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2 Community Health Center, Inc. A native of rural Pennsylvania, graduate of Columbia and fresh off his family practice residency at Middlesex Hospital, Dr. Carl Lecce was one of CEO Mark Masselli's first full-time physician recruits to Community Health Center, joining the Mid- dletown office in 1978. He found the work satisfying – and never le. e CHC of the late 70's was a modest operation. Dr. Lecce de- scribes one small building, one hallway, three exam rooms. "We each had our own room: the doctor, the dentist, the social worker," he re- calls somewhat wistfully. "We had integrated care back then – but we didn't know it." What became a hallmark of CHC's model of care, the integration of medical, dental and behavioral health services, was launched in its early days. As Dr. Lecce notes, "in 1978 we talked about common patients and coordinated their care. We do that now in our pod structure." Lecce has observed the transition from paper records to elec- tronic health records – noting paper may have had advantages, but electronic records provide better data resulting in improved patient care. Patient files "are now more legible, complete, and can be easily shared between disciplines." He notes CHC's "Weitzman Institute can do data extraction regarding care of our population" of primary care patients. Electronic specialty consultations – "eConsults" – are a CHC in- novation Lecce heartily endorses. "I can leave the room and get an eConsult from UConn for my patient" with results returned in 1-2 days. eConsults have significantly improved access to specialty care for CHC patients, who oen had to wait months if they could get an appointment at all with specialties such as cardiology, endocrinol- ogy and dermatology. What hasn't changed for Dr. Lecce is his commitment to his practice. "I come to work every day to take care of my patients," he says. Joining CHC, intended as something he would do "for a little while," became a life's work caring for generations of Middletown patients. n CHC's Early Days: Dr. Carl Lecce I t is my good fortune to serve as chairman of the board of directors for Community Health Center, Inc. Support- ing the health of underserved populations has never been more important. I applaud my fellow board members for believing in and promoting CHC's vision for transforming the delivery of primary care, ensuring that it is not only accessible but of the highest quality. As a resident of Bloomfield and financial analyst, it's been heartening to watch CHC grow and expand, most re- cently into Hartford, sharing our innovations with others in the state and around the nation. I'm grateful for the introduction to CHC by Wesleyan University, my alma mater, which gave me and so many other CHC champions the critical thinking skills and practical idealism that led us to embrace and support its work. We stand proudly on the shoulders of members of ear- lier boards of directors, great activists such as Gerry Weitz- man and Reba Moses, who understood the revolutionary nature of their support for a free health clinic that would provide healthcare as a right not a privilege. Gary Reid Chairman, Board of Directors Community Health Center, Inc. LETTER FROM THE BOARD 1970s Today