CHP CEO, Bethany Kieley
As summer turns to fall and the air grows crisp, I’m grateful each day to be settling into my new home here in the Berkshires.
My early weeks at CHP have been spent meeting our team, community leaders, and members and learning about all that makes CHP special.
In addition to providing exceptional care to all who need it, regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay, CHP also pays attention to patients’ lives beyond the exam room. When patients experience housing or food stress, overdue utility bills, family or school stress, domestic violence, or so much more, their health is impacted.
Much of our work outside of the exam room falls under the umbrella of our talented, energetic team at CHP Family Services. Unlike our medical and dental services, which are typically reimbursed by public and private insurers, Family Services relies on grant funding and gifts from community foundations and the generosity of friends and neighbors in the community just like you. From parent-child playgroups and school readiness programs to housing and food security programs, parent education, and emergency services for families, the work of Family Services embodies the phrase ‘it takes a village.’
We are also now fortunate to have a new team of Community Health Workers (CHWs) who pick up the baton for patients who need support beyond the exam room. Each practice location has a dedicated CHW to help patients navigate the stressors that impact health and well-being: housing insecurity, food and nutrition issues, domestic violence, and other social determinants of health. This team has helped our patients find housing, clear up overdue utility bills, and gather supplies for new moms with babies—among other work.
A few weeks into my tenure, we celebrated National Health Center Week — a time each year for health centers across the country to remember and celebrate our beginnings and to reflect on how far we have come. CHP’s founder, Dr. Thomas Whitfield, was a pioneer in the health center movement, and his vision for healthcare in the Berkshires set a course that has grown over almost 50 years into the CHP of today.
We are proud to live out the aspirations and ambitions of the community health center movement every day. As I continue to get to know my CHP colleagues and my new neighbors in the Berkshires, I look forward to sharing stories with you that demonstrate the impact we’re having on the lives and well-being of the people and communities we serve.