Ellen LaPointe, Chief Executive Officer of Fenway Health, announced last Thursday that she is planning to step down from her post. She will remain as CEO until an interim CEO is appointed.
“We are accepting Ellen’s decision to leave Fenway Health with great reluctance,” said Board Chair Scott Walker. “We are deeply grateful for Ellen’s service, and for the many important contributions she has made to the organization. Ellen has been a strong, steadying force and a visionary leader. The transformative organizational changes she put in place during a period of relentless and extraordinary challenge have positioned Fenway Health to remain at the forefront of our field and to deliver on our mission for decades to come.”
“It has been an incredible honor to lead Fenway Health during a time of unprecedented challenge, and an enormous privilege to work alongside Fenway Health’s innovative, dedicated, and talented staff,” LaPointe said. “I look forward to working with the Board to ensure a smooth leadership transition in the coming months.”
LaPointe joined Fenway Health on March 9, 2020, just 24 hours before former Gov. Charlie Baker declared a COVID-19 public health emergency in Massachusetts. She successfully led the organization through myriad pandemic-related challenges: protecting the safety of patients, clients and staff; ensuring continuity and quality of care and service; and managing organizational stability during a time of significant operational, financial, and workforce disruption. Fenway Health also played a leading role in COVID-19 testing, community contact tracing, vaccine research and administration, and policy advocacy related to sexual orientation and gender identity data collection and dissemination.
In addition to leading Fenway Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, LaPointe oversaw a comprehensive restructuring of the organization’s operations and finances to ensure that it is patient- and client-centered and financially sustainable for the long term.
“Ellen developed a leadership team that has designed and implemented a major overhaul in the way we deliver our care and services,” said Walker. “The resulting efficiencies and on-going improvements position Fenway Health to meet and overcome the challenges presented by an ever-shifting financial landscape in healthcare and in the provision of LGBTQIA+ care specifically.”
— from a Fenway Health press release.
Read the complete announcement here at Fenway Focus.
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