CHALLENGE DAY 4 – Healthy Community Day
Positive Leadership Capacity: Resilience
January 20, 2023
St. Michael Medical Center, Silverdale
Thank you Sponsors: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Holly Ridge Center, Access to Baby & Child Dentistry and our host St. Michael Medical Center.
Leadership Kitsap’s Healthy Community Day was held at St. Michael Medical Center, Silverdale, on January 20, 2023. We met with leaders of health programs active in Kitsap County, explored the impact of social inequity, and discussed the importance of resilience as a leadership capacity and how it relates to community health.
The day began with an overview of our Positive Leadership Curriculum, led by LKF Board member Lowell Sweet (LK04), reviewing the capacity Resilience. Kitsap County Public Health District Health Officer, Dr. Gib Morrow, then shared Kitsap Community Health Priorities collaborative process to improve health in Kitsap County.
From there, Monica Bernhard of (LK15), Chief Executive Officer of Kitsap Mental Health Services, joined us to share the many aspects of KMHS and the variety of care they offer. Lisa Jones from Access to Baby and Child Dentistry, hosted by the United Way Kitsap, shared the importance of partnering organizations to educate parents, caregivers, and children on dental hygiene from an early age. The lasting effects on many areas of a person’s life were eye opening.
Lunch from Panera Bread Silverdale was sponsored by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, followed by a discussion of health care and social inequity facilitated by Sarah Chamberlin (LK20) with the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) Foundation.
Thank you, Desiree Houston of Selah Kay Photography, for taking professional headshots of our class participants in the atrium after lunch. Look for these highlighted with our Class of 2023 shouts out later this year on Leadership Kitsap social media.
Dedra Miller (LK15), Executive Director of Holly Ridge Center, shared the outstanding commitment they have to enable children and adults throughout Kitsap County with differing abilities to reach their fullest potential, creating a positive and lasting impact on the community.
Cristina Roark, Director of Community Innovation at Kitsap Strong, echoed that by sharing more on Kitsap Strong’s community initiative to improve the health and well-being of all children, families, and adults in Kitsap. Jay Christian, Assistant Chief Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue, gave an overview of Kitsap’s Fire and Emergency Management Services.
Chad Melton, President, St. Michael Medical Center rounded out our day sharing the new hospital’s increased community impact and expanded access to care. In their first year of operation in Silverdale, amid the pandemic, St. Michael Medical Center campus provided high-quality care to over 138K patients. The day concluded with a walking tour of the hospital, with an optional extension to tour the Healing Garden, a resource open to the public, by LKF Board member Sarah Chamberlin (LK20).
It was an impactful day of learning about Kitsap’s collaborative efforts to keep our community healthy and resilient!
Organizers: Sarah Chamberlin (LK20), Carl Borg (LK09), Jessica Guidry (LK12), Ashley Oaksmith (LK18)
Presenters: Lowell Sweet (LK04), Jessica Guidry (LK12), Dr. Gib Morrow, Monica Bernhard (LK15), Lisa Jones, Sarah Chamberlin (LK20), Desiree Houston, Cristina Roark, Jay Christian, Chad Melton, Alex Hardy (LK22), Jay Reynolds (LK22), Irene Carper (LK08), Angela Bennink, Councilman Ed Stern