Season of Change

A note from Heidi Nelson, CEO

At the outset of this year, we knew we had a lot coming down the pike. Plans included joining a new accountable care organization, adopting a new electronic health record, and some changes to our space to further integrate our teams. What we couldn’t have predicted was the water damage caused to our building on February 4, when Cape Cod experienced a cold snap that froze and burst many pipes across the region. As usual, our team turned on a dime to continue providing the care our patients depend on. There were hours of telehealth, days spent in the parking lot assisting folks seeking walk-in care, and endless meetings about how to get everyone safely back into the building. As of this writing - and thanks to a dedicated landlord - we are about 90% of the way there!

Our teams have managed a lot of change already this year. As of April 1, Duffy officially became part of the Community Care Cooperative (C3) accountable care organization. We now belong to a strong network of community health centers across Massachusetts that are working together to provide the most efficient, high-quality care to the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our communities.

As of May 1, we’ve joined our C3 colleagues in adopting and implementing the Epic electronic health record, including the MyChart patient portal with which you may be familiar. This transition allows our team to have better integration and coordination, both internally and with external specialists, most of whom already use the system. It will also help us improve communication with our patients, allowing them to be engaged members of their care team. It’s been a huge undertaking, but with strong leadership from Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lisa Jones and a dedicated team, the transition has gone smoothly.

With all this going on, we did manage to squeeze in some fun! Through generous funding from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, our team enjoyed a one-day staff retreat at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in March. I’m pictured above with Team Blue! It was a lovely day of team-building and camaraderie.

It has been easier to manage recent changes knowing that we have a wonderful community who supports us. We are so grateful to you for believing in our mission!

Heidi R. Nelson, FACHE CEO, Duffy Health Center

Susan Harrington, President

Christine Johnson-Staub, Vice President

James J. Cullen, Treasurer

Paulette Shaw Querner, Clerk

Kathleen Bresette

Miguel R. DaSilva

Jeffrey Haddad

David Hale

Stuart Murphy

Nicole Ouellette, Esq.

Vanessa L. Proc

Kurt E. Raber

Mary Rahal

Olympia Z. Ramos

Peter Scarafile

Richard N. Smillie

Michael Sweeney

Martha Taylor

Corrie Vilsaint, Ph.D.

Honorary Members:

Dr. Hub Mathewson

Dr. Chester H. Mohr

Dr. Neil Ringler

Andrew Singer, Esq.