PHC Elects Board Members at Annual Meeting

Joanne Conroy MD/CEO speaks at PHC Annual Meeting

On November 17, the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley (PHC) Board of Directors held their annual meeting at Hypertherm with over 50 community members and public health advocates in attendance. Dr. Joanne Conroy, CEO and President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock was the guest speaker.  [Conroy Video Clip/Full Talk]

Carol Stamatakis, of Senior Solutions, asks Dr. Conroy a question.

During the business portion of the meeting, departing board member Mardee Laumann of Enfield, NH was recognized for her many contributions. Julia Griffin, Hanover Town Manager, was elected to her second term as PHC Board Chair.

The Board also welcomed new Directors Dan Fraser, Nicole LaBombard, and Laura Cody McNaughton. Dan is a well-known figure in the Upper Valley. He grew up in Norwich, where he now runs the family business, Dan & Whits, and serves on several local boards. Nicole, also an Upper Valley native, works as a Community Health Partnership Coordinator at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Community Health. Laura is the District Director for the Vermont Department of Health’s District Office in White River Junction.

Director’s Report

Alice Ely, Executive Director of the PHC, shared highlights of the PHC’s work over the past year in her annual Directors Report. In 2017, the PHC piloted an oral health screening project in New Hampshire communities. This pilot led to the expansion of the Ottauquechee Health Foundation’s Smiles Project to serve both sides of the Connecticut River.

The PHC also conducted an evaluation of several summer meals programs for school-aged children to better meet the needs of food insecure children and hosted a forum for school personnel and area service providers to better understand student needs and resources already available in the community.

Five flu clinics were also hosted by the PHC in rural communities across our region, providing over 1,100 vaccines.

As one of 13 regional health networks in New Hampshire, and serving 22 communities in Vermont, the PHC has quickly become the region’s largest and broadest coalition of advocates on public and population health issues. The PHC is a dynamic organization with the flexibility to respond to the needs of its grassroot members with financial support provided by individuals and governmental, philanthropic, and health care institutions.