Framingham Board Of Health Set To Add 3 New Members

Framingham MA

24 February, 2022

8:19 AM

Description

FRAMINGHAM, MA — After several years with just three members, Framingham's Board of Health recently added two new seats. Mayor Charlie Sisitsky has this week nominated locals to fill the new slots. The change took an act of the state Legislature. The health board had five members when Framingham was a town. But when Framingham transitioned to a city in 2018, the City Charter created a three-member health board. A state law, H.4084, sponsored by state Reps. Maria Robinson and Jack Lewis resized the board to five members. The state House and Senate approved the change in December. On Wednesday, Sisitsky said he had nominated Karen Beauregard of District 6, Jeri Bryant of District 7 and Darlene Connors of District 3 as the new members. The City Council will have to approve those nominees, which will likely happen at the March 1 meeting. In recent months, the health board has been down to two members: Chair Dr. David Moore and member Alexandra Rubin, whose term expires in June. Here's more about each nominee, according to Sisitsky's office: Karen Beauregard: A resident of Framingham since 2016, Beauregard is a licensed mental health counselor, alcohol and drug counselor, and psychotherapist in private practice. Previously, she served as a mental health clinician at MCI-Framingham and SMOC's Serenity House, focusing on substance abuse and other social issues. Before obtaining her master's degree in counseling psychology, Beauregard had a two-decade career in finance. Jeri Bryant: As an employee of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care since 1997, Bryant has extensive experience in clinical care, health education, program development and health policy development. With a current focus as asthma educator for Harvard Pilgrim's Department of Care Management, Bryant, a registered nurse, also holds a bachelor's degree in health science and a master's degree in health science. Prior to joining Harvard Pilgrim, she provided home health nursing care following a career at Boston Children's Hospital. Darlene Connors: A 29-year resident of Framingham, Connors has been a registered nurse for 44 years, spending most of her career as an operating room charge nurse at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) and leading BCH initiatives focusing on partnerships, training, and practices and policies. Most recently, Connors owned Summit Fitness in south Framingham, offering training on topics ranging from youth football fitness to Parkinson's Disease. Connors has a bachelors degree in nursing and a master's degree in exercise science and health promotion. Her volunteer work includes serving as past medical director at Special Olympics of Massachusetts.