News Briefs

Winthrop Play Day on Feb. 17

The Winter Play Day with Rockabye Beats will be held on Saturday, February. 17 from 10:00-12:00 pm at the Harbor City Church, Wadsworth Building Second floor, 214 Winthrop Street.

Project Play’s Winter Play Day series continues this weekend with a free music & movement program by Rockabye Beats, plus free speech therapy activities with Chatter & Chew! Doors open at 10:00 for free play time and music begins at 10:30. There is no cost to attend, but donations to Project Play are welcome, as are easter egg stuffers for Harbor City Church’s annual egg hunt. Thank you to our sponsor, Chatter & Chew Speech and Feeding Therapy, and to our host, Harbor City Church! Details on Facebook or projectplaywinthrop@gmail.com.

Early Voting Begins at End of the Month

Early Voting will be available at Winthrop Town Hall beginning on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The following is the schedule:

• Saturday, Feb. 24,  – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Monday, Feb. 26,  – 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, Feb. 27,  – 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

• Wednesday, Feb. 28,  – 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Thursday, Feb. 29,  – 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

• Friday, March 1,  – 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The last day to register to vote for Presidential Primary is  Saturday, Feb. 24,  from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Town Hall will be open for voter registration and/or drop off registration forms.

EBNHC Appoints Mimi Gardner as Vice President and Chief Equity Officer

 East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) announced the appointment of Mimi Gardner, MPH, MA as Vice President and Chief Equity Officer, bringing over 30 years of experience and leadership rooted in health equity to the health center’s team.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Mimi to our leadership team,” said EBNHC President and CEO, Greg Wilmot. “We know that what happens outside of the exam room is just as important as what happens inside the exam room when it comes to community health and wellness. Mimi’s appointment furthers our efforts to work closely with our community partners to eliminate health disparities.”

In her new role, Gardner will provide leadership, strategy, and guidance to EBNHC on continued equity efforts and will be responsible for engaging with community leaders and partners throughout the Commonwealth to develop and drive the prioritization of a health-informed community equity agenda.

“I am overjoyed to be joining a team that is committed to supporting underserved and marginalized populations with a collaborative and community-centric vision for growth,” said Gardner. “My career thus far has been defined by enacting change and I am excited to help serve EBNHC’s community in moving towards a more inclusive future.”

Prior to joining EBNHC, Gardner was the Chief Clinical Officer at Charles River Community Health Center, where she brought her equity experience to the forefront of clinical operations by working with diverse stakeholders to implement systematic change. As Chief Behavioral Health and Addiction Officer at HealthLinc Community Health Center, she developed programs to promote healthy living, address chronic illness and provide treatment for those struggling with addiction.

Gardner holds a Master’s of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, Crown Family School of Social Work. She completed her undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Chicago.