New board member at New Hope Community

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — New Hope Community, a nonprofit providing person-centered services and supports for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD), announced the appointment of Linda LaSheen to the New Hope Community board. 

As a New Hope Community parent and advocate—her son, James, resides at New Hope—LaSheen will join a strong board composed of other family members, as well as community leaders and business professionals.

LaSheen spent several years serving as PTA president and vice president for PS 37R on Staten Island, where James attended grade school. She also works as a paraprofessional for the New York City Department of Education. In each role, her goal has always been to provide the support and opportunities necessary to build “best lives” for young people with I/DD, she said.

“Their happiness fills me with joy,” LaSheen said. “I have devoted much of my life to advocating for and working with people with I/DD and their families, through my own experience raising my son, and my years as a PTA member serving the needs of children.”

Additionally, she is a support parent for Parent to Parent of New York State, a statewide nonprofit that supports and connects families of individuals with special health care needs.

“Linda’s passion for working with the I/DD community is amazing and I look forward to working with her as a new member of our board team,” said Debra McGinness, Chief Executive Officer at New Hope Community. 

LaSheen and her husband live on Staten Island, and they visit their son weekly at his home in Loch Sheldrake. James, his housemates and their staff always look forward to their arrival and the wonderful homemade meals they often bring for everyone to enjoy, a New Hope spokeswoman said.

LaSheen began her first two-year term with New Hope Community Board in March and will serve for six years.

Constantini new vice president at the Wright Center

SCRANTON, PA — The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education have named Scott J. Constantini as the associate vice president of primary care and recovery services integration.

In his new role, Constantini will advocate for a preferred future in primary health care and medical education for trauma-informed, community-based primary care, behavioral health and recovery services integration initiatives, while engaging in legislative advocacy and relationship building with regional, state and national stakeholders.  

Constantini will also handle trauma-informed training for all employees and advise the organization in its journey toward trauma competency. 

Constantini is a graduate of Penn State University with more than 25 years of experience in mental health, trauma, substance misuse and leadership management. He is a member of the Lackawanna County recovery coalition, Lackawanna County overdose review team and sits on the Recovery Bank steering committee. 

The Wright Center has more than 600 workers in northeast Pennsylvania and at its graduate medical education training partner sites across the nation. For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org.

New manager of development at Garnet Health Foundation–Catskills 

HARRIS, NY — Garnet Health has appointed Deanna Schultz as manager of development at Garnet Health Foundation–Catskills. Schultz will work closely with the Garnet Health Foundation in Middletown, to expand philanthropic support for the Harris and Callicoon campuses.

She joined Garnet Health Medical Center–Catskills as an executive assistant In December 2019. She was also a member of the support staff for the Garnet Health Foundation–Catskills board of trustees.

“I am so proud to be a part of a healthcare organization that continually provides the most compassionate care. I look forward to assisting the organization in growing and sustaining its philanthropic efforts,” said Schultz.

Garnet Health Foundation–Catskills works to raise funds for Garnet Health Medical Center–Catskills in areas such as underwriting the costs of equipment for lifesaving diagnoses, therapy, care and cures; supporting the delivery of healthcare to the needy, ill and infirm; supporting health screenings for health maintenance and disease prevention; and supporting community healthcare services.

Before joining Garnet Health, Schultz served as an executive project manager to the CEO and as a member of the support staff to the board of directors at the Center for Discovery.

Schultz is a resident of Sullivan County.