A Note from the Executive Director |
Greetings, I am delighted to be sending you the second of four newsletters you will receive from us this year, our Spring Edition! Each season, we will provide you with a quarterly impact report from our core programs, share highlights and announcements, and put a spotlight on our staff and Network members. The newsletters are meant to make it easy for you to “catch up with the Consortium” and we hope that receiving them makes you feel like a part of our community. The past few months have been a busy but exciting time for the Consortium. In the text that follows, you will learn that we welcomed a new Director of Programs, Kathleen Coffey, to the team, and welcomed back an old friend and colleague, Ashling Kelly, who have both been working hard to establish new and very welcome partnerships in Greene County as we take on responsibility for the NY Connects Program there. You’ll also learn that we hosted our Annual Friends Event, a fun, relaxed gathering to recognize and celebrate some people who have really made a difference to the organization, and published our Annual Impact Report, which includes details about our recently refreshed Strategic Plan—please check it out! For me, preparing this newsletter prompts me to stop, reflect, and inventory our work over the past few months—a useful exercise and reminder that we never stop moving, changing, and improving. Though the work can be hard, there’s been a strong sense of purpose, determination, and even optimism around here of late that I find inspiring. I am surrounded by “doers”—people who are focused and forceful when it comes to getting a job done—and together, we’re at the ready, to do what we can to support the health and well-being of the people in our rural community. That’s a our mission, and we’re sticking to it! All best, Claire |
Impact Report for Quarter 1: January - March 2025 |
Highlights & Announcements |
— NY Connects in Greene County— |
We are thrilled to share that after successfully managing the NY Connects Program in Columbia County for the past 16 years, we have been given the opportunity to manage NY Connects in Greene County as well! In partnership with the Greene County Office for the Aging, our staff are now embedded in their Catskill office 5 days per week, providing individuals, their loved ones, caretakers and helping professionals information about the long-term services and supports that are sometimes needed to ensure that the aged and disabled of any age can live safely and independently at home. Under the leadership of our new Director of Programs, Kathleen Coffey, and Information & Assistance Specialist, Ashling Kelly, we are proud and excited to have this new partnership and role in Greene County! To contact the Greene County NY Connects Program, please call 518-719-3556 or email Ashling at akelly@greenecountyny.gov. |
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The Healthcare Consortium 2024 Impact Report is now available. Learn more about our work in Columbia and Greene Counties, including impact data, testimonials from our clients, and details from 2025 - 2027 Strategic Plan!
Read more about how we helped our neighbors to get and stay healthy in 2024!
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— Coming Together at Our Annual Friends Event — |
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Thank you to all of our friends who joined us at our Annual Friends Event on April 2nd at the Spark Building. It was wonderful to connect as a community and celebrate our "Friend of the Consortium" Award recipients: Robin Andrews, Chelly Hegan, John Ray, Ken Stall, and Scott Thomas. The contributions from these esteemed former board members and staff have helped shape the Consortium into the organization we are today! A special thank you to Hilltop Catering for the delicious bites and Hudson Wine Merchants for donating wine for the evening. |
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Join us in welcoming Kathleen Coffey as our new Director of Programs, along with Nassar Al Saed, the latest addition to our CARTS driving team. Be sure to check out the Staff Spotlight below to get to know Kathleen—and don’t forget to give Nassar a wave when you see him on the road! We’re also delighted to welcome back two familiar faces: - Ashling Kelly, formerly our Office Manager, has returned to the Consortium as the Information & Assistance Specialist for the Greene County NY Connects program
- After a joyful maternity leave, Emi Davenport is back on duty in our Navigator office. We’re so glad to have her with us again—and we can’t wait to hear more stories about baby Olivia!
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The Healthcare Consortium is hiring two (2) full-time Navigators to provide health insurance enrollment services through our Navigator Program. |
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As the Rural Health Network for Columbia County, The Healthcare Consortium convenes health and social care providers to ensure that we foster positive and productive working relationships, exchange information, and promote collaboration on a regular basis. Each newsletter, we profile one of our Network Members, highlighting their work in our community. |
— Columbia Memorial Health — |
Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) is a not-for-profit organization anchored by an acute care hospital certified for 192 beds located in Hudson, N.Y. It exists to serve a population of approximately 111,000 people in Columbia and Greene counties of the Mid-Hudson Valley. CMH also operates 37 care centers in these counties providing primary and specialty and rapid care services. The hospital, which was founded in 1893, has held a longstanding connection with the people of the region.
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It is the only hospital in a largely rural area with an aging population. In some cases, it is the nearest hospital and emergency department within a 45-minute drive over rugged terrain.
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CMH also continues to operate Greene Medical Arts in nearby Catskill, which was an independent hospital that had closed more than 30 years ago. Due to its history and location, CMH has become its security blanket—a part of the very fabric of its community. Without CMH, the twin-county area would become a health care desert.
"CMH has always been a partner to The Healthcare Consortium. We have worked together on many initiatives for many years. Not to mention the shared leadership of the Executive Director, Claire Parde, who brings a wealth of knowledge to the CMH Board but also the shared connections of rural community health. We share delivery of care and patients in our community. The support for issues of social determinants of health and focus on the underinsured is the cosmic force between the two entities. We are forever working together for the common good of the community we serve, and I am personally grateful for this very developed relationship." — Dorothy Urschel, CMH President & CEO
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In this section, we share news about our Network Members, celebrating their achievements, promoting their events, and supporting their initiatives. - Join Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood at the OutHudson Pride Parade on June 21st! Sign up to march with UHPP here!
- This summer, learn more about controlling your anger at Cornell Cooperative Extension's 2025 Summer-Fall Anger Management Series! Starting July 10th, this
8-week Thursday series, will cover a range of aspects on how manage feelings of anger and rage.
- Say hello to MHA of Columbia-Greene at National Night Out at Dutchman's Landing Park on August 5th! There will be music, food, games, and fun for all to enjoy!
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The Healthcare Consortium is thrilled to announce the hiring of Kathleen Coffey as our new Director of Programs. In this role, Coffey will manage the Consortium’s Consumer Assistance Programs, including the Navigator Program, NY Connects Programs, the Prescription Access and Referral Program, and the Financial Assistance Funds. In so doing, she will be working closely with these programs’ funders at the state and county levels, including the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Office for the Aging, the Offices for the Aging in both Columbia and Greene Counties, and the Foundation for Community Health. |
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A lifelong resident of Columbia County, Coffey brings a deep understanding of the community and commitment to serving it. Her career began working with English Language Learners at the elementary level in the Hudson City School District. Her passion for education led her to Literacy Connections, a nonprofit where she built and grew English Language Learning and Adult Basic Education programs, recruited volunteers, and promoted inter-agency collaboration. Coffey later stepped into leadership roles as the Deputy Center Director and Education and Training Director at the Glenmont Job Corps Center. There, she spent a decade developing and managing programming that helped young adults achieve their high school diplomas and gain valuable workforce training credentials. More recently, Kathleen’s path led her to Catholic Charities of Columbia & Greene Counties, where she worked in the Aging Life Services Program. Her time at Catholic Charities deepened her passion for working with older adults, and she remains involved in the program as a volunteer. Kathleen’s work has consistently combined program administration with outreach and community engagement, making her well-prepared for her new role as Director of Programs at the Healthcare Consortium. Claire Parde, Executive Director of the Healthcare Consortium, shared that “Kathleen has many strengths, including experience in developing, implementing, and managing programs, terrific interpersonal skills, and that strong sense of purpose that we hope to find in anyone who joins the team at the Consortium. Kathleen has brought a great deal of energy, enthusiasm, and a real “roll her shirtsleeves up and get right to it” approach that we really needed and is already much appreciated. She truly is a great fit for the role and our team.” Upon her start, Coffey shared, “As the Director of Programs for the Healthcare Consortium, I feel my career path has come full circle. When given the opportunity to join the team, I was most excited about continuing my mission to help people in need by removing barriers to services within our community with advocacy and action. I look forward to growing our programs to reach more individuals in both Columbia and Greene Counties. It is truly a pleasure to work with a team who are mission focused with an emphasis on serving their community.” |
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