Bill Mantzoukas, co-founder of Lynn Community Health Center, was awarded the Joseph M. Smith Consumer Award by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers on June 5, 2015. This award is presented annually to an individual who exemplifies a high level of interest in, dedication to, and support of the delivery of primary health care services in the communities in which these services are provided.
Mantzoukas was the first Executive Director of Lynn Community Health Center when it was established in 1971 as a small storefront mental health clinic. He and co-founder Stephen D. Hayes, Psy.D., quickly ramped up services to include primary care, envisioning a model that integrated medical and behavioral health care decades before this became recognized as a best practice nationwide.
Mantzoukas served as Executive Director for three years, and then continued to serve Massachusetts’ community health centers by becoming the Executive Director of the Martha Eliot Health Center. After that his career shifted to focus on rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, but his heart stayed with Lynn Community Health Center and the Lynn Community. He rejoined the leadership of the health center in 1984, this time as a board member.
“Bill is truly the thread that stitches together the history of our organization,” said Lori Abrams Berry, Executive Director. “As Executive Director, Bill oversaw the expansion of the health center from a small storefront to a large house on Goldfish Pond in Lynn. Later, as a board member, he was a vital part of the leadership team that acquired a large building in downtown Lynn for a major expansion in 1993. And when the need for another major expansion arose again in 2010, he was once again a leader with a clear vision and a steady hand.”
“It is unbelievable what we have come since Steve Hayes and I started this in 1971. He was proud. I am proud,” said Mantzoukas upon receiving the award. “I can’t tell you how fortunate I am in life to have found something so compelling that it has lead me in my life’s work.”
Pictured above: Jim Hunt, Mass League CEO; Bill Mantzoukas, and Toni McGuire, Mass League Board President
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers produced a video honoring Bill and his work.
Bill Mantzoukas Joseph M. Smith Consumer Award from Lynn Community Health Center on Vimeo.
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