Mashpee – Community Health Center of Cape Cod has hired two dental surgeons to meet its increasing demand for dental services: Dr. Nicole Makhoul, D.D.S. and Dr. Aileen Han, D.D.S.

Dr. Nicole Makhoul is a Dental Surgeon with more than 20 years of experience. She received her D.D.S. and Bachelor of Science degrees from McGill University.  Dr. Makhoul practices all aspects of general restorative dentistry, hygiene and periodontics. Prior to joining the Health Center, she worked with the South End Community Health Center in Boston and was the owner/operator of a general dentistry practice in Montreal. Dr. Makhoul has extensive involvement in extracurricular activities relating to dentistry with a strong focus on public awareness campaigns.

Dr. Aileen Han received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics and also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. At the University of Iowa, she was a recipient of the Dr. John M. & Hannah L. Roland Scholarship and graduated with Distinction in Public Health. Her dental experience includes externships at Broadlawns Medical Center Dental Clinic and Primary Health Care, Inc. in Des Moines, IA as well as the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics Admissions Clinic in Iowa City, IA.

CHC has a full-service dental clinic and oral health program in Mashpee for children and adults. It is located on the ground floor of the Health Center’s Mashpee office at 107 Commercial Street. Wheelchair-accessible and mobile dental services are available.  Other services include: annual exams, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, extractions, restorative procedures, and limited root canal services.

Mashpee – Community Health Center of Cape Cod has appointed Alexandra Speck as Development Associate. In this role, Alexandra will organize fundraising events/activities and community sponsored events. She will also lead and plan donor cultivation events. Alexandra will manage internal and external communications, including the organization’s website and social media presence, and she will assist with grant writing and the creation of donor communications materials.

Alexandra received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Columbia University and studied Broadcast Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill Graduate School of Journalism. She worked for more than four years as a reporter for WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR Station, where she won an Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing. Past work experiences include teaching Middle School Drama and Creative Writing at Falmouth Academy. Most recently, Alexandra served as the Director of Education and Program Development at Cotuit Center for the Arts. She grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and spent summers in Woods Hole. She currently resides in Falmouth with her two children.

For more information about the organization’s fundraising and communications efforts, please call 508-477-5990.

Falmouth – Community Health Center of Cape Cod hosted its 16^th annual golf tournament at Pocasset Golf Club on Monday, September 26.  98 golfers participated, raising funds to support Health Center efforts to provide increased access to integrated primary care, dental, behavioral health and optometry services to children, adults and families on Cape Cod.

The Health Center is grateful for the amazing show of support from the community, enabling them to raise more than $58,000 at the tournament.  Gold sponsors of the event included: Callahan Construction Managers, Cape Cod Healthcare, Cape Cod Healthcare Lab Services, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, Digital Benefit Advisors, Neighborhood Health Plan, Quest Diagnostics, Lawrence-Lynch Corp, PIAM, Raponi Drywall and The Wilder Companies.

Mashpee – Community Health Center of Cape Cod has been recognized for quality improvement efforts in fiscal year 2016 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  The Health Center was recognized for use of an electronic health record to record and report quality and health maintenance data to HRSA.  The Health Center also received special recognition for improving outcomes over the previous year, and for having the highest clinical performance compared with other health centers across the nation.

In receiving these awards, Community Health Center of Cape Cod will receive funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to expand current quality improvement systems and infrastructure and to improve primary care service delivery in the community they serve.

“Health centers are evaluated on a set of performance measures emphasizing health outcomes and the value of care delivered,” said Health Resources and Services Administration Acting Administrator Jim Macrae. “These measures provide a balanced, comprehensive look at services to manage conditions among the vulnerable populations served by health centers.”

Community Health Center of Cape Cod received the following awards: Electronic Health Record Reporters for employing electronic health record to capture and report on all clinical quality measures (CQM) data for all of the health center’s patients.  Clinical Quality Improvers for demonstrated notable improvement in one or more CQMs between 2014 and 2015.  Health Center Quality Leaders for achieving the best overall clinical performance among all health centers.  PCMH Recognition for maintaining patient centered medical home recognition.

Quality improvement continues to be a primary focus at the Health Center, as the staff is continually looking to identify ways to improve the organization and the health of the community served.  The Health Center has started a Lean Oversight Committee to provide oversight, education and resources to staff to foster a culture of sustained continuous improvement.  The knowledge gained from this program will be used to establish best practices and enable staff to provide the best care possible.

Mashpee – Community Health Center of Cape Cod is organizing a number of events from August 7-13 to help celebrate National Health Center Week.  Community Health Centers deliver high quality, cost effective, accessible care to more than 24 million patients,  while serving as critical economic engines helping to power local economies and saving the healthcare system $24 billion annually.

During Health Center Week, Community Health Center of Cape Cod will be hosting a medication assisted therapy discussion with members of the Health Center’s behavioral health team on Tuesday, August 9.  Discussion topics include what addiction really is, medications the Health Center offers and what treatment is available at CHC.

On Wednesday, August 10, representatives from Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Duffy Health Center, Harbor Community Health Center-Hyannis, Island Health Care and Outer Cape Health Services will host a legislative breakfast, discussing what their centers are doing to transform the patient experience, focusing on innovation within the health centers.  Throughout Health Center Week, staff at CHC will be visiting outreach and community partners to visit and share information about the Health Center and services provided, as part of the CHC on the Road initiative.

In addition, the Health Center is organizing activities throughout Health Center Week to thank and acknowledge their staff for the great work they do in providing high quality, integrated health care services to the community.