, many of our programs, projects, and community support resources would not happen.

Julie Talbot, MPH
Administrative Director, Infectious Diseases

Julie is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the infectious disease clinic, where patients with HIV/AIDS, other STIs, and tuberculosis receive care. In this role, she ensures the department functions seamlessly and manages a diverse array of grants and compliance obligations with finesse.

Julie is the linchpin of the ID team, without whom essential work would not be possible. Her exceptional administrative skills are the glue that holds everything together, ensuring smooth operations and efficient coordination. As the administrative director of infectious disease at a community health center, Julie’s positive influence extends beyond just overseeing operations. Her leadership fosters a supportive and organized work environment for staff, enabling them to focus on providing high-quality care to patients. Patients benefit from her expertise through improved access to services, streamlined processes, and a strong commitment to their well-being. Julie’s dedication to excellence enhances the overall experience for both staff and patients, making her an invaluable asset to the team.

Ashley Winneberger, BSN, CARN-BC
Nurse Case Manager, Sunflower Team & Moms Do Care

Ashley is like the quarterback of the healthcare team, coordinating care plans and resources to ensure patients receiev comprehensive and holisitic support. She provides patient centered Nurse Case management to women and children who have been impacted by substance use disorder.

She swoops in to coordinate care, advocate for patients, and smooth out any bumps in the road to recovery. Her positive impact on patients is undeniable, as she provide a helping hand and a listening ear during some of the toughest times. Her teamwork skills also shine brightly, as she collaborates with colleagues to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone involved. Having lived in Lynn her entire life, she is deeply committed to delivering high quality care and advocating for the most vulnerable members of our community.

Nicole Calder
Physician’s Assistant

Nicole adeptly juggles compassion, expertise, and a dash of humor to deliver top-notch care to every patient, ensuring both well-being and smiles all around!

Her impact is profound; Nicole’s dedication is evident in her unwavering commitment to her patients’ needs, consistently going above and beyond to provide exceptional care. Nicole’s commitment inspiring demeanor are truly remarkable, and we are immensely grateful for her tireless contributions to our team.

Michelle Welch, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC
Provider in Pediatric and School-Based Health Center Programs 

Michelle delights in nurturing young minds and bodies, blending expertise with magic to ensure every child’s visit is an adventure in wellness!

She exudes a genuine love for serving our patients and community, ensuring their needs are met and fostering a culture of support among her colleagues. With her strength, wisdom, and approachable demeanor, she effortlessly stays on top of her responsibilities, always extending a helping hand and empowering others to pursue their dreams, whether it’s further education or career aspirations.

Lila Bermudez
Chief Delegate for LCHC with the SEIU #1199,
Care Coordinator Red Team & Rose Team, & Mobile Market Lead

With over 450,000 members throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, DC, 1199SEIU is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in the nation. As the Chief Delegate for LCHC with this unionm Lilia strives to meet the union’s mission of: stand up for quality healthcare, good jobs and social justice for all. She is responsible for representing the interests and concerns of union members to management and advocating for better working conditions, fair wages, and benefits. She does this in the background while additionally completing her role at LCHC as a Care Coordinator of Red Team. She coordinates and manages the health care needs of patients with finesse and flair.

Lilia serves as a vital link between the healthcare team and patients, providing support, guidance, and coordination of care to ensure patients receive the best possible outcomes. Her positive influence on staff is evident in improved communication, collaboration, and efficiency, leading to a more cohesive and patient-centered approach to care delivery. Her positive influence on the union and the staff represented is felt through increased unity, empowerment, and representation among workers, ultimately fostering a more collaborative, equitable, and harmonious workplace environment where everyone’s voices are heard and respected.

Eliam Gomez Madrid
Community Health Worker 

Eliam performs various roles at LCHC, but her main responsibility is to assist One Care Members in navigating the healthcare system and providing them with the necessary support for optimal health results.

Eliam excels in building connections with our most challenging Members, offering vital support and motivation. She assists Members in setting personal health objectives and equips them with the necessary tools and encouragement to achieve these goals. Eliam consistently embraces new challenges, providing insightful suggestions to enhance Member support. She actively shares new resources with her Team and collaborates with them to meet performance targets. Eliam’s patience with both Members and new colleagues makes her a highly effective educator.

Janet Aceto
Community Health Worker, Orange Team

Jannet is a cheerful champion of wellness, as a community health worker, she sprinkles positivity and practical support throughout the community, ensuring everyone has the tools and encouragement needed to thrive! She connects patients with resources, assists with housing, applications, funds, everything that she can offer to members and Teams.

Jannet is a beacon of support and assistance, never hesitating to lend a hand whenever needed. No matter how busy she may be, she always manages to carve out time to share resources for our community, patients, and staff. Her extensive knowledge, resourcefulness, and unwavering care make her an invaluable asset. She ensures patients receive the assistance and support they require, and she consistently follows up to guarantee their needs are met.

Lorraine Lozada
Nurse Manager, Pediatrics 

Lorraine dons many hats, serving as the superheroic coordinator of care, the chief morale officer, and the guardian of staff sanity, all while keeping the healthcare ship sailing smoothly through the seas of wellness.

She extends her kindness not only to patients but also to her peers, always ready to lend a helping hand and answer any question with a smile, playing a significant role in the success of the vaccination program.

Sochhean Huch
Office Coordinator, Community Programs

As part of the Pearl Team, she coordinates and assists with HIV and TB clinic operations alongside Dr. Haptu. Additionally, she plays a pivotal role in managing community programs, ensuring seamless collaboration between the clinics and outreach initiatives.By overseeing program logistics, coordinating events, and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, she plays a key role in promoting community well-being and addressing public health needs effectively.

Sue is an incredible individual with remarkable dedication to her work, possessing an exceptional understanding of all workflows. She consistently goes above and beyond in assisting patients, staff, and providers, making her the go-to person for anyone in need of help. Her patient and gracious approach to tasks ensures that she not only gets the job done, but also does so with efficiency and effectiveness. Sue is a highly resourceful, knowledgeable, and trustworthy individual, beloved by the entire team. Her unwavering commitment to her work and the well-being of her patients is admirable. Since joining LCHC, Sue has been a constant and reliable source of support, friendship, and guidance.

Kristen Gandek
Marketing and Communications Manager

Kristen uses both her creative and practical sides to drive both internal information flow and the promotion of LCHC’s programs and services.

Her work makes it possible for staff, patients, and community members to know about and access all the excellent services LCHC provides. Kristen’s empathy helps her see all sides of the picture, and she diligently edits away until the final product serves as many audiences as possible. She plays a pivotal role in shaping LCHC’s image, fostering relationships, and effectively conveying our message to our patients, staff, and stakeholders, always working toward LCHC’s goals and building community trust.

Ana Cristina Irizarri Pena
Business Transformation Associate

Ana uses her magic touch to revamp and streamline operations with flair and finesse! She facilitates teams that problem solve towards LCHC’s business challenges.

Ana’s work is proactively building a model of care that promotes better patient care and less fire fighting. She understands that many staff in the healthcare realm frequently experience burn out. She combats this and uplifts LCHC staff by facilitating workshops with key change makers in our organization, and pushing the work forward.

Jennifer Gomez
Medical Assistant, Green Team

As one of the dynamic heartbeats of our health center, Jannifer keeps the rhythm flowing smoothly, blending professionalism with constant positivity to ensure patients receive top-notch care with a smile!

Jennifer is an invaluable asset to our teams, consistently demonstrating exceptional dedication and compassion towards our patients. Her caring nature, organizational skills, and professionalism shine through in everything she does, infusing joy and positivity into our workplace and patient interactions. Both patients and staff adore working alongside her, benefiting from her readiness to assist and ensure efficient task completion.

Eliana Elias, LICSW
Associate Director of School-Based Behavioral Health &
Site Manager of Lynn English High School School-Based Health Center & YMCA site

Elaina is a highly skilled manager at English High School and the YMCA of Lynn within LCHC’s SBHC Program. In addition to her managerial role, Elaina excels as a supervisor and program leader.

Elaina’s contributions to our school-based team are invaluable. She consistently offers support and boosts staff morale through regular check-ins. Handling high-risk cases with finesse, Elaina seamlessly collaborates with the LPS team. Not only does she advocate fiercely for her clients, but she also champions her colleagues, ensuring best practices and meeting their needs. With her vibrant personality, strong work ethic, and unwavering dedication to LCHC and the school-based program, Elaina is truly a standout performer and good friend!

Emma Rippe
Creative Multimedia Specialist

Emma crafts our print and digital media materials, serving as LCHC’s dedicated photographer, capturing stunning moments at events and ensuring everyone shines in their headshots. Emma collaborates across departments to maintain the latest information on our comprehensive range of services.

Emma is the creative force behind our print materials, videos, online media, social media imagery, and staff photos, capturing the essence of LCHC, our values, services, and remarkable team.

Joyce Reen, RN
Compliance Manager

Joyce plays the vital role of chief morale booster, navigating the seas of nursing operations with expertise and enthusiasm, ensuring smooth sailing and happy crew members all around. She ensures successful Federal State Inspections are completed for facility quality standards at LCHC.

Joyce is a remarkable individual who enriches our facility and staff with invaluable experience, unwavering honesty, and crystal-clear communication skills. Capable of identifying root causes, adept at problem-solving, and possessing a future-oriented mindset that resonates across all levels of staff. Outspoken, she remains receptive to diverse opinions, ensuring fairness in all discussions. Truly a pillar of strength; may her influence multiply manifold!

Miriann Zaldivar
Practice Manager

As the energetic hub of organizational harmony and efficiency, Miriann juggles a medley of administrative tasks with flair, ensuring smooth operations while keeping spirits high and smiles wide!

She consistently stays on top of emails and addresses any concerns her colleagues may have regarding workflows for Operational Coordinators, providing invaluable support. Her reliability and dedication are truly commendable, and she is the go-to person for any assistance needed. Her teammates are immensely grateful for her contributions.

Molly Nhiv
Practice Manager

She wears so many hats! As Practice Manager for both the Pedi and Blue Teams, she assists in building provider schedules, templating, blocking, releasing provider schedules, and tackling numerous other administrative tasks with finesse. Molly is an overall troubleshooter that helps redirect folks to find answers outside of administrative related questions.

There’s a bustling scene backstage! She’s an incredibly supportive presence, always ready to lend a hand and back staff up whenever they encounter unfamiliar territory in administrative tasks or scheduling for providers. Her swift explanations of workflows and willingness to assist with any needs of providers and staff are truly remarkable. She’s consistently on top of her emails and addresses any concerns I might have promptly. Her assistance has been invaluable, and staff know they can rely on her for help whenever needed.

Bailey Bollen, MSW, LCSW
Director of Community Support Programs

Bailey leads an integral team at our Community Support Program.

Bailey’s leadership impacts our health center by developing and implementing programs that address community needs, improve access to healthcare, promote health education, foster collaboration, engage the community and evaluate program effectiveness.

Gargi Cooper, FNP
Team Medical Director, Deborah Walsh Smith Recuperative Care & Medical Outreach Program

Gargi Cooper, APRN-BC, is nurse practitioner at the Lynn Community Health Center and a leader in developing programs to provide comprehensive care services to homeless populations. She currently leads a novel program to provide primary care and urgent care services to the homeless and underserved population in the city of Lynn, serving as medical director of the Recuperative Care Center/ Medical Outreach Program. Through this program, clients receive internal medicine care, health promotion, care management and counseling for acute and chronic illness, in settings that include local shelters, the street, the Lynn Community Health Center and single occupancy residences.

The Recuperative Care Center Program provides safe, welcoming care for members of our community who are experiencing homelessness who are too sick to be in the shelter system or on the streets but not sick “enough” to remain in the hospital. Our team strives to make the road to health easier to travel and we are companions to our patients on that road with warmth and acceptance. We believe in reaching out to patients, getting to know them as people, and letting them tell us what they need, accepting them exactly the way they are.

Nicole McKenzie, PA-C
Team Medical Director, Urgent Care

As the rockstar medical maestro of our Urgent Care team, Nicole orchestrates the harmonious delivery of top-notch healthcare, ensuring our patients receive care as quickly as possible!

Every day is different when providing Urgent Care. Nicole’s leadership ensures everything in our Urgent Care department runs smoothly from day to day so that as many patients as possible can receive excellent service.

Lori Stevens, PhD, MBA, RN
Director of Nursing

Lori plays a crucial role for our healthcare team by overseeing and coordinating Nursing staff and Medical Assistants.

Lori makes a large impact on the nursing services and overall functioning of our health center. She provides nursing leadership, staff management, patient advocacy, support nursing education and training, and more!

Glavielinys Cruz, PsyD
School-Based Health Center Site Manager

Glavy has a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with certification in Latino Mental Health and Children and Families. She is the Site Manager for Ingalls Elementary School and also a clinician, providing psychological care/behavioral health care on the Sunflower Team.

Glavy goes above and beyond to combine professionalism, compassion, and creativity within her role. She promotes wellness in a fun and engaging way, plays a critical role in supporting the physical and emotional well-being of students, and helps all those around her thrive academically and personally.

Meaghen Hamill
Senior Director of External Relations and Strategic Communications 

Meaghen is the ultimate combination of a talented story teller, relationship builder, strategic thinker, brand ambassador, and team leader, all to inspire LCHC staff and stakeholders.

Within her role, Meaghen fosters community engagement, secures financial resources, advocates for healthcare needs, manages public relations and communications, and develops partnerships. Overall, her contributions are essential in raising awareness, securing support, and ensuring the continued success and sustainability of the health center

Hanna Haptu, MD
Physician

Dr. Hanna Haptu, Infectious Disease expert, is the Team Medical Director for our Pearl Specialty Team.

Part of Dr. Haptu’s work on Pearl Specialty Teams is creating safe space for specialty care like HIV and TB Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and STD care. Her work has impacted countless patients and staff in our community for over 20 years.

Herlivi Linares, DDS
Associate Director, Dental Team

Dr. Linares is the driving force behind LCHC’s dental department, leading a team of dental professionals to provide exceptional oral heatlhcare to our community and keeping our patients sparkling with oral health!

Dr. Linares is well known for her work in developing dental programs, managing dental services, and especially teaching and mentoring countless Dental team members and students. Dental team provides great care and great energy to be around!

Elena Freydin, DNP
Chief Compliance Officer

Dr. Freydin serves as the guardian of regulations at LCHC, ensuring patient and staff safety through adherence to guidelines while also bringing a nurturing touch as a beloved nurse practitioner.

Despite the sometimes-rigid nature of rules, Dr. Freydin injects a sense of fun into compliance, guiding us to meet requirements, deliver exceptional care, and maintain safety. As a seasoned nurse practitioner at LCHC, she extends her compassionate care to numerous members of our Lynn community.