Dear Fenway Health community,
The past year has been one full of changes here at Fenway Health. Change is rarely easy – in fact, it can be downright painful – but for Fenway, these changes have all been important and positive steps toward building the best version of our beloved organization. I’m immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff who stayed true to Fenway during this time of transition. And I know each of you, like me, are grateful for the continued support of our patients, clients, donors, and community members.
It has been my utmost privilege and sincere pleasure to serve as Fenway Health’s Interim CEO this past year, but the time has come for us all to move forward. As 2018 draws to a close, so must my time here. Effective Jan. 1, 2019, I will begin a permanent position as the President and CEO of the Mohawk Valley Health System in Utica, NY.
As we near the end of our yearlong search for a new permanent Fenway Health CEO, I leave the reigns in the capable hands of Jane Powers. Jane, who previously served as Interim CEO before my arrival, will serve as Acting CEO to bridge the gap between my departure and the arrival of a permanent CEO in the near future.
I find myself reflecting back on the year I’ve spent with you and the enormous progress we’ve made together. The Board held multiple listening sessions with employees and the larger community to identify areas for improvement. Fenway overhauled our safety protocols and workplace compliance guidelines, added a Red Flag Reporting program, and hired a Director of Safety and Security, a Chief Human Resources Officer and an Executive Director of Nursing. The Employee Advisory Council was established to give our staff members a stronger voice in the organization. The list goes on. And through it all, we’ve worked hard to become more compassionate, inclusive, transparent, responsive, and engaged. As an organization, we’ve reflected, we’ve transitioned and we’ve healed.
It has been an enormously gratifying and humbling experience for me to be part of the Fenway community, and it was an honor to have been entrusted to lead this important organization during a difficult transitional period. I leave here a changed – a better – person. I arrived as an ally of the LGBTQ community, but I leave as your advocate. I recognize that being supportive is, simply, not adequate. I will be a voice, a visible advocate, and a champion for all rights of the LGBTQ community, and I will be a lifelong cheerleader of Fenway Health and its mission.
Thanks to all of you for your warmth, compassion and acceptance. Fenway is a special place, and I will always cherish and hold dear in my heart our experience of this past year. I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season, and the greatest joy in the New Year.
Fondly,
Darlene Stromstad
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