Meet our volunteers that are leading the way to a world free of MS! Leaders in the Movement
Meet Barbara Leonard
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ccess to MS Care is a priority issue for the National MS Society, and a passion of volunteer Barbara Leonard. In 2010, the Community Health Relations (CHR) program was designed to strengthen our relationship with healthcare providers throughout the region, using volunteer ambassadors to reach out to providers in the community. Barbara was among the first group of volunteers to be trained as representatives of the National MS Society and she dove right in, committing to four visits a year with a neurologist in her area. She found she couldn’t stop there and quickly began reaching out to additional healthcare providers in New Mexico. As time went by, staff partner Gail Lindsey realized Barbara possessed both the skill and enthusiasm to assist with managing the program; when asked to do so, Barbara immediately agreed. As the CHR Volunteer Coordinator, Barbara now serves as mentor to other CHR volunteers. She facilitates
telephone trainings for volunteers joining the CHR team, and she keeps all the volunteers informed and motivated through a quarterly newsletter, Making Connections. She worked with the Programs staff to develop an online toolkit for healthcare professionals that includes links to our Clinical Care Network website. She developed “County Plans,” a strategic approach for reaching out online to healthcare professionals in rural and underserved areas across our region. And she has co-lead Society committees that work to expand the access to quality MS healthcare. Barbara’s reach expands far beyond the New Mexico borders, educating, mentoring and leading volunteers from across the region. While her dedication is making a difference now, it will also help us realize our long-term vision of implementing MS Care Link, a program that will not only connect healthcare professionals to the Society, but to one another.
MOVING TOWARD A WORLD FREE OF MS
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