Eleven New Members Bring Diverse Business Acumen to Wake Health Board
Posted: 02-25-2009 : RALEIGH, N.C.

Raleigh, NC - Wake Health Services, Inc., a private, nonprofit medical practice serving 25,000 patients in Wake and Franklin counties, announced eleven new board members who began serving terms in first quarter 2009. The collective resume of the 17-member board includes officers at Rex Healthcare, Duke Hospital and WakeMed, and spans industries including research, marketing, finance, law, social services, government and the military. Additionally, following Federal guidelines, 51% of the board are users of the practice's services.

Wake Health is a federally funded Community Health Center, whose mission is to provide healthcare to medically underserved families in poor urban and remote rural areas, regardless of ability to pay. The medical practice offers discounts on services based on family size and income.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming such a broad spectrum of talent," said Penny Washington, Wake Health CEO. "Not only is this group uniquely qualified to face economic challenges, they have the vision to see the opportunities on the other side of these difficulties."

New board members (by alpha):

• Melissa Barnes, Support Specialist for Community Alternatives of NC, providers of residential care services; Wake Health Consumer.
• Novlet Bradshaw, Chief Information Officer for Rex Healthcare overseeing all information technology functions.
• Barry Burger, retired Policy Chief of the Child Support Enforcement Program for the State of North Carolina; Wake Health Consumer.
• Sandlin Davenport, Administrative Manager at Duke University Hospital, and Wake Health Board Treasurer.
• H. West Lawson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of WakeMed Health and Hospitals, and former Medical Director for Wake Health Services.
• David Menzies, President of Menzies Consulting, a marketing and public relations firm; Wake Health Consumer.
• Tara Minter, Research Assistant with the North Carolina Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission.
• Tamara Oyejide, Patient Recruitment Manager for Kendle International, and marketing specialist.
• Desiree Peterson, an advocate for people with disabilities, Advisory board member on Project Direct, and member of First in Families of Wake County; Wake Health Consumer.
• George Phillips, Jr. Esq., Attorney at Law, consultant in Federal immigration and employment law; Wake Health Consumer.
• Rhonda Raney, Esq., Attorney at Law, assistant secretary for the NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

Returning board members (by alpha) include:

• Amaryllis Alvarez Burrows, Senior Case Manager at the Drop In Center for Wake County Human Services, working with adults diagnosed with persistent and chronic mental illness; and Wake Health Board Secretary.
• Darrell Grier, Security Officer with Raleigh Marriott City Center; Wake Health Consumer.
• David E. Dougherty, Information Services Technician with Wake County Information Services; Wake Health Consumer.
• Elizabeth Romero, Account Supervisor in the Public Relations and Hispanic Marketing Department of Howard, Merrell & Partners.
• Steven E. Smith, Project Consultant for Capital Link; Wake Health Consumer and Wake Health Board Chair.
• Malcolm Spencer, retired Army veteran; Wake Health Consumer.

About Wake Health Services
Wake Health Services is a medical practice with a mission: Everyone deserves a healthy life, regardless of ability to pay. The private, nonprofit Community Health Center offers discounts on services based on family size and income, and serves over 25,000 patients, a quarter of whom have no insurance. As the area's largest primary care practice with seven locations throughout Wake and Franklin counties, Wake Health's doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers and support staff accommodate over 65,000 visits per year. An eighth site is scheduled to open April '09 in the new Interact Family Safety and Empowerment Center on Oberlin Road in Raleigh.

Wake Health is a private, nonprofit Community Health Center receiving federal support to care for families in poor urban and remote rural areas where healthcare options are few to none. As the country looks for answers to the healthcare crisis, Community Health Centers such as Wake Health are part of the solution. The Community Health Center model overcomes cultural, economic and educational barriers to healthcare. Their approach is grounded in the proven principle that preventive, primary care reduces overall costs, improves health, and preserves every person's basic human right to have access to a healthy life.

For More Information, Contact Cindy Sink, 919-250-2946, csink@wakehealth.org