Health Foundation leadership fellows class includes 11 CNY leaders

Eleven leaders from health and human-service organizations across Central New York are among the latest graduates of a health-leadership fellows program.

A total of 36 people graduated from the program in a ceremony held at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester on April 24.

The Buffalo–based Health Foundation for Western & Central New York operates the program. The organization has an office in the Central New York Philanthropy Center at 431 E. Fayette St. in Syracuse.

Central New York graduates in the sixth class of health-leadership fellows include:

• Dr. Chima Chionuma, medical director, Syracuse Community Health Center, Inc.
• Brian Coleman, rural health network coordinator, Oswego County Opportunities, Inc.
• Christopher Curry, associate director, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County
• Lisa GreenMills, program coordinator, Onondaga County Health Department
• Antara Mitra, executive director, Community Action Partnership for Madison County
• Kim Osborne, VP of operations, Family Health Network of Central New York
• Bonnie Slocum, executive director, Madison County Rural Health Council, Inc.
• Chandra Smith, director, day care services, Salvation Army, Syracuse
• Jessie Soule, program coordinator, Cayuga Community Health Network
• Sandra Schwartz, service coordination supervisor, VNA Home Care Options
• Christine Steinman-Reale, director of patient services, St. Camillus Home Care Agency

About the program

The Health Foundation describes itself as an “independent private foundation that sparks lasting change in health and health care across Western and Central New York, with a special focus on young children, vulnerable older adults and the systems serving them.”

Launched in 2005, the health-leadership fellows program seeks to produce a network of “diverse, highly-skilled” leaders that will learn to lead “collaboratively from both within and outside of their organizations and become advocates for improved health-care delivery, particularly for older adults and children impacted by poverty.”

The 18-month program provided the fellows opportunities to participate in sessions on personal leadership; leading change; results based leadership and accountability; and the “leader as a communicator,” the Health Foundation said.

Program graduates continue their work as members of the Fellows Action Network, where they work to improve care for older adults and children in poverty, and “collectively tackle” other critical health issues facing Western and Central New York.

A seventh cohort of the Health Leadership Fellows is currently in progress, with an eighth cohort class set to begin in September 2017.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com