Eastman Dental Center’s Holly Barone, senior operations administrator for Community Dentistry & Oral Disease Prevention, has earned a Rochester Business Journal Health Care Achievement Award in the Management category.
This prestigious award recognizes excellence, promotes innovation and honors the efforts of individuals and organizations that are making a significant impact on the quality of health care in Rochester.
“Holly’s management and leadership of our outreach programs have been integral in providing access and oral health care to thousands of indigent, homeless, medically-compromised and geographically isolated patients in the Greater Rochester community,” said Dr. Cyril Meyerowitz, director of Eastman Dental Center. “When she started her career, the outreach program consisted of two SMILEmobiles and eight employees. Thanks to her efforts, today we have six sites with more than 50 employees providing nearly 30,000 patient visits a year to the neediest in our community.”
Donna Hill, R.N. Ph.D., Rochester City School District Coordinator for School Health Services, said that under Barone’s management, the SMILEmobile program has thrived.
“Ms. Barone has organized the infrastructure for the program, been instrumental in seeking and receiving funding and has been involved in policy development and guidelines for her staff,” Hill said. “In her quiet and respectful way, she has opened doors for preventative and curative dental care in our District.”
Barone is also credited with being a lead player in establishing a first-of-its-kind project to reduce dental access disparities by developing meaningful partnerships with community groups. In addition, she was able to get several EDC outreach sites designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, making faculty eligible for loan forgiveness, which in turn greatly improves provider recruitment and retention, and thereby providing better service to underserved areas.
“She has exposed residents in Eastman Dental Center’s advanced and specialty training programs to the acute needs of so many underserved children,” said Dr. Ronald Billings, a professor in the Department of Dentistry and former EDC director. “Many of these residents have been inspired to work in the outreach facilities and others have returned to volunteer their services after completing their training.”
EDC’s Director of Finance & Administration, John Borrelli, said that Barone’s extensive experience in clinical operations and understanding of the complexities involved in providing care in outreach facilities has been invaluable. “She also has demonstrated the importance of fiscal viability and continually strives to improve the margin of the Community Dentistry and Oral Disease Prevention Division during these difficult economic times by introducing innovative processes to reduce costs and enhance revenue,” he added.
“Holly has been dynamic, articulate and persistent in advocating for underserved populations,” added Lenora Colaruotolo, a social worker for the University of Rochester Medical Center. “She is respected for her contributions, recognized for proficiency and admired for her energy and enthusiasm, and models professional excellence in her competence, integrity and service.”
Barone will be featured in the Health Care supplement of the March 13 issue of Rochester Business Journal, and will be honored at a luncheon March 19.
February 24, 2009 at 12:28 pm |
Well deserved award, outreach programs are a good way to provide health care to those who are geographically isolated. Very kind and selfless people indeed.
Inviting you to watch The YES movie at http://www.TheYESmovie.comgreat documentary about the nation’s successful entrepreneurs by Louis Lautman.
March 17, 2009 at 4:38 pm |
Holly~
Congratulations on being given the RBJ Achievement Award. Your skills, sense of professionalism, and caring about the underserved are enough to earn you the award. Add to that, your ability to work with the various groups involved with Eastman Dental Center (EDC), your wonderful sense of humor, and your willingness to take on an increasing work load, only add to the reason that you are respected by your colleagues at EDC and by those in local and national government agencies and programs that strive to support the poor and underserved.
You exemplify George Eastman’s ideals when he foresaw a vision of healthy smiles for every child in Rochester and its vicinity, regardless of economic circumstances.
Since then, the Dispensary became known as the Eastman Dental Center (EDC) and merged with the University of Rochester Medical Center. EDC has flourished under the capable hands of leaders such as Drs. Harvey Burkhart and Basil G. Bibby and later by professionals including Drs. Dennis H. Leverett and Ronald J. Billings.
Holly, your name should be among the people who have helped EDC grow into today’s organization, which continues to care for the underserved.
Congratulations! You richly deserve this honor!
Constance Truesdale
May 6, 2009 at 3:08 pm |
Congratulations, Holly, on a well, and I mean WELL deserved award. EDC and the UR are so fortunate to have you on their team. Sue Gibbs
May 6, 2009 at 4:26 pm |
You go Girl! It’s been a priviledge working with you! Congratulations.