BURRILLVILLE – The governing board of a Pascoag-based health center that has operated in Burrillville for more than 100 years will be the first recipient of a new award recognizing dedicated leaders in the community health center movement.
The board of directors of Well One Primary Medical and Dental Care has been selected for the inaugural Rhode Island Health Center Association Jane Hayward Award.
The Burrillville center has long offered medical, dental and behavioral health services with offices along Bridge Way and Pascoag Main St., and has expanded in recent years to include specialty care. Started with a single nurse in a horse and buggy caring for all the Burrillville villages, Well One now has more than 100 employees, with additional locations in Foster, Scituate and North Kingstown. It was named among the top ten percent of health centers in the U.S. by the federal office of Health and Human Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Healthcare in both 2021 and 2022.
RIHCA was launched in 1972 to support such community-based primary care health programs across the state, through education, advocacy, training, technical assistance and more. The association created the award last year to honor Hayward, their former president and CEO, and her dedication and contributions to the health care model, providing patients care regardless of their ability to pay.
“You, as members of a health center board, reflect that same level of commitment through your voluntary service,” stated a notice on the honor sent last week to members of the Well One board. “The award is an opportunity for RIHCA to showcase the important role health center boards play, your collaboration, your varied backgrounds and your reasons for serving.”
Well One’s 2022-2023 board members include Chairman Gerard Goulet; Vice Chairman Dennis Anderson; Secretary David Ferrara ; Asst. Secretary Joseph Casey and Treasurer Sarah Nottage, along with David DeJesus; Margaret Dudley; Joan Hilton; Darya Kravitz; Roberta Lacey; Crystal Leddy; Scott Pollard and Christine Vallee.
The award will be presenting at RIHCA’s annual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.
