Sun River Health Foundation

The team at Sun River Health Foundation attended the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Hudson Valley Chapter's National Philanthropy Day Celebration on Friday, November 15 at Arrow Park Lake and Lodge. It was a wonderful day of celebrating outstanding fundraising professionals, networking and learning new development strategies. A very special thank you to keynote speaker, Genevieve Piturro - The Human Connection Speaker and the insightful education session by Mariah Monique, MPH! Congratulations again to all award recipients!

Happy #NationalPhilanthropyDay, an annual celebration of philanthropy — giving, volunteering and charitable engagement — that highlights the accomplishments, large and small, that philanthropy, and all those involved in the philanthropic process, make to our society and our world. Thank you to all the generous individuals and organizations who make our world a better place.

We wanted to take the opportunity to notify you of the retirement of one of our treasured clinicians, Dr. Barbara Zeller. Dr. Zeller was the Chief Clinical Officer for Brightpoint Health until 2018 when she became a Senior Medical Advisor for our newly merged organization. She originally joined Brightpoint (then known as HELP / PSI) in 1991 where she created a unique, long-term care facility that incorporated a structured treatment program for individuals living with HIV / AIDS who were also in need of substance use disorder treatment. Her vision was to provide a healing environment in which individuals who were stigmatized by addiction and an AIDS diagnosis could feel safe and cared for as a first step towards recovery. A board-certified internist and HIV specialist, Dr. Zeller graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed an internship and residency through Roosevelt Hospital's Primary Care Medicine Program. Throughout her career, she has been a community physician, developing programs in response to the demand for adequate health care. In 2007. Dr. Zeller was awarded the Dr. Linda Lauberstein Annual HIV Clinical Excellence Award from the New York State Department of Health's AIDS Institute. In 2016, she was elected as a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. Thank you for your service to Sun River Health, Dr. Zeller, and wishing you a fulfilling next chapter!

National Healthcare Quality Week is a time to recognize the dedication and hard work of healthcare providers who strive to deliver the highest quality care. Let’s celebrate their commitment to improving patient outcomes and building healthier communities. #NHQW #HealthcareQuality #PatientCenteredCare

Congratulations to Sun River Health Chief Dental Officer Gregory Maddalena, DDS on completing his National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) Oral Health Leadership Institute (2024 - cohort 12) continuing dental education! Dr. Maddalena, along with Sun River Health Deputy Chief Operating Officer Carlos Ortiz, attended the graduation ceremony at the recent NNOHA conference where he received his certificate.

Congratulations to Sun River Health's very own Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Allison Dubois, MPH on receiving the Partnership of the Year Award from SEPA Mujer at their Annual Gala Fundraising Event! As Long Island’s only culturally specific, trauma-informed Hispanic organization, SEPA Mujer takes immense pride in offering comprehensive support to individuals in both English and Spanish. Their programs span a broad spectrum of needs, including legal assistance, sexual assault and domestic violence support, human trafficking assistance, the Thriving Latinas initiative, housing through their Casita program, migrant relocation assistance program, and equity and community empowerment. Additionally, their 24/7 Ayuda Latina hotline stands ready to assist victims of crime in their time of need.

On September 25, 2024 Sun River Health hosted a panel session on Climate & Health Equity in Action at the Bedford Avenue Health Center in Brooklyn as part of Climate Week in NYC. The panel discussed how climate action can help to address persistent health disparities.?The panel featured several guest speakers with expertise on the matter including: Anne Kauffman Nolon, CEO, Sun River Health, Zoya Teirstein, Staff Writer, Grist, Julian Watkins, MD Assistant Commissioner of the NYC Bureau of Health Equity, Jessica Hinshaw, Environmental Health Director, NACHC, and Katherine Catalano, Deputy Director of the Center for Climate & Health Equity, APHA ? The panel was moderated by Ben Fulgencio-Turner, Director of the Climate For Health program at ecoAmerica. https://lnkd.in/ehevcbK8

Sun River Health, a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC), offers a summer internship in partnership with Penn State University, designed to provide a Penn State University (PSU) undergraduate student an opportunity to experience what a community health center is and the importance of public health. Selected students develop foundational skills for a new career in community health care. During the internship program, interns are mentored by leaders and assigned to a department for their in-person experience, with special considerations for their interests and passions. While we have had many interns come and go, we’d like to highlight a Penn State graduate from our summer 2024 internship who has officially joined Sun River Health as a full-time employee, Jailene Hernandez. Here is what our newest Certified Housing Counselor and Program Event Support staff member has to say about her intern experience with Sun River Health:

The annual Genesis Conference on HIV, HEP B/C, Sexual Health and PrEP was held in person at Edith Macy Conference Center in the Hudson Valley. Our theme was “Innovation & Integration: Partners in Progress!” We had 100 participants attend from all three regions; NYC, Long Island and Hudson Valley.?There was a focus on acknowledging our accomplishments, identifying quality improvement goals and providing training on cutting edge treatment and program challenges. “The Gennies”, recognition awards were given to staff who have exhibited flexibility and have gone above and beyond to help provide great care. Additional recognition include the?“Live Savers” award?which recognized all regions for their dedication, commitment and compassion in the care they provide.

Sun River Health is proud to announce that we have been chosen as a recipient of the Nursing Pipeline & Pathways Grant from the National Association of Community Health Center (NACHC), in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. The Nursing Pipeline & Pathways Program supports ways for nurses of color at federally qualified health centers to advance their careers. Sun River Health is one of eight organizations chosen by NACHC to receive a $40,000 grant. With these funds, Sun River Health will support continued patient access to nursing care while three current staff members of color complete course work and clinical rotations to obtain nursing licensure during the Fall 2024 semester. Additionally, we will be able to include student nurses from nursing programs at local institutions to participate in our annual nursing leadership retreat, where they will learn valuable skills and have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with Sun River Health nurses, engaging them in the importance of community-based primary care. We will also be able to further develop and expand our nursing pipeline program to broaden its reach and increase capacity to create pathways to a nursing career for individuals of color.