Manet Community Health (Manet) and Taunton Public Schools (TPS) co-hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, November 3 to celebrate the impending opening of Manet’s school-based health center, Manet Community Health at Taunton Public Schools (Manet at TPS), at 60 Williams Street, adjacent to the John F. Parker Middle School and Taunton High School.
The speaking program, which began inside Taunton High School, was facilitated by Manet’s CEO Cynthia Sierra, and included remarks from TPS Superintendent John Cabral, Taunton High School Principal Scott Holcomb, John F. Parker Middle School Principal Michael Byron, School Committee Chair Dr. Gregory DeMelo, Manet Board President Grace Murphy-McAuliffe, Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, Senator Marc Pacheco, Representative Carol Doherty and a special greeting from Jeffrey Beard, JD, Regional Administrator at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) Boston Regional Office. Also in attendance were representatives from Congressman Jake Auchincloss’ office and the MA Department of Public Health’s School-Based Health Center Program, members of the Manet Board of Directors, staff members from Manet Community Health and Taunton Public schools. The ribbon cutting took place following the program at the entry of the new clinic and then attendees were invited to walk though the clinic, which will be ready to welcome patients very soon, pending final inspections and licensing.
Manet at TPS will be a fully licensed, independent health center offering a full range of programs and services, including primary care, behavioral health (in person and telehealth), physicals, immunizations, referrals to specialists, care coordination, health education, urgent/same-day care, health insurance navigation and connection to community resources. The clinic will initially operate during the school year, during school hours, with the opportunity to expand according to demand. It will be staffed by a nurse practitioner, a behavioral health clinician and a community health specialist and will offer visits by appointment and walk-in.
Manet Community Health CEO Cynthia Sierra and Taunton Public Schools Superintendent John Cabral prepare to cut the ribbon for Manet’s first School-based health center, Manet Community Health at Taunton Public Schools, 60 Willilams St., on Nov. 3. They are flanked by Manet Board President Grace Murphy-McAuliffe and Taunton School Committee Chair Dr. Gregory DeMelo, and surrounded by school committee members, elected officials, including Rep. Carol Doherty, Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, Sen. Marc Pacheco, and Manet staff.
Jeffrey Beard, JD, Regional Administrator at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) Boston Regional Office, offers his congratulations to Manet Community Health, a HRSA Health Center Program grantee, for opening its first school-based health center in partnership with Taunton Public Schools.
Anne Bisson, Manet Community Health Board Member and former longtime Director of the Department of Human Services and Council on Aging for the City of Taunton (center holding award) is honored for her instrumental role in connecting Manet and TPS. With her are (from l to r) Grace Murphy-McAuliffe, President of the Manet Board of Directors, Cynthia Sierra, Manet CEO, John Cabral, TPS Superintendent, and Dr. Gregory DeMelo, Chair of the Taunton school Committee.
Touring the new Manet at TPS clinic are (l to r) Jenna Massoud, Senior District Representative for Congressman Jake Auchincloss, Senator Marc Pacheco, Laureanne DePina, Program Coordinator, MA DPH School-Based Health Center Program, Jill Northrup, Assistant Director, MA DPH School-Based Health Center Program, and Cynthia Sierra, Manet CEO.
An exam room in the new Manet at Taunton Public Schools school-based health center, which will be opening soon at 60 Williams Street, Taunton.
The Nov. 3 ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Manet Community Health school-based health center at Taunton Public Schools provided an opportunity to introduce the Manet at TPS staff (pictured from l to r) Marc Dunderdale, Community Health Specialist, Marissa Abdow, LICSW, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Mary Cahill, CPNP, Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and Bill Brandon, MD, Manet’s Deputy Medical Director and family medicine physician, who will provide clinical supervision for the site.