Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC (Sept. 3, 2014) — Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University has named Daniel J. Driscoll, CEO of Harbor Health Services, Inc., as the 2014 Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor.
The Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor Program honors individuals whose lifetime careers in community health, and achievements on behalf of health centers and medically underserved communities, serve as an inspiration in public health policy and practice. Drawn from across the country, Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitors represent the nation’s most talented health center leaders.
Driscoll currently serves as the founding president and CEO of Harbor Health Services, Inc., which is based in Dorchester, Mass. He holds a degree in political science and economics, with honors, from Tufts University, and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Cornell University where he was awarded a Comprehensive Health Planning Traineeship.
In 1977, Driscoll was appointed as administrator of the Neponset Health Center, an established community health center (CHC) providing services to people in Boston and the surrounding area. In 1985 he also assumed responsibility for the Columbia Point Health Center, the nation’s first health center, a merger that ultimately led to the creation of Harbor Health Services, Inc.
Today, Harbor Health Services stands as one of Massachusetts’ largest community health agencies. With a staff of 530 and a budget surpassing $60 million, Harbor Health serves more than 27,000 registered patients, from Boston to Cape Cod. Harbor Health’s patients reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the Massachusetts population.
In addition to administering five health centers in Boston, Plymouth and Cape Cod, Harbor Health has sponsored three additional Boston health centers into the federal CHC grant program allowing them to become grant recipients. All three are now independently funded.
Harbor Health’s size is matched by its scope and high quality. Its community health centers are certified as Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Homes. In addition to comprehensive primary health care, Harbor Health also operates a PACE program for frail elders at risk for nursing home placement, and a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a program serving multiple communities.
Beyond his leadership of Harbor Health, Driscoll chairs the Government Affairs Committee of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, the nation’s first primary care association. He also serves as vice chair of the Legislative Committee of the National Association of Community Health Centers. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health and the Massachusetts Association for Community Health.
Driscoll is the recipient of many awards and honors including the National Association of Community Health Center’s John Gilbert Award for meritorious service in community health; the Massachusetts League of Community Health Center’s Kathleen Crampton Award for outstanding contributions to community health; the President’s Award from the New England Community Health Center Association and the Outstanding Director’s Award from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy is a special initiative of Milken Institute SPH, which was established to honor Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health practice and tireless advocates for civil and human rights. The Geiger Gibson Program has worked since 2004 to help eliminate medical underservice and disparities in population health through education, training and research projects.
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About Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University:Established in July 1997 as the School of Public Health and Health Services, Milken Institute School of Public Health is the only school of public health in the nation’s capital. Today, nearly 1,400 students from almost every U.S. state and more than 43 countries pursue undergraduate, graduate and doctoral-level degrees in public health. The school also offers an online Master of Public Health, MPH@GW, and an online Executive Master of Health Administration, MHA@GW, which allow students to pursue their degree from anywhere in the world.
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