Career Pulse – HMC Names Sullivan to Corporate Director Role

“Sue brings a deep understanding and a proven track record in managing business processes and systems that have yielded measurable results,” Hatiras said. “Her skill and leadership will enable us to enhance healthcare delivery in the Pioneer Valley.”

Added Sullivan, “HMC’s differentiator is that we can be responsive to patient needs at every stage of their lives, providing them with personalized care that makes a difference. I am appreciative to have this exciting opportunity to guide the planning of key projects to ensure that Holyoke Medical Center can continue to provide the highest levels of patient care.”

Sullivan is a 35-year HMC employee and a former president of the Nursing Information Systems Council of New England. Most recently, she was HMC’s director of Ancillary Services. Her career includes working as a registered nurse, clinical coordinator for a medical/surgical unit, as well as a manager of HMC’s Information Systems department. Sullivan earned her associate’s degree in nursing from Holyoke Community College and certification in Lean Healthcare from the University of Michigan.

WARE — Hilary Hayden-Moryl, a board-certified family nurse practitioner, has joined the staff at Baystate Medical Practices – Quabbin Adult Medicine, in the office located at 83 South St. in Ware.

 “Hilary is a welcome addition to Quabbin Adult Medicine,” said Dr. Mohammed Ahmed, chief operating officer and chief medical officer of the Baystate Health Eastern Region, which includes Baystate Wing Hospital and Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. “Her love of family medicine, experience providing adult acute care, and her passion for teaching patients and their families about chronic disease management will be a great benefit to our patients.”

Hayden-Moryl earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Elms College in Chicopee and her master’s degree in nursing from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Worcester.

She volunteers yearly as part of the medical division at the Boston Marathon, and provided care during the 2013 marathon bombing. She received the Commitment to Service Award from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for her volunteerism and community involvement.

Hayden-Moryl joins the providers at Quabbin Adult Medicine, including Dr. Ronald Beauzile, Dr. Navatha Hanumagutti, and Dr. Mario Lysse. The practice is currently accepting new patients; to make an appointment, call (413) 967-2324.

HOLYOKE — Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems Inc., named Roger Dulude Jr. its corporate Compliance officer and director of Risk Management.

A registered nurse who is certified in healthcare compliance, Dulude brings extensive experience leading risk-management and corporate-compliance programs in healthcare. He will institute and maintain the system’s compliance programs, as well as assess, develop, implement, and monitor risk-management plans to enhance patient safety, care, and privacy.

“I congratulate Roger and know that his skill and leadership in the area of corporate compliance and risk management are valuable assets to helping us effectively navigate today’s complex and highly regulated healthcare environment,” said Hatiras.

Dulude noted the importance of educating and training employees about new and existing compliance issues and risk areas. A key goal is educating employees to increase their understanding of, and compliance with, patient privacy and safety provisions contained in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Of 1996 (HIPAA).

“A rapidly changing healthcare climate poses inherent risks to patients, staff, and our organization, and we must ensure that our compliance and risk-management programs and services are effective and robust,” he said.

Dulude most recently served as Holyoke Medical Center’s Corporate Compliance risk manager; Regulatory and Accreditation Compliance coordinator at Johnson Memorial Medical Center in Stafford Springs, Conn.; as well as various nursing, administrative, and clinical-management roles.

A 2012 recipient of the Connecticut Nightingale Award given to an individual demonstrating excellence in nursing, Dulude earned a master’s degree in nursing with a secondary concentration in education from the University of Hartford and his bachelor’s degree in nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College Psychology Professors Judy Van Raalte, Al Petitpas, and Britt Brewer are the recipients of a $10,000 one-year NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant focused on student-athlete career development.

Research has shown that student-athletes lag behind their non-athlete peers in regard to career readiness, often failing to recognize how sport-related skills can aid in career preparation. The professors will use the grant funds to refine an evidence-based career-development pilot program designed specifically for college student-athletes. A controlled field trial will be conducted to test the pilot program’s effectiveness. The program is expected to help student-athletes understand how qualities acquired in sport pertain to the workplace, enhancing their career readiness.

“Student-athletes develop a number of skills, such as leadership, communication, teamwork, time management, and self-motivation, all of which are highly valued in the workplace,” said Van Raalte. “Our project will help student-athletes to identify skills they have learned through sport and understand how such assets can transfer to the world of work.”

Prior research has shown that student-athletes have limited access to campus resources like career centers due to academic and athletic obligations. To complement on-campus career-planning resources, Van Raalte and her colleagues have created the website supportforsport.org to host the content they will create for student-athletes.

 “Providing web-based psychoeducational materials that are available for program use by a range of campus professionals who work with student-athletes may offer solutions to some of the limitations of career center-focused approaches,” said Van Raalte. “This is exciting research that can directly benefit student-athletes. I am thankful that the NCAA selected our project for funding, and my colleagues and I are thrilled to get started on this project.”

LEE — Amie Miarecki has been hired as Marketing and Development manager for Porchlight VNA/Home Care.

Miarecki will focus on customer service, business development, and brand awareness for the free-standing, not-for-profit organization. In 2014, Chicopee VNA, Great to Be Home Care, and Porchlight VNA/Home Care merged to cover all of Berkshire, Hampshire, and Hampden counties. The agency has received several awards, including Home Care Elite Awards of Excellence as one of the top 500 home-health agencies in the U.S. according to Decision Health and National Research Corp.

Miarecki is a board member for MotherWoman and a member of the Professional Women’s Chamber, the GFWC Agawam Junior Women’s Club, the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, the AIDS Foundation of Western MA events committee, and the civic and community engagement committee of the Springfield City Library. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMass Amherst and a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communications, specializing in leadership, from Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies.

HOLYOKE — Dr. Martin Lesser has joined Western Mass Physician Associates, an affiliate of Holyoke Medical Center, bringing his 22-year-old private practice to the HMC community.

“Being a part of Western Mass. Physician Associates enables me to connect patients to the distinctive brand of patient care and comprehensive medical services and treatments that are hallmarks of the Holyoke Medical Center system,” Lesser said.

A lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Lesser was deployed to Iraq as a field surgeon in 2010 and 2011. He received his medical degree from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988, He completed a rotating internship at Coney Island Hospital from 1988 to 1989 and his residency in family medicine at the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens from 1989 to 1991.

Lesser is also an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, UMass Medical School in Worcester, as well as in the Physician Assistant program at Springfield College. His office is located at the Chertoff Medical Building, 1236 Main St., Suite 201, Holyoke. He can be reached at (413) 536-7040.

SPRINGFIELD — Craig Poisson has been named the Springfield College director of Athletics, President Mary-Beth Cooper announced.

Poisson has more than two decades of athletics administration experience, spending the previous 19 years as a member of the Springfield College Athletics staff and professor of Physical Education. The senior associate director of athletics at Springfield College since 2007, Poisson will begin his new role on July 1.

“I admire Craig’s loyalty to Springfield College and his commitment to the field of collegiate athletics,” Cooper said. “I look forward to working with Craig to maintain that standard and to lead our storied program forward as we strive to reach new goals.”

Poisson has worked in varied capacities for the previous three directors of athletics at Springfield College: Edward Steitz, Edward Bilik, and outgoing director Cathie Schweitzer, who announced last fall that she would retire in June after 14 years in the position. Poisson’s administrative duties as senior associate director have focused on scheduling and event management for the college’s 26 varsity athletic programs. He has served as event manager or tournament director for numerous NCAA national championships.

“I could not be more excited to take this new step as the director of Athletics at Springfield College,” said Poisson. “I would like to express my thanks to President Cooper and the search committee for providing me the opportunity to lead an athletic program with such a rich and storied history. After spending nearly 20 years as a member of the Springfield College family, I am honored to continue the tradition of academic and athletic excellence, and will keep the student-athlete experience as the driver for every decision that we make.”

Prior to Springfield College, Poisson served as an athletic administrator and adjunct faculty member at Purchase College, SUNY. He earned a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in physical education from Springfield College and was awarded a bachelor’s degree in elementary and secondary physical education from Southern Connecticut State University.

HOLYOKE — O’Connell Care at Home announced that Sheila Pennell, RN case manager, has received the certified hospice and palliative nurse (CHPN) designation from the Hospice and Palliative Certification Center, a competence-based board responsible for the development and oversight of certification for the specialty of nursing in hospice and palliative care.

Hospice and palliative nursing practice is the provision of nursing care for the patient and family, with emphasis on their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs when experiencing a life-limiting illness and through bereavement. This is accomplished in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team in a setting that provides pain and symptom management, family support, and 24-hour nursing availability.

“The comprehensive national certification program is designed for those like Sheila who hold a leadership position in home care,” said Fran O’Connell, founder and president of O’Connell Care at Home. “Sheila shares our commitment to advancing the quality of care we provide for our community; this certification will allow us to continue to foster a culture of respect and understanding for our patients on hospice and palliative care.”

Pennell is a graduate of UMass Amherst, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and is currently working toward obtaining her Ph.D. Prior to joining O’Connell Care at Home, Pennell worked as a hospice nurse for a local hospital. She is also certified in geriatrics. As the RN case manager for O’Connell Care at Home, she supervises personal-care services, develops individualized client-care plans, coordinates health-related services, and evaluates the care practices of home health aides.

For more information about O’Connell Care at Home, visit opns.com.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Brattleboro Retreat’s board of trustees announced that Dr. Robert Simpson has decided not to renew his contract offer and will step down from his position as president and CEO on December 31.

“It has been a privilege to lead the transformation of the Brattleboro Retreat over the past eight years,” Simpson told the board. “I have focused on being a good steward in my efforts to put the Retreat in a position of real strength, and I have been inspired by the quality of the medical staff, the executive team, the board, and the nearly 900 employees whose courage and commitment mirror the courage of our patients.”

Between now and the end of the year, Simpson and the board will work to assure a smooth and successful leadership transition. A national search for Simpson’s replacement will be launched with the help of the healthcare recruitment firm Phillips, DiPisa & Associates.

“The Brattleboro Retreat has become a financially stable and dynamic organization under Dr. Simpson’s management,” said board chair Elizabeth Catlin. “He has touched so many people with his caring and inspirational leadership, and we are grateful to him for putting the hospital in a strong position to move forward.”

Catlin cited the Retreat’s recent reaccreditation by the Joint Commission as a strong indicator of the hospital’s ongoing success under the systems-improvement agreement established with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the end of 2014.

Simpson will accept an offer to become CEO of the World Purpose Forum effective Jan. 1, 2016. He will also join the organizational development firm Linkage Inc., as a consultant in its executive leadership and board practice to develop leadership teams and boards in more than 25 countries. He has also accepted an offer from the Brattleboro Retreat’s board to provide philanthropic consultation and assistance in an emeritus role beginning in January.

“At the state level, Rob has been a strong and visible advocate on mental-health and healthcare-reform issues,” said Bea Grause, president of the Vermont Assoc. of Hospitals and Health Systems. “Rob serves as vice-chair of the association, so we will miss his leadership and counsel as we continue to face many challenging issues.”

During Simpson’s tenure, the Retreat launched five successful specialty clinical services: the Uniformed Service Program, the LGBT Adult Inpatient Program, the Emerging Adult Inpatient Program, the Mind Body Pain Management Program, and the HUB Opiate Addiction Program. Simpson has also overseen the investment of approximately $21 million in facility upgrades and maintenance projects. In 2013, the Retreat launched Vermont Collaborative Care, an innovative partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont that integrates the management of mental health and traditional medical care, thus setting the stage for healthcare-reform initiatives. And in 2014, Simpson was chosen as a Behavioral Healthcare Champion by Behavioral Healthcare magazine, which cited his “unique brand of dedication, courage, inspiration, and excellence as a behavioral healthcare leader.”

NORTHAMPTON — Michael Hutton-Woodland has been named director of ServiceNet’s REACH program.

Last year, REACH provided services to 500 children, including babies born with physical or mental disabilities, toddlers whose speech or motor skills are delayed, and children diagnosed with autism. REACH staff — from physical therapists to speech pathologists — provide interventions during the critical development window of birth to age 3. A key part of the program is support to families to address the deep, often painful concerns parents have for their young child. The program is available to all families who need the service, regardless of their ability to pay.

After many years of teaching clinical psychology, running a health foundation, and private consulting, Hutton-Woodland is grateful to be serving young children and their parents in this role.

“It’s wonderful work,” he said, “and the staff are all dedicated, loving, caring, skilled, thoughtful people. They go into people’s homes to work with their children. That’s a sacred occupation.”

Since starting at REACH, he’s been sitting down individually with all 45 staff members to learn about their experiences. He brings some new ideas for streamlining program processes so staff can focus more of their time on direct services and less on paperwork, with a goal of ensuring that staff remains “passionate and excited.” He added that “these kids and families need to be helped now, when a child’s brain is growing and developing the fastest in his or her entire life.”

Since the program works with any family whose child needs early intervention, REACH also navigates the effects of two troubling trends: homelessness and increased referrals by the Department of Children and Families. Whatever a family’s situation, Hutton-Woodland emphasizes that “this is prevention work, available to all children with developmental issues, all of whom are very, very special little babies.”

Families can contact REACH to inquire about services at (413) 665-8717. Staff members include educators, nurses, nutritionists, occupational and physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, social workers, and autism specialists. The program serves Hampshire and Franklin counties and the North Quabbin area of Worcester County. REACH services are funded by private insurance, Medicaid, the state Department of Public Health, United Way of Hampshire County, and an annual participation fee from families.