CAB Corner

An update from Duffy’s Consumer Advisory Board

The Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) is an appointed group of health center Consumers whose input is sought for strategic and operations improvement purposes on an ongoing basis. The primary mission of the CAB is to facilitate open communication between Duffy Health Center leadership and Consumers.

The CAB is a crucial source of insights about Consumer issues and concerns at Duffy. Members have the opportunity to influence decision-making at the highest levels and experience meaningful interaction with peers.

David Hale Joins Duffy Health Center Board of Directors

David Hale works at the PIER Recovery Center of Cape Cod as a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach and Peer Support Specialist. He has been a patient of Duffy Health Center for about 8 years, and 5 years ago he was recommended to our Consumer Advisory Board by a member of his care team.

Since that time, David has made valuable contributions to the CAB. Given his enthusiastic commitment to the mission of Duffy Health Center, he was invited to join the Board of Directors. “The reason I joined the Board is because of my years of lived experience and recovery,” shares David. “I like being involved, because I get a front row seat to the homelessness epidemic. Knowledge is power, and to beat the homelessness epidemic I’m going to need all the power I can get!” Congratulations to David on joining the Board - we are lucky to have him!

CAB Members attend National Health Care for the Homeless Conference in Baltimore

This May, Duffy CAB members Vanessa Proc and David Hale (both pictured above) will represent Duffy Health Center in Baltimore at the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference and Policy Symposium. Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the theme of this year’s conference is “Toward Justice: Leading with Lived Experience.”

At the conference, Vanessa and David will “explore and demonstrate how providing health care to people without homes, addressing the effects of homelessness, and working to prevent and to end homelessness is a matter of justice.” The conference will also be a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the National Consumer Advisory Board and the people with lived expertise of homelessness who have been leaders in the movement to end homelessness. As stated on the conference website, “We know that people closest to the problems are those closest to the solutions.” (nhchc.org/ trainings/conferences)