“To be truly alive is to work for the common good”
—Sister Corita Kent
Deborah Smith Walsh was an avid and early supporter of the Lynn Community Health Center. A Lynn native, Debbie joined the Health Center’s Board of Directors in 1977 and served for several terms, including as Board President. Upon leaving the LCHC Board, she continued to serve as needed on key committees, continuing to lend her knowledge and support. In 2004, after a long career in public service as a School Committee member and City Councilor in Lynn, Debbie joined the staff of the Health Center as our Community Liaison and continued working until just a few weeks before her death in March 2020.
Debbie loved her job and her coworkers—she was someone who got to know everyone in the building, from the CEO to the custodial staff. She lived the mission of the Health Center and was a skilled ambassador to the Lynn community. Known as a go-to person for getting things done, she was especially proud of her work to expand the school-based health centers in Lynn’s public schools and negotiating with the city to secure the land on which to build the new building. She was involved in almost every project that happened at LCHC during her time here. Whether it was Zumba in Central Square and a volleyball game at the Lynn Museum to celebrate National Health Center Week; the Women’s Breakfast; Employee Appreciation cookouts; walking club with coworkers; health fairs; or Baby’s First Christmas, just to name a few, Debbie was there, helping. She truly embraced and understood the “community” part of our name.
Another Health Center project that that was close to Debbie’s heart was the Recuperative Care Center. She worked for many years to see it evolve from an idea into a reality. Debbie dedicated her life in public service and public health to representing the people who need and find care at places like the Recuperative Care Center. In honor of Debbie’s memory and her dedication to this project, it is our privilege to name this program the Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Center.

November 2022

I have been working with pregnant women for 25 years. I work primarily with the Hispanic community. Most of these women come from Central America; especially to be more exact, they come from Guatemala. Telling the story of one of them does not seem fair to me, because they all have a story of suffering, poverty and resilience to tell the world.
First of all, in order for them to come to this country, they have to leave their children in the care of someone in their family in order to build a better future for them. Other women decide to flee their country due to domestic violence or sexual abuse at a very young age. Everyone has to find a way to get here, they have to borrow money to pay the person who brings them here; and many times they are sexually abused on the way here.
When they arrive, they have to get a job so they can pay off their debt, send money to their children, and stay here. Despite the language barrier and all the inconveniences they encounter, they get by because they are resilient. They cry for a while, they complain for a while, but then they dry their tears and go out to find support for their families.
A few years ago I met an extraordinary woman. She came here very young, got married, had her children and decided to earn a better future for them. Although she did not know how to read or write, she decided to get her driver’s license because for her it was essential, so she would take her children to school and could go to work. She told me that she went more than 10 times to take the exam on the computer and pay each time she took it. One day she came to the office with a big smile to tell me that she finally had her driver’s license. This woman did not mind being illiterate, she decided to go after her driver’s license until she got it. Like her, there are many resilient women who come to our health center.
As I said at the beginning, it’s not fair to tell a single story, when everyone has a story to tell. A story
of hard work, sacrifice and pain, but also a story of resilience and joy. LCHC is a place where we try to help all these women as best as possible. I feel very proud to be able to work in this institution. Every December we bring a little joy to these mothers and their children with my baby’s first Christmas. On behalf of all these mothers and their children, I thank you for all the help and happiness you bring to them.
Maria Merced, OB / CM, CLC, CHW
OB Team Case Manager
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