Published: 3/2/2022 12:47:51 PM
Modified: 3/2/2022 12:47:26 PM
HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC has announced that Nayroby Rosa-Soriano, director of community engagement and resident services, has been selected to be a part of the NeighborWorks Strong Leaders Pilot Program. Rosa-Soriano is one of 20 participants statewide chosen for this program, and the only participant from Holyoke.
The NeighborWorks pilot program provides mentoring, training, and peer-to-peer learning to high-potential professionals, especially leaders of color. The program convenes a group of 20 professionals from the greater Boston area to strengthen their networks, build new connections, work one-on-one with a mentor, and enhance their skills through three of NeighborWorks America’s leadership and management courses.
The program began virtually in January and will last nine months.
Rosa-Soriano joined OneHolyoke CDC in 2019. In her position, she engages in different aspects of community work, including the organizing of neighborhood circles, cleanups and events to engage with the Holyoke community. She also provides support to an elderly residential building. Rosa-Soriano is a part of various advisory groups and coalitions to better serve the participants of OneHolyoke CDC and collaborates with city stakeholders to advocate for community needs.
EASTHAMPTON — Barbara Yanke, bankESB’s senior vice president, residential lending, has been named to the board of directors of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association.
Founded in 1976, the MMBA is the largest mortgage association in New England, comprising more than 225 members from depository institutions, mortgage companies, wholesalers, and other mortgage industry service providers. The association works to ensure the continued strength of the commonwealth’s residential real estate markets, expand homeownership prospects through affordability, and extend access to affordable housing.
Yanke joined bankESB as vice president in 2017, bringing more than two decades of experience in lending. She was promoted to senior vice president in 2021 and oversees the residential lending team for Hometown Financial Group’s entire family of banks: Abington Bank, bankESB, and bankHometown.
Yanke also serves on the Worcester Community Housing Resources Property Development Committee and as board president of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts.
BURLINGTON, Mass. — President and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health, Dr. Lynnette M. Watkins, has been voted onto the board of trustees of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA). MHA serves as the leading voice for the commonwealth’s hospitals and health systems.
As an MHA Board member, Watkins will help advance the health care community’s mission to provide high quality, affordable, and equitable care for patients in Massachusetts.
MHA’s board of trustees continues to be at the center of the commonwealth’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, using a collaborative approach to take on the greatest set of challenges the provider community has seen. It also steers the direction of the association’s advocacy efforts on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill, while carrying forth the state’s longstanding legacy in health care innovation.
In addition, the 2022 board will oversee the association’s strategy to address diversity, health equity, and inclusion, including the recently announced push to ensure diverse representation on governing boards.
Watkins, an ophthalmologist and health care administrator and leader, took over as president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care in September of 2021. Prior, she was the group chief medical officer for the Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare — Texas Group.
NORTHAMPTON — Transhealth Northampton, an independent, trans-led, and gender-affirming health care center — hit its 1,000 patient milestone nearly 10 months after its official launch.
Since opening on May 4, 2021, Transhealth Northampton has helped fill the need of gender-affirming care in a rural landscape by providing patients of all ages with a host of clinical and non-clinical services that include: primary adult and pediatric care, hormonal care, mental health care, and online resources for support.
Last month, the health care center expanded its community engagement offerings to patients, clients and residents. Those seeking gender-affirming apparel can browse the Community Closet, while age-based Peer Support Groups and other workshops aim to provide trans and gender-diverse people with social spaces of support.
Transhealth Northampton has also been working to advance advocacy, education, and research for the community. The health care center partnered with Fenway Health and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) last month to spearhead a letter of nearly two dozen organizations calling for better coverage and services for trans people in Massachusetts.