Board News
PHMC welcomes to its board of directors Joseph M. DiMino, director of health and medical director of the Montgomery County Health Department; Autumn A. Graves, president of Girard College; and Michele Volpe, executive director of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
We appreciate these members who have assumed new roles on the board in the 2011-2012 term: The Honorable Renée Cardwell Hughes, Chairperson; Denise Christian, MD, Vice Chairperson; Michael K. Pearson, Treasurer; Stephen P. Fera, Secretary; Robert W. Gage, Sharon M. Gallagher and Patrick J. Eiding, executive board members.
PHMC sincerely thanks for their years of service departing board members Paul A. Dandridge, former chairperson, and Ana Pujols-McKee, former vice chairperson.
Honors, Awards and Achievements
Numerous media outlets sought the expertise of PHMC affiliate Joseph J. Peters Institute (JJPI) in response to the Penn State sexual abuse allegations. On November 10, Fox29 featured Michael J. Stinson, director of Prevention Services at JJPI, on a segment titled “How to Talk to Your Children About Abuse.” On November 11, Philadelphia Daily News featured “Molesters and How to Stop Them: Learning the lessons of Penn State scandal,” an interview with Thomas F. Haworth, director of child and adolescent services at JJPI. Haworth and Theodore Glackman, executive director of JJPI, were featured in the November 11 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer in its story, “Penn State case spotlights molestation nationally.” Glackman and Haworth also appeared on the November “Radio Times” on WHYY. Host Marty Moss-Coane interviewed them for the show “What we can learn about child sexual abuse from the Penn State case.” These experts continued to provide insights in response to further media requests. JJPI is a nonprofit mental health agency providing outpatient assessment and treatment services in the area of sexual abuse. JJPI’s mission is to reduce the causes and overall results of sexually abusive behaviors through research, training, prevention, and treatment. JJPI evaluates and treats survivors of sexual abuse as well as offenders.
On October 13, PHMC affiliate Interim House celebrated 40 years of empowering women in recovery from substance abuse. In a celebration that included Lisa Nutter, First Lady of the City of Philadelphia, as a presenter, Interim House recognized its clients and partners. Interim House awarded Kristin Gavin, founder of the local nonprofit Gearing Up, with its first ever Community Partner Award. Gearing Up uses bike riding as means to empower women during periods of difficult transition. Interim House also presented alumna Toni Montier with its 2011 Distinguished Alumna Award.
On December 1, World AIDS Day, the University of Pennsylvania Center for AIDS Research Community Advisory Board recognized PHMC senior researcher Lisa Bond at its seventh annual Red Ribbon Event. The event commemorated and highlighted the work and achievements of researchers and everyday heroes in the fight to combat the impact of HIV/AIDS. Bond was joined at the event by fellow PHMC employee Tiffany Bacon, project specialist for Sisters Informing Healing Living Empowering (SIHLE), a program that uses peer-led group sessions to reduce HIV sexual risk behaviors among sexually active African-American girls ages 14 to 18. Bacon served as mistress of ceremonies at the Red Ribbon Event.
Grants
On August 31, North Penn Community Health Foundation awarded a $95,000 grant to PHMC’s Specialized Health Services to fund the Housing First Pilot Project. The project provides financial assistance and housing stabilization services to homeless and near-homeless families and individuals who are residents of county-funded emergency or transitional housing facilities in Montgomery County. The grant took effect October 2011.
During National Health Center Week, August 7-13, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced $28.8 million in grants to 67 community health center programs across the nation, including one that will develop a new health center in north central Philadelphia through a partnership between Public Health Management and Congreso de Latinos Unidos (Congreso). Through this new venture, PHMC and Congreso will work together to address health care access barriers faced by low-income residents of the area surrounding the new health center, opening this month at 216 West Somerset Street in the 19133 zip code of Philadelphia.
