Portsmouth Naval Shipyard opens new Naval Branch Health Clinic
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD, Maine – Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Portsmouth on Thursday, Jan. 6.
Surgeon General for the U.S. Navy, Rear Admiral Bruce Gillingham and Chief of Staff, Small Market and Stand-Alone Military Treatment Facility Organization for the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Mr. Eric Stringer served as guest speakers for the event.
“The completion of this beautiful military treatment facility is a significant milestone in our journey together with the DHA to enhance the healthcare delivery and readiness in the communities we serve,” said Rear Adm. Gillingham. “However, as beautiful as this facility is it’s not about the brick and mortar, but most importantly the people who care for the naval force and their families. It’s their expertise, compassion and mission-dedication that will bring this facility to life and will provide patient-centered medical care to all of its beneficiaries.”
U.S. Representative Chris Pappas, along with staff representatives from both Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegations, were honored guests at the ceremony.
“I was honored to join the ribbon cutting at NBHC Portsmouth, a new clinic that will serve Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” said Congressman Pappas. “This facility will ensure that those working on behalf of our national security and naval readiness will have access to the care and services that they need. I congratulate the shipyard on the opening of this new facility and remain committed to securing all available federal resources to support the shipyard and its workforce as it continues its long tradition of being the best in the nation.”
The new facility is a multi-story, free-standing health and dental clinic that replaces the current health clinic at PNS. Originally constructed in 1911, the current facility was one of the oldest buildings still providing patient care in Navy Medicine. The new 53,568-square-foot replacement facility will house both a medical and dental clinic, with nineteen health care services including primary care, occupational, and behavioral health. The building is equipped with enhanced IT capabilities, central heating and air conditioning, and improved patient convenience and flow of patient care.
“The new and improved building 402 exemplifies the shipyard’s motto, ‘Proud of our Past … Ready for the Future,’” said NBHC Portsmouth’s Officer-in-Charge, Captain Leah Soley. “The new facility will offer patients and their families the same level of care and comfort they have grown accustomed to in the previous, historic location with a more functional and efficient design, with services tailored to meet their needs. This project has been in the works for some time and we are excited to be opening our doors.”
NBHC Portsmouth is a branch of Naval Health Clinic New England based in Newport, Rhode Island, and is an outpatient medical treatment facility that provides primary medical and dental care and coordinates access to other levels of health care services for active duty, retirees and eligible family members entitled to care prescribed by Title 10 U.S. Code. Outpatient physical therapy, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory, basic x-ray, audiology and optometry services are also available within the facility.
The clinic, staffed in part by personnel from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit Portsmouth, supports the PNS industrial complex through comprehensive occupational health and safety surveillance programs, industrial hygiene, medical examinations and treatment of occupationally related injuries and illnesses.
YMCA of Strafford County designated a mental health friendly workplace
DOVER — The Dover Mental Health Alliance (DMHA), a newly formed Strafford County coalition, is building mental health friendly workplaces one “Place” at a time. The YMCA of Strafford County, located in Rochester, was recently designated as a safe, judgement-free “Place” by the Dover Mental Health Alliance. This is the first DMHA Mental Health Friendly Work “Place” designation outside of Dover.
The YMCA of Strafford County offers programs that help children reach their potential, help families and individuals achieve better health outcomes and encourages everyone to get involved and help make their community a better place. For more information about the YMCA of Strafford County go to: www.graniteymca.org/locations/strafford-county.
The staff at the YMCA received Mental Health First Aid training which teaches people how to recognize and respond to someone who may be in emotional distress. The group also received ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience) training, which dives deep into the neurological, psychological and physiological impact of trauma and how it relates to our biggest health and social problems such as substance use, housing insecurity and mental health.
Executive Director Rob Riley states: “The partnership with DMHA and the YMCA has provided some great resources and training for our staff. We have already seen so many opportunities to implement what we’ve learned and are serving our community better. Our staff have also learned better ways to focus on improving their own mental health.”
“The YMCA is a great location to become a DMHA “Place” as it already embodies the values of the Dover Mental Health Alliance. The mission and programming of the YMCA underscores the goal to achieve better health outcomes and encourages all community members to get involved in making their community a better place. It takes all of us to recognize that mental health is part of our overall health. We can all be part of the solution to normalize this conversation so people can get the help they need without feeling shame or discrimination,” added, Suzanne Weete, of the DMHA.
The DMHA “Place” designation is available to any business, organization, or institution that strives to support their employees, colleagues, and customers’ mental health. The DMHA vision is to create a culture that understands, embraces and addresses the complexities of mental health. The mission is to build a resilient community that is educated, responsive and conscious of the impact of mental illness.
The Dover Mental Health Alliance (DMHA) is part of the local, Strafford County non-profit community mental health center, Community Partners. For more information about Community Partners, go to www.communitypartnersnh.org. For more information about the Dover Mental Health Alliance and upcoming trainings, visit www.facebook.com/DoverMHA/, or email Suzanne Weete at [email protected].
York Hospital announces art exhibit schedule
YORK — While still known for delicious lobster rolls and fresh-made chowder every Friday, the York Hospital cafeteria that was once a bustling lunchtime gathering place for patients, families, medical professionals and local merchants is now a quiet place for a caregivers to have a quick unmasked meal and a few minutes of solitary reflection prior to returning to a busy hospital shift.
York resident Cynthia Hosmer, longtime chair of the York Hospital Art Committee, shared that the pandemic has forced so many to approach what was once routine with a new perspective. “We did what we had to do. We went virtual and introduced a beautiful online gallery last year for all to appreciate and stayed the course with hanging artwork in the café to inspire our health care heroes in the hospital.”
The following artists will be exhibiting in the York Hospital café and in the online gallery during 2022:
Eric Ebbeson will be on display from January to March. Eric is an artist living and working on the Seacoast of NH. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Studio Art in 1968. He has exhibited in many art galleries and art shows in New England for the last 50 years and works in many media, including serigraphs, watercolors, acrylics, pen and ink, calligraphy, and alcohol ink. Sometimes he combines these media in creative and unusual ways. His work ranges from very realistic and figurative to abstract and unusual. He frequently combines Art and Letterforms, and has created a very successful series of prints and notecards using this method. He has been an art educator, teaching art at all levels. He has taught art at The Darrow School (New Lebanon, NY), the Hampton Academy, the Brush and Palette (North Hampton, NH) and led several drawing groups. He has also illustrated two books, “The Ambiguity of Autumn,” a book of poetry by Jeff Volk and “Luna and Floyd Visit their Grandparents,” a children’s book by Lauren Levine. During the pandemic he participated in “The Sketchbook Project,” a compendium of artists’ sketchbooks put online and also exhibited at the Brooklyn Art Library.
Dr. Kenneth Fellows’ artwork will be on display from April to June. After retiring from academic medicine and moving to Kittery Point almost 25 years ago, Dr. Fellows started drawing and painting as a hobby. Many local artists have been guided and inspired his early watercolor work. Painting has been so absorbing and compelling, it has become a ‘second act’ in his retirement. Listening to music while he paints, hours zip by, putting some creative wonder into life. He paints whatever interests him, switching from still life to Maine landscapes to portraits (mostly of his granddaughter, Ella) to interior scenes to old magazine covers, abstracts, postcards and dated seed catalogs—whatever captures his attention.In all his painting, he tries to live up to Dewitt Hardy’s aphorism that “we’re in the business of making miracles.”
Stephen Harby’s work will be on display from July to September. Stephen was a visiting critic at the Yale School of Architecture for 15 years and conducts a travel enterprise, Stephen Harby Invitational. From an early age, travel, architectural history, and professional practice captured his interest and competed for his attention. At Yale College, he pursued a double major in architectural history and architecture, which instilled a passion for observation. Following graduation, Stephen spent a year traveling, studying Italian in Florence, and sketching, which combined all these pursuits for the first time.
Returning to Yale for architecture school, Stephen studied under Cesar Pelli and Charles Moore. Following graduation, he moved to California to join Charles Moore at UCLA’s Urban Innovations Group, where he was project manager for a range of buildings, including the Beverly Hills Civic Center. From 1999 to 2000, he was the Marion O. and Maximilian E. Hoffman Rome Prize Fellow in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome. He is based in Santa Monica and has lectured and published. His work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, Hunter College in New York and at the Fine Arts Building in Los Angeles.
Dustan (Dusty) Knight is a professional artist, educator, and art writer. Her artwork will be on display from October to December. She earned her MFA from Pratt Institute in New York and an MA in art history from Boston University. She is a recipient of a New Hampshire State Fellowship for the Arts, a MacDowell Colony residency, and a past resident of Cummington Artist Colony. Dustan is represented by galleries across the U.S., including Art Three in Manchester and the Ogunquit Art Association. She’s a contributing writer to Art New England, a frequent juror, and gives demonstrations and workshops in watercolor, art business, and art history. Her work has appeared in Watercolor magazine, Daniel Smith, Cheap Joe’s and Ampersand Insider newsletters. Dustan’s work is in many private and public collections, including Macy’s, Acme and Oracles as well as numerous hospitals and New Hampshire public buildings.
Alex deConstant‘s work will be on display from July to September 2022 in a gallery adjacent to the café. Alex is a Seacoast artist whose graphic seascape imagery is channeled through the medium of color woodcuts. His North Hampton studio is within walking distance to the granite sand beaches, reefs, and point breaks where he has surfed since his youth. An intimate knowledge of the New Hampshire coastline is where his inspiration begins. The rugged natural beauty and energy hold endless opportunities for his subject matter. Alex’s association with Don Gorvett Gallery was by invitation to work alongside master printmaker and artist Don Gorvett in his studio and gallery on Ceres Street in downtown Portsmouth in 2007. His woodcuts are in the permanent print collection of the Boston Athenaeum, and private collections.
Art Committee members Maryse Newton, Bernadine Speers and Judy Yandow joined Cynthia Hosmer in celebrating York Hospital staff and added their sentiments that all staff at the hospital – dietary, housekeeping, facilities maintenance, scheduling, reception, etc. – deserve to be recognized for their roles helping our community through a most challenging time. “We hope the artists and artwork we select to adorn the café walls provides hope and healing to our hospital heroes. We know this is a hard time for them to ‘stop and smell the roses’ – we continue to bring the art inside – so it is there if they need something beautiful to look at, even if the proverbial rose is a painting,” Hosmer added.
Artwork is available to purchase and a portion of each sale is donated to York Hospital. To view the current gallery online visit https://www.yorkhospital.com/online-art-gallery/. For more information about York Hospital services and providers, visit yorkhospital.com or contact York Hospital’s Community Relations Office at (207)351-2385 or [email protected].
Friends of York Hospital scholarship applications due March 18
YORK – The Friends of York Hospital Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that the application period for 2022 is now open for students in the York Hospital service area who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine and/or health care. All applications must be received or postmarked by Friday, March 18, 2022 to be reviewed by the Friends of York Hospital Scholarship Committee, comprised of hospital employees and members of the Friends of York Hospital volunteer organization. This impartial selection committee evaluates the applicants’ high school records, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, including community involvement and work experience, to determine finalists to be interviewed. Finalists are selected largely on the basis of financial need, academic merit and health care objectives. Finalist student interviews will likely be conducted in April and scholarship awards announced in May.
This year the Friends of York Hospital will award five $3,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who plan to have a career in health care and reside within the Hospital’s service area [the southern York County, Maine towns of Kittery, Eliot, the Berwicks, Sanford, Lebanon, Kennebunk, Wells, Moody, Ogunquit, York] for their freshman year of college.
Scholarship recipients must enroll as full-time students in the upcoming fall and continue in school for the entire academic year in a health care curriculum. Scholarship awards may affect financial aid eligibility, so students should talk to guidance counselors for details. We ask at the conclusion of your first semester, please send an enrollment verification letter from your college/university to Friends of York Hospital Scholarship c/o Kate Ford, Volunteer and Student Experiences, York Hospital, 15 Hospital Drive, York, ME 03909. A check will then be made payable to the school and mailed there directly.
The application includes an essay describing why a career in the medical field is desired and why students feel they should be chosen to receive this scholarship. Letters of recommendation from high school guidance counselors and from a current or recent employer, along with official high school transcripts, are necessary for application consideration. In lieu of an employer, students may submit a letter from a supervisor in an organization where they have been a volunteer.
All interested students should contact their school guidance counselor for a copy of the application or visit the York Hospital website to download a copy and mail the application, along with required attachments, to: Friends of York Hospital Scholarship, c/o Kate Ford, 15 Hospital Drive, York, Maine 03909. TEL: (207)351-2224. Applications must be received by or postmarked by March 18, 2022 to qualify.
For further questions about the Friends of York Hospital Volunteer organization, contact Volunteer Coordinator Kate Ford at [email protected] or 207-351-2224.
Cornhole tournament raises $3k for Wentworth-Douglass
SOMERSWORTH – A local cornhole tournament raised $3,000 for the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation, as well as other charitable causes benefitting service dogs and local sports organizations.
The ‘King of the Hilltop Cornhole Throwdown’ was hosted by New England Sports Hub in September, and featured hundreds of cornhole enthusiasts gathered at Hilltop Fun Center in Somersworth – the site of the organization’s future 135,000 square foot sports dome. The event honored first responders and the funds to support Wentworth-Douglass will be used to support The Lawson Family Mobile EMS Simulation Center.
“From the get-go, the Sports Hub team pledged to donate all registration proceeds to the local teams and organizations that helped us drive participation,” said Craig Riotto, principal of New England Sports Hub. “Since the event was set to take place on 9/11, we also wanted to both honor and give back to first responders. That’s when Wentworth-Douglass Charitable Foundation raised its hand and told us about their mobile simulation center. It was a perfect fit.”
The Lawson Family Mobile EMS Simulation Center provides state-of-the-art, real-time training directly to EMS responders and Fire and Rescue personnel in the field, that is both cost-effective and community based.
“Our Lawson Family Mobile EMS Simulation Center has been an invaluable community partnership between Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and emergency first responders from Dover, Durham and surrounding Fire and Rescue teams,” says Brian Nicholson, Emergency Services Coordinator. “The training provided mimics emergency situations they see in the field that provide immediate critical care to patients in need.”
Emergency first responders receive continued education and are equipped with real-time training that saves lives and supports a healthy and strong community. Airway management, cardiac simulation, delivering a newborn and team training are some of the simulated training exercises that local providers have participated in.
“We are grateful to New England Sports Hub and Hilltop Fun Center for hosting such a fun event that raised critical funds and increased awareness of the importance of well-trained first responders and the impact they have on the community,” says Jackie Eastwood, Chair, Foundation Board of Directors. “The funds raised from the King of the Hilltop Cornhole Throwdown will support continued education and training with local fire and rescue departments which ultimately improves patients’ outcomes and the health of our community.”
Along with a competitive tournament format, the event featured barbecue, a gelato truck, a beer tent, vendors, and all the attractions of the Hilltop Fun Center. Over 20 local/regional businesses partnered with Sports Hub to sponsor the event, with Atlantic Broadband, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, and Bournival Jeep headlining the fields on event day.
