CHCS honors staff for service

BANGOR – Barry Smith, a 30-year employee of Community Health and Counseling Services, was among 85 staff members honored at the agency’s 119th annual meeting recently.

Those employees have a combined 695 years of service to the nonprofit agency, which provides home health and mental health services to the residents of northern, eastern and central Maine.

Smith, who joined the agency in 1972 as a general painter, has served as the agency’s facilities operations manager since 1995. In his present capacity, Smith oversees the maintenance of 19 office buildings, three bridge homes, 10 group homes, two assessment centers, two crisis residential homes, an academy, a redemption center and warehouse, as well as several apartments.

In addition, he manages security at CHCS.

Others from Penobscot County honored by CHCS were 25-year employees Karen Hamilton and Debra Gray of finance; 20-year honoree Jean Lyons of adult mental health services; and 15-year staff members Sonja Cunningham of health services, Carol Curry of support services and Eileen Moore of adult mental health services.

Those recognized for 10 years of service were Brian Adams, James Carlisle, S. Craig MacDonald, Lisa Melendez, Leslie Smith and William Wiggin of children’s services; Juanita Beane, Belinda Pomeroy and Sheila Worsaa of adult mental health services; Paul Farr of human resources; and Cathleen Goebel, Lisa Ladd, Linda Sargent of health services.

Five-year employees recognized at the annual meeting were David Blackwell, Deborah Dodge, Nancy Elliott, Samantha Greenlaw, Suzanne Hall, John Hennessy, Kristen Robinson, Frank Spinney, Lisa Stevens, Kirk Taylor, Irene von Hoffman and Max Werner of children’s services; Ann Wiersma of resource development; Douglas Crate III, Leanne Davis, Lisa Dorr, John Eaton, Michael Gould, John Hillman-Waters, Katherine Monahan, Elizabeth Newland, Wilda Philbrick, Patti Porter, Fred Risser, Wendy Shreves-Kimball, Hermione Sweet and Raymond Townsend II of adult mental health services; Dr. Henry Atkins of health services; Larry Cyr of facilities operations; Rhonda Edgecomb of health information management; and Lisa Pelkey and Cynthia Penney, both of finance.

Staff members received recognition certificates from Joseph Pickering Jr., executive director; and Timothy Woodcock, outgoing president of the CHCS board of directors.

The featured speaker for the event was Pam Page, Washington County regional manager for CHCS health services. She recalled her 2001 trip to Great Britain where she attended the Hospice and Palliative Care Study Seminar and met Dame Cicely Saunders, regarded as the founder of the hospice movement.