From left: Matt Fishman, of Partners; Wanda McClain; Maisha Douyon Cover, director of Health Equity Programs at BWH; Toni Wiley, of Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center; State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry; and Paul Ridker

On June 9, the Brigham and Women’s Center for Community Wellness, Dorchester, opened its doors at the Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center at 950 Blue Hill Ave. in Dorchester.

The center’s goal is to make wellness programs available to the community, helping to improve nutrition and promote cardiovascular and overall health. Wellness programs and a fitness center will be free for all residents of Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury. The Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center has been providing academic and social programs for the youth and families of Boston’s most underserved neighborhoods since 2008.

At the center’s open house, BWH’s Paul Ridker, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH and vice-chair of the Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center, and Wanda McClain, vice president of Community Health and Health Equity, spoke about BWH’s commitment to community health and the importance of this new health resource. Local and state officials, including Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito; Sportsmen’s Executive Director Toni Wiley; and others also attended the event.

“To be successful, prevention of heart disease, stroke and diabetes must start in community settings,” said Ridker. “Prevention has to be done where people live, play and work. We are delighted to be partnering with Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center in Dorchester to bring exercise and wellness opportunities to our neighbors.”

The vision for the center has been several years in the making. Funding and building of the space were made possible with the support of friends in the community, including AstraZeneca, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Amelia Peabody Charitable Trust, Mabel Louise Riley Foundation, Partners HealthCare, the U.S. Tennis Association New England and others. Classroom furniture, seating and computer stations were donated by Red Thread of Boston. Other groups, including BWH’s own Materials Management, also donated supplies to the center.

In addition to resources for weight management, diabetes control and smoking cessation, the center will also offer health screenings and regular exercise classes. Health professionals will provide services and information through forums, discussions, classes and hands-on demonstrations about cardiovascular wellness, diet and exercise. Wellness events and health services, run by a registered nurse, will soon begin and will be integrated with fitness activities. The center will also host free adult basic education (GED) courses, as well as financial literacy and home ownership workshops.

The Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center programs include tennis instruction and recreational play for youth of all levels from kindergarten through grade 12, as well as college readiness programs, social development programs and Volley against Violence—a partnership with the Boston Police Department that brings youth together for free tennis, life skills and mentoring.

Learn more at sportsmenstennis.org.

From left: Christopher Fanta; Elaine Carter, of MGH; Jacqueline Rodriguez-Louis; Margaret Reid, of the Boston Public Health Commission; Margie Lorenzi, of Boston Children’s Hospital; and Nancy Rodriguez-Sheridan, of Brookside Community Health Center

Each spring, members of the Partners Asthma Center present the “Learn and Teach About Asthma” course, an opportunity for health care providers across Boston and the surrounding area to listen to lectures and participate in activities about asthma and related lung diseases. This year’s event on May 30 at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center marked the 10th anniversary of the course.

“We had a diverse audience this year, including many nurses, respiratory therapists and medical assistants from a variety of hospitals, community health centers, schools and other organizations, which made for a great program,” said Jacqueline Rodriguez-Louis, MPH, MEd, program leader for Community Outreach at the Partners Asthma Center, who planned the event with BWH pulmonologist Christopher Fanta, MD.

The Partners Asthma Center—a collaboration between allergists and pulmonologists at BWH and other Partners hospitals—is focused on providing outstanding care for patients with asthma and developing new knowledge to help improve asthma treatment options. The goal of the course is to help allied health care providers improve care for their patients by becoming better informed about asthma and more well-versed in explaining the disease and its treatment options to their patients. The course included discussion of the underlying biology of asthma, asthma triggers in the home and resources that providers can share with their patients to minimize their exposure to these triggers.

“It’s so important to let professionals know what’s available in their community so they can share these resources with the people who need them,” said Rodriguez-Louis. “Asthma rates tend to be higher in lower-income neighborhoods, so it’s especially important for residents of these communities to know what resources exist.”

Added Fanta: “Our Learn and Teach course is unique in two ways: it provides asthma education for allied health care professionals who often do not have teaching programs made available to them, including community health workers, medical assistants and day care providers. And it is offered simultaneously in Spanish and in English, making possible quality education for medical personnel who learn best in their native language rather than in English.”

Rodriguez-Louis was thrilled with the turnout of this year’s event. She said the most rewarding aspect has been working with community partners and participants over the years to provide an asthma management program that will make a difference for patients.

From left: Paul Farmer, Walton Fellows Jasmine Valcourt and Arklin Dumeny, and David Walton

Thanks to the newly formed Walton Global Health Administration Fellowship, two finance administrators from Haiti recently had the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills at BWH and Partners HealthCare.

For six weeks this spring, Arklin Dumeny and Jasmine Valcourt participated in a combination of didactic classroom sessions, interviews, rotations and mentoring sessions to broaden their managerial skills. Dumeny is a budget officer at Zanmi Lasante, which is Partners In Health’s (PIH) sister organization in Haiti, and Valcourt is an accountant at Zanmi Lasante and Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), Haiti’s 300-bed teaching hospital.

Last spring, BWH donors Marjorie Benton and Diane and Al Kaneb created the fellowship with the goal of strengthening the administrative health care infrastructure in Haiti.

The fellowship was named in honor of David Walton, MD, MPH, of BWH’s Division of Global Health Equity, to recognize his dedication to building HUM following the 2010 earthquake. Walton has been addressing medical needs in Haiti since he first visited the country as a research assistant to Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Global Health Equity, in 1999.

“Hospital leadership in Haiti as well as leaders at BWH, Partners and PIH want to ensure administrators have the skills needed to support Haiti’s teaching hospital and its infrastructure,” said Jennifer Goldsmith, MS, MEd, administrative director for the Division of Global Health Equity, who accompanied the fellows during their time in Boston. “The new program will help make this goal a reality.”

With initial program funding secured for two years, the hope is that additional funding will be raised in order to continue the program beyond that time. In addition to building upon managerial and leadership skills of participants, the fellowship will strengthen the relationship among the institutions.

While at BWH, Dumeny and Valcourt met with many BWHers, including Lance Rachelefsky, an administrative director in BWH’s Department of Medicine, who spoke about the day-to-day operations of primary care clinics and reflected on the importance of providing excellent patient care in a respectful manner.

“Arklin and Jasmine were extremely thankful for the opportunity to learn about the work that we do here,” Rachelefsky said. “It’s always nice to talk about the successes and challenges of management and operations with others in the same field.”

The fellows will take their knowledge back to Haiti and create projects in their institutions that have potential to positively impact HUM and Zanmi Lasante. They will return to Boston in September for additional shadowing opportunities across Partners and to seek feedback about their projects.

Leo Buckley, executive director of business operations for Nursing and Patient Care Services, also met with the fellows during their time in Boston. He said although BWH is miles away from HUM and Zanmi Lasante, the three institutions share a common vision of providing the best care to patients in the safest environment.

“I am very lucky to have met our BWH and Partners colleagues,” said Valcourt. “This program has helped me increase my knowledge of the field and develop new skills, and will help me to improve the system in which I work.”

Mohini Daya

Mohini Daya, MD, has joined Brookside Community Health Center as ambulatory practice medical director, which includes oversight of primary care.

In this role, Daya provides clinical leadership for the health center, supervises physicians, determines clinical policies, participates in BWH Primary Care planning and implementation of strategic initiatives, and provides medical leadership to Brookside’s community health efforts. She is also a primary care physician who cares for pediatric and adult patients at Brookside.

Before joining BWH, Daya cared for patients at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Winthrop Health Center. She also served as a clinical instructor, teaching first- and second-year medical students at Boston University School of Medicine.

She has a strong interest in working with underserved populations, practice transformation and harnessing the power of the electronic medical record (EMR) to help enhance the care that BWH provides to patients. She has experience working with the EpicCare Ambulatory EMR.

Daya graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 2002 and completed her training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center in 2006. She earned her BS in biochemistry and chemistry from the University of Miami.

From left: Elizabeth Fenton-Diggins, El Hassania Chafi, Joyce Johnson and Luz Solano

This year, four BWHers who exemplify compassion and cultural awareness were honored with Lotus Awards in recognition of their commitment to teamwork and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion at the hospital.

“Inclusion is about making everyone feel accepted and valued for who they are,” said Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services, as she opened the second annual Lotus Awards ceremony in Bornstein Amphitheater. “We strive to make BWH a place where all patients, families and staff feel welcome and cared for. That is the cornerstone of all we do.”

The recipients of this year’s Lotus Awards are Elizabeth Fenton-Diggins, RN, staff nurse in Obstetrics and Gynecology; El Hassania Chafi, patient care assistant on Tower 7D; Joyce Johnson, MS, RN, nurse director on Tower 15CD; and Luz Solano, population health manager for BWH Primary Care/Central Population Management Program.

“I believe that cultural awareness and sensitivity make a big difference in the health outcomes that our patients achieve,” said Solano. “When we work to serve patients using their own language or customs, patients stay better connected to their care teams and are empowered to be active participants in their own health management.”

These sentiments were echoed in the nominations for each awardee.

Katie Fillipon, MS, RN, OCN, nursing director on Tower 7ABD, nominated Chafi for the award. “Hassania always goes out of her way to make a special connection with patients and families and understand their specific needs,” she said. “Her kindness puts people at ease.”

After receiving her award, Fenton-Diggins said: “It is a privilege to have worked at the Brigham for 38 years, caring for the women in our practices. I have laughed and cried with my patients, and we have learned from each other how to adapt and integrate our different cultures.”

For Johnson, interacting with patients from all over the world who travel to BWH for surgery is “a dream come true,” she said. In her role as a director, Johnson also focuses on mentoring nurses from multicultural backgrounds to enhance workforce diversity and ensure BWH reflects the communities it serves.

The Lotus Awards were established last year by the departments of Nursing and Patient Care Services to recognize staff who promote excellence, diversity, teamwork and inclusion at BWH. Instrumental in leading this work is the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, co-chaired by Shelita Bailey, director of the Office for Sponsored Staff and Volunteer Services, and Martha Jurchak, PhD, RN, director of the Ethics Service.

Christian Arbelaez, MD, MPH, of Emergency Medicine and faculty director for the Office of Multicultural Careers, gave a moving keynote speech.

“Whether we deliver care in Dorchester or Haiti, we do so in a respectful and dignified way,” he said. “I am humbled and honored to be able to provide compassionate care to vulnerable patients every day.”

Five-year-old Carmen at a recent check-up.

When Niurka Pitts’s daughter, Carmen, was born at only 25 weeks, she had to be seen by pulmonologists, neurologists and gastroenterologists, to name just a few of the specialists. Carmen weighed only 1 pound and 11 ounces and measured 12.5 inches.

“She was very tiny and a very sick baby,” said Pitts.

Pitts, who is a family support specialist for the BWH NICU and a patient partner for Brigham and Women’s Family Care Associates at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, spent months in the NICU with her baby.

She relied on her primary care physician Frances “Kitty” O’Hare, MD, now part of Brigham and Women’s Family Care Associates, for support. She discovered that O’Hare was also a pediatrician and one who specializes in caring for children with chronic illness. O’Hare joined Brigham and Women’s Family Care Associates after Martha Eliot Health Center in Jamaica Plain closed to adult patients.

“I knew her and already had a relationship with her,” said Pitts. “When I learned she could care for my daughters as well, it was an easy decision.”

In addition to treating Pitts and her daughter, O’Hare also cares for Pitts’ Spanish-speaking parents and her husband at the practice, which is a unique family-centered approach to primary care.

Pitts says she is grateful that she and her family can all receive care in one place. “I’m very busy. My child has complex medical issues, my parents have their own medical issues and I work two jobs, so I don’t have a lot of time to navigate around.”

Today, Pitts’s daughter is healthy and well. “She is a five-year-old doing everything that a five-year-old should be doing at her age.”

Physicians at Brigham and Women’s Family Care Associates are currently accepting new pediatric patients. To make an appointment for your child, call 617-983-7025 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Appointments are conducted in English or Spanish.

When Sujeeta Silwal left Nepal in 2002 to go to college in America, her parents and brother remained at home in Kathmandu, the South Asian country’s capital. On April 25, she was terrified as she saw footage of the devastation from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people and injured more than 10,000.

Silwal, who conducts kidney research for BWH’s Physiologic Research Division in the Department of Radiology, finally got through to her family and learned that they were safe but have been living outside in the aftermath of the earthquake.

“It’s not safe to go back inside because of the aftershocks,” she said.

Silwal is now trying to help those in Nepal who have been displaced and need assistance.

“Nepal was already a poor country, and now this disaster has brought even more challenges and health issues,” she said.

Silwal feels a responsibility to her native country and the friends and family she left behind to help them regain safety and ensure they have basic supplies, such as food and water.

Two other members of the BWH community were at a hospital in Achham, Nepal, about 200 miles from Kathmandu, at the time of the earthquake. While the hospital felt the earthquake, no one was injured and no damages were reported there. Duncan Maru, MD, PhD, and Dan Schwarz, MD, MPH, both of the Division of Global Health Equity, were working with a partner organization of the division called Possible. The nonprofit has provided high-quality, low-cost care to more than 225,000 patients through a public-private partnership with the Nepali government. Following the earthquake, both Maru and Schwarz headed to Kathmandu to assist in relief efforts.

Scott Halliday, a research assistant in the Division of Global Health Equity and impact project manager for Possible, is working on communications and channeling support between U.S. and Nepal-based efforts. Schwarz’s twin brother, Ryan Schwarz, MD, MBA, of the Division of Global Health Equity, has also been working closely with Possible on logistics and coordination of resources.

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s (HHI) Kobo Toolkit, a real-time data collection and sharing system hosted by HHI and BWH, is the preferred data collection tool for the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to coordinate data collection and sharing across NGOs. HHI is the humanitarian arm of Harvard University, founded in 2005 by BWH physician Michael VanRooyen, MD, MPH, interim chair of BWH’s Department of Emergency Medicine.

“Quickly collecting reliable information in a humanitarian crisis is a critical link to saving lives,” said VanRooyen.

HHI is also working with the Crisis Mappers Network to establish a map of needs in the region.

“I am continually inspired by the compassion of our Brigham community, particularly in times of need,” said BWHC President Betsy Nabel, MD. “Other members of our Brigham community are helping to bolster relief efforts from the United States. This is a monumental task, and I ask that you keep your colleagues, as well as the people of Nepal, in your thoughts and prayers.”

How to help

VanRooyen is directing anyone interested in supporting relief efforts in Nepal to the Himalayan Rescue Association.

“This is a small, local and very impactful organization,” he said. “They are excellent and will be there helping long after the crisis.”

Silwal has set up an online website for giving through Crowdrise called “Rebuild a Stronger Nepal.”

“I come from a country where we speak about karma, and I have had a very fortunate life,” she said. “I want to help those who are now in need.”

The American Nepal Medical Foundation is committed to strengthening the health care infrastructure of Nepal, and is leveraging its infrastructure to bring relief to earthquake victims.

The International Committee for The Red Cross has a team engaged in emergency response, in partnership with the Nepali Red Cross.

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is preparing two cargo flights with a combined 120 tons of humanitarian supplies for urgent airlift to Kathmandu for the nearly 1 million children in need of food, housing and other urgent relief.

Employees are encouraged to reach out to colleagues who have a connection to Nepal through family, loved ones or personal experience and remind them of resources that are available to them through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

“I hope our Brigham community can be a source of strength and support for those who have been impacted by this devastating disaster,” said Nabel.

Michael Fraai (left) and Luis Soto

BWH’s Luis Soto and Earl West recognize the importance of giving back. Since 2006, they have been facilitating the donation of outdated BWH beds, bedside tables and other equipment in working condition to hospitals in need in Haiti, Somalia, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere.

When hundreds of hospital mattresses were being replaced with updated versions in 2008, Soto, director of Environmental and Central Transport Services, and West, Central Transport manager, decided that instead of sending all of the old but usable mattresses to collect dust in storage, greater good could be done with them. Soto contacted the International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC), a foundation that facilitates the donation of useable medical equipment to impoverished countries worldwide, and helped BWH donate more than 500 mattresses to the nonprofit organization.

BWH has also donated mattresses, beds, stretchers and various medical supplies to a public hospital in one of the poorer sections of Santo Domingo. Soto was able to visit the hospital in the Dominican Republic a few months after the donation. Seeing others take so much pride in using BWH equipment was remarkable, he said.

Soto and West have also worked to send beds, stretchers and wheelchairs that were no longer being used at BWH to a hospital in Somalia. After the donation was delivered, BWH received a heartfelt letter from hospital staff expressing their gratitude.

“Something that may be obsolete to you can have a lot of value to someone else,” said Soto. “We want to donate items that we can no longer use but that are in good working condition to people in need of these resources.”

Soto is grateful to those across BWH’s departments and disciplines who have helped him make the donations a reality over the years, including Michael Fraai, MS, CCE, director of Biomedical Engineering; Julia Sinclair, MBA, MHA, senior vice president of Inpatient Services; Enrique Genao, Environmental Services supervisor; Lani Kuzia, assistant project manager for Real Estate; and Andy Madden, former director of Materials Management, who is now at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.