Introducing New Hampshire’s Healthcare Heroes

Concord, NH – We all know Healthcare Heroes. Every hour of the day and day of the year they are on the job helping ensure that everyone is healthy, safe and well-cared for. New Hampshire is proud to honor these individuals across a wide range of healthcare organizations who have gone above and beyond the call of duty these past several months to care for others.

Twelve Healthcare Heroes were selected as winners from across New Hampshire through a nominations process. This effort was run through the New Hampshire Sector Partnerships Initiative (SPI), which put out a call for nominations for individuals employed in a wide range of healthcare organizations who have gone above and beyond over the past several months to care for others.

“These individuals exemplify the care and commitment we see across our state as healthcare workers play such a critical role as caregivers during a pandemic that has significantly challenged us in many unprecedented ways. We know there are thousands of Healthcare Heroes across New Hampshire and wanted to showcase a few of these amazing individuals,” said Roxie Severance, healthcare sector advisor for SPI.

Below is a list of all winners and runners-up. More information can be found by clicking on linked employee pages.

Healthcare Hero Winners

Concord Region Winners

  • Brenda Christiansen-Leone, LNA, Bayada Hospice
  • Dr. Mitch Couret, DDS, Goffstown Smiles

Lakes Region Winners

Manchester/Nashua Region Winner

Monadnock Region Winners

  • Laurie Driscoll, LNA, Maplewood of Cheshire County
  • Eileen Glover, Professor & Program Director, River Valley Community College

North Country Region Winners

  • Melissa Hodge, RN and Clinical Manager, Ammonoosuc Community Health Services
  • Connie Croteau, RN, Infection Preventionist, Director of Quality, Staff Development, Coos County Nursing Home

Seacoast Region Winners

  • Janneth Black, RN, BSN, Senior Helpers of Southern New Hampshire
  • Mary Wilson, MNA, Colonial Poplin Nursing Facility

Healthcare Hero Runners Up

Concord Region Runners Up

  • Anne Purington, CEO/NHA, Presidential Oaks
  • Debra Naylor, Vice President, Havenwood Heritage Heights
  • Katherine Stevenson, RN, Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Lakes Region Runner Up

  • Ricky F. Nedeau, Maintenance Supervisor, Belknap County Nursing Home

Manchester/Nashua Runners Up

  • Xumei (Mei) Culliton, LNA, Home Health & Hospice Care
  • Ashley Conley, Director of Infection Prevention, Catholic Medical Center
  • Queen City Medical Associates Staff, Catholic Medical Center

Monadnock Region Runners Up

  • Michelle Asaff, Director of Life Enrichment, Jaffrey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
  • Trisha Jones, RN, Health and Wellness Navigator, Hillside Village Keene
  • Sheila Carrier, RN, Clinical Nurse Manager, Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities

North Country Region Runners Up

  • Gina Bedell, APRN, Weeks Medical Center
  • Dr. Bernd Weber, DDS, Mountain View Dental
  • Theresa Vassallo, LPN, Nurse Leader, The Morrison

Seacoast Region Runners Up

  • Bruce Bourbeau, Rehab Director, Derry Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare
  • Patti Roger, RN, Director of Nursing, Webster at Rye
  • Abbi Allen, Nurse Tech, Wentworth Douglas Hospital

SPI is a collaborative, industry-led program that provides funding, training expertise and other resources to help companies within a growing industry sector collaborate on workforce development needs together. The SPI healthcare sector team developed the NH Healthcare Heroes effort. The NH Health Care Association serves as the host for the healthcare sector.

The effort is sponsored in part by the BEA through a US Department of Labor grant, Northeast Delta Dental and a local t-shirt company, Beeze Tees. For more information on this effort and to get involved in the future, please contact Roxie Severance at roxie@rsconsulting.services. For more information on SPI, please visit nhsectorpartners.org.