News Briefs

Congrats on Retirement George Barker and Sean Donahue

Winthrop Youth Hockey wishes to offer Volunteer Learn to Skate Instructors George Barker and Sean Donahue heartfelt congratulations on their retirement.  After 40 years the duo is hanging up the skates.  Winthrop has earned its reputation as a town with a proud hockey heritage, and George and Sean have been instrumental fixtures  in the grass roots development of Viking hockey players over the last 40 years.  In the wake of the first Viking state championship since 1976, come celebrate the two men who have inspired generations of Viking hockey players at their final Learn to Skate session.  George and Seans’s final Learn to Skate will be this Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 9:40 AM at Larsen Rink. Winthrop Youth Hockey invites all Viking hockey alumni to come offer George and Sean congratulations on their 40-year contribution to Winthrop Youth Hockey. 

Winthrop Harbormaster and MEP offering newly required basic safety boating course

Town Manager Anthony Marino and Harbormaster Arthur Hickey recently shared that the Winthrop Harbormaster’s Marine Unit, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Environmental Police, will be offering Basic Boating Safety courses at the Town Landing.

The Massachusetts Legislature recently passed legislation requiring that anyone operating a motorized vessel in Massachusetts possess a Boater Safety Certificate by April 1, 2028. Those who were born after 1989 must obtain a certificate by April 1, 2026. 

 In response, the Winthrop Harbormaster will be offering Boating Safety Courses to anyone age 12 and up throughout 2025. The classes are being offered at no cost.

The courses are nationally approved. Course completion will allow anyone to operate a boat in states requiring Basic Boating Safety courses. 

All classes will be held at the Town Marina, 707 Shirley St. Classes are scheduled for May 3, May 10, May 17, May 24, May 31 and June 7, all from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, or to register to take one of the courses, visit the Winthrop Harbormaster’s website at: https://www.winthropma.gov/659/Boating-Safety-Course. 

MassDOT Aeronautics Reports Successful Drone Medical Delivery Demonstrations?? 

The?Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division has announced the successful completion of flights by three companies, which conducted drone medical delivery demonstrations transporting packages of up to 10 pounds. The tests were designed to explore and assess the future use of drones, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, (UAS) for small package delivery, especially for home-based healthcare and emergency medical response in the future.???  

The Medical Delivery Demonstrations occurred between August and October of 2024. Participants’ drones carried simulated payloads for at least one mile, one way, demonstrating the future potential to transport small packages.???  

“This medical delivery demonstration underscores the value of drones for many operational needs,”?said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Drones have already proven useful in operations, including MBTA track corridor inspections, MassDOT Highway bridge inspections, overhead project evaluations, and other needs. We continue to assess the use of drones for other purposes in the future.”  

”This demonstration project reflects our commitment to exploring the use of drones to meet critical needs, such as the timely, cost-effective delivery of supplies and devices for health care and emergency management, across the Commonwealth,”?said MassDOT Aeronautics Acting Administrator Denise Garcia.??  

MassDOT Aeronautics already uses drones to improve transportation safety, including for infrastructure inspection and incident response, supporting MassDOT, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).??  

NeighborHealth Earns National Recognition from HRSA for Quality Excellence

NeighborHealth, Massachusetts’ largest community-based primary care health system, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) with four distinguished quality badges for 2024. These awards, distributed in late 2024, highlight NeighborHealth’s commitment to delivering exceptional patient care and advancing health outcomes in our community.

The quality badges awarded to NeighborHealth include three different Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges in addition to Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition.

National Quality Leader – Cancer Screening (Gold)

This coveted gold badge places NeighborHealth among an elite 1% of health centers nationwide recognized for excellence in cancer screening – underscoring the tireless efforts of NeighborHealth’s clinical teams in early detection and preventive care. NeighborHealth’s ability to foster close partnerships between providers, clinical and operations leaders allows them to seamlessly maintain quality teams to support preventative cancer screening.

Health Center Quality Leader (Silver)

NeighborHealth received silver status as a leader in overall quality performance, demonstrating its dedication to providing high-standard, equitable healthcare services. This badge is only awarded to the top performing health centers nationwide. NeighborHealth has demonstrated commitment to holistic health care, with compassion, curiosity and empathy to receive this accolade.

Advancing Health
Information Technology for Quality

This recognition reflects NeighborHealth’s commitment to leveraging innovative health information technology to enhance patient outcomes and streamline care delivery. NeighborHealth was awarded this badge for meeting all criteria to optimize Health Information Technology services that advance telehealth, patient engagement, interoperability, and collection of social risk factors to increase access to care and advance quality of care.

Patient-Centered Medical Home

An honor, recognizing NeighborHealth’s implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home model, emphasizing patient-focused, comprehensive and coordinated care.