Kevin W. Donovan, President and CEO of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) recently announced the appointment of Jill Lord, RN, as the Hospital’s Director of Community Health. Lord’s new position reflects her long commitment to community health and her effectiveness in leading initiatives aimed at improving public health in Windsor, Woodstock and the surrounding region.
In announcing Lord’s new role, Donovan noted that for several years, Lord has actually been filling two critical roles for MAHHC, serving as both the Chief Nursing Officer and as a community health champion.
“I think we all recognize what an incredible resource and asset we have in Jill,” said Donovan. “It was time to allow her to focus more on her community health work, which has been phenomenal. In fact, Jill was the main force behind our Foster G. McGaw Prize for Community Service award, one of the most prestigious awards in health care.”
In 2015, Lord was named the Vermont Medical Society’s Citizen of the Year for her efforts on behalf of the community. And in 2011, she received the Community Partnership Award from HCRS for her role in improving the quality of life for individuals and families in southeastern Vermont.
In her new position, Lord will be responsible for community programs aimed at addressing health disparities, following up on MAHHC’s recent Community Health Needs Assessment, and partnering with social service agencies and others to coordinate programs. She will also assume operational leadership for several departments including the MAHHC Chaplaincy, Volunteers in Action, Prevention Partnership, Complementary Medicine, and school health programs.
“While we will miss Jill as Chief Nursing Officer, we’re excited that she can now focus all of her efforts on community health, wellness and engagement,” said Donovan. “We know what Jill can do; now it’s time to give her the scope she needs to continue caring for our community.”
Founded in 1933, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is a not-for-profit community hospital network including the critical access-designated Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vermont, and Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock, Vermont. Affiliated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the Hospital provides people in communities across the Connecticut River Valley with primary care and a comprehensive suite of specialty services, along with 25 inpatient beds, a therapeutic pool and an acclaimed, 10-bed inpatient rehabilitation department. Mt. Ascutney Hospital is a recipient of the national Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, one of the most prestigious awards in healthcare, and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), as well as the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) with Level 3 status, the highest level of medical home designation for delivering quality care.