Ryan Annual Report 2007-2008 - The William F. Ryan Community ...

COMMUNITYVOLUNTEER BOARDSThe Board of Directors is what makes a Community Health Center unique.51 percent of board members have to be patients of the Center. Of the 13board members who sit on the Board of the William F. Ryan and Ryan-NENACenters, eight are patients. At Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton, five of the nine boardmembers are patients.“As board members, and patients, we serve as the voice of the community,”says Bobbie Maniece-Harrison, Ed.D., who has served as President of WilliamF. Ryan’s board for the past sixteen years. “Because we live or work in thecommunity, we see what’s going on, what the needs of our community are—we give voice to those needs. We are the stakeholders.”Board members are known in their neighborhoods for facilitating connectionsbetween the three Centers and their communities, and for strengtheningthe Centers’ commitment to serving the uninsured, the underinsured andthe underserved. “I wanted to get involved with Ryan because we provideaffordable, high quality healthcare to the community,” says board memberHector Pereira. “Ryan fights to provide affordable healthcare, affordableprescriptions. We’ve been here for a very long time and most people knowand trust Ryan.”Ryan’s Revlon Run Walk Team of 144 participants raisednearly 40 percent more in 2008 than in the previous year.Then-U.S. Senator and current Secretary of StateHillary Clinton visits with Ryan patients.PART OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVEThe Ryan Network has been providing comprehensive primary and preventivecare for over forty years. A multi-cultural and multi-lingual approach has helpedintegrate the Ryan Network into the fabric of the communities it has servedover four decades. “Our patients see us in their neighborhoods, in their schools,at their churches, and at their community events. They know we’ll always bepartners in their healthcare and their quality of life,” says Ryan’s President & CEO,Barbra E. Minch.Collaborating with other community-based organizations has been essential toRyan’s success. Throughout its history, Ryan has always been at the table withother community groups to make lives better for everyone they serve. Whetherproviding health screenings at a community fair or developing best practice inconjunction with national advocacy groups, Ryan’s staff works with otherstowards a common end—creating healthier communities.2001 – Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton CommunityHealth Center, an affiliate of the Ryan Center,opens its doors to the public.2001 – In response to 9/11, the William F. Ryan Community Health Centerestablishes its Crisis Recovery Team, which offered counseling and medicaltreatment to displaced workers and residents, rescue workers and othersaffected by the attacks.2001 – The following appointments are made:Barbra E. Minch, President & CEO of the Ryan Network.Kathy Gruber, Executive Director of Ryan-NENA CHC.Walter Delacruz, Esq., Chair of the Ryan-Chelsea-Clinton Board.