Page 56 - Healthcare News Nov/Dec 2021

BHN’s Kamp for Kids Receives $5,000 Grant from Westfield Bank
WESTFIELD — Behavioral Health Network Inc. (BHN) announced it has received a grant of $5,000 from Westfield Bank’s Future Fund Program to benefit Kamp for Kids, the organization’s summer day camp for children and young adults with and without disabilities.
Westfield Bank has been a longtime supporter of BHN’s Kamp for Kids. According to Catherine Jocelyn, vice president of Marketing at Westfield Bank, “we consider it an honor to support Kamp for Kids. We are always happy to support such a worthwhile organization that has been serving our community and, more importantly, children
for so many years.”
Westfield Bank established the Future Fund in 2002 as
a response to overwhelming community needs and the shrinking sources of corporate philanthropy. It prioritizes funding to 501(c)(3) educational, recreational, cultural, and social-service programs that serve Westfield Bank’s market area.
Grants made to Kamp for Kids provide camperships to youth with or without disabilities to ensure that all chil- dren, regardless of family income, are able to attend camp.
According to Anne Benoit, program director for Kamp
for Kids, “we are so appreciative of the consistent and ongoing support of Westfield Bank. Over the 10 years that I have been the director of Kamp for Kids, Westfield Bank has done everything from awarding us the Future Fund grant to providing scholarships to families in need and collecting gently used toys or other items for the campers to use. Kamp for Kids is able to provide the quality experi- ence it does due to the generosity and connection to the community. We are proud to include Westfield Bank in the Kamp for Kids family.”
HCC Nursing Program Ranked Best in Pioneer Valley
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College’s (HCC) associate degree program in nursing was ranked the high- est in the Pioneer Valley by Nursing Schools Almanac, an organization that provides an annual overview of nursing programs across the country.
In its 2021 rankings, Nursing Schools Almanac listed HCC ahead of all other ADN (associate of science in nursing degree) programs in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. HCC’s ADN program was ranked seventh overall in Massachusetts.
For the 2021 rankings of ADN programs, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac compiled an extensive
database of student performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX- RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the U.S. must pass the exam before they may begin to practice.
“Student performance on the NCLEX-RN exam provides an excellent benchmark for comparing the rela- tive quality of associate-degree programs,” the almanac explains in a prologue to its rankings.
For HCC, the almanac reported an 87.7% NCLEX-RN pass rate among first-time test takers with data analyzed from 2011 to 2020.
HCC’s nursing programs routinely earn top marks
from national evaluation organizations. In 2020, Nursing Process, a national online guide to healthcare education, ranked HCC’s ADN the best in all four counties of West- ern Mass. Earlier this year, HCC’s LPN (licensed practical nursing) program ranked third among LPN programs in Massachusetts for 2021 — and best in Western Mass. — by practicalnursing.org.
HCC’s nursing and radiologic technology programs are based at the college’s Center for Health Education & Simulation on Jarvis Avenue, near the main HCC campus on Homestead Avenue.
COVID-19 Testing at HCC Extended Through March
HOLYOKE — Free “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 test- ing at Holyoke Community College (HCC) has been ex- tended through March 31, 2022, according to the Holyoke Board of Health.
Drive-through testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in Parking Lot N by the Bartley Center for Athletics & Recreation on HCC’s main campus at 303 Homestead Avenue.
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Drivers are asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn right onto the Campus Road, and proceed to parking lot N. Signs and parking attendants are on site to help guide traffic.
The HCC testing site is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. The HCC testing site will be closed Nov. 25 and 26 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
major investments in behavioral health services.
Holding a bachelor’s degree with distinction from Stan-
ford University and a master’s degree from Harvard Uni- versity’s Kennedy School of Government, Cassel Kraft has been a senior member of the MassHealth team since 2011. Prior to taking on the role of acting assistant secretary, she served as deputy Medicaid director, focusing on strategic, policy, operational, and financial decisions. She directly oversaw critical policy and program areas, including phar- macy and provider networks, behavioral health, federal and eligibility policy, member experience and engagement, children, youth and families, and safety-net programs.
Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents and conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no appointments, and no referral is necessary. Turnaround time for results is typically four days or fewer.
Testing may sometimes be cancelled due to inclement weather. Visit the Holyoke Board of Health website at www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health for up-to- date information on cancellations.
The criteria for this award included personal art making that emphasized social justice, resil- ience, and the promotion of art therapy in the community. Alter- Muri’s art making has demonstrat- ed a commitment to creative prac- tice and has significantly influenced the art-therapy community with
these art-based practices. She has demonstrated support for the value of art in art therapy as evidenced by both personal and professional practice as an artist and art therapist.
The OCAPA is designated for an active member of the AATA whose contributions as an artist and art therapist (or student in a current art-therapy program) have significant- ly influenced the art-therapy profession.
The AATA is dedicated to the growth and development of the art-therapy profession. Founded in 1969, the associa- tion is one of the world’s leading art-therapy membership organizations. Its mission is to advance art therapy as a regulated mental-health profession and build a community that supports art therapists throughout their careers.
DR. SIMONE ALTER-MURI
Cassel Kraft Named Assistant
Secretary for MassHealth
BOSTON — Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders announced that acting Assistant Secretary and MassHealth Director Amanda Cassel Kraft has been appointed to the role permanently.
Cassel Kraft will be responsible for overseeing the state’s $19 billion Medicaid program that provides healthcare cov- erage to more than 2 million residents. She is charged with implementing the state’s existing innovative 1115 Medicaid waiver and investing more than $500 million in federal ARPA dollars for home and community-based services.
She is also responsible for preparing the state’s next 1115 waiver submission, due to be filed in November, which will continue value-based payment for services, address health equity and disparities in health outcomes, and implement
Alter-Muri Earns Outstanding
Creative Applied Practice Award
SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Simone Alter-Muri, Springfield College’s director and professor for Art Therapy/Counsel- ing and Art Education Programs, recently received the American Art Therapy Assoc. (AATA) 2021 Outstanding Creative Applied Practice Award (OCAPA). Alter-Muri received her honor during the AATA’s recent 2021 virtual awards ceremony.
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