Home care awards go to Lakes Region's White & Millham

CONCORD — The Home Care Association of New Hampshire (HCANH) presented its 2011 Home Care Service Awards to three recipients this year: John Callahan, chairman of the board for Home Health & Hospice Care in Merrimack; Lee White, Chairman of the Board for Central New Hampshire Home Health & Hospice, with offices in Laconia and Wolfeboro; and Susan Young, the association’s executive director, who is retiring in August. State

Representative Alida Millham of Gilford was also honored with the 2011 Home Care Public Policy Award.

White, chair of the board of the Central New Hampshire Home Health & Hospice, has shown tremendous leadership and vision for both VNA-Hospice of Southern Carroll County & Vicinity (VNA-Hospice) in Wolfeboro and Community Health & Hospice in Laconia. A retired physician, he served on the VNA-Hospice Board as president for four years, during which time he led both agencies in their exploration of a formal partnership.

“Lee’s credibility as a member of his community, his experience in medicine and healthcare administration, and his unique ability to honor the past while looking to the future made him the ideal candidate to explore the merger and ultimately lead the merger when both agencies agreed to take the courageous step to become one entity,” said Margaret Franckhauser, CEO of Central NH VNA & Hospice, the entity that resulted from the merger. “We are deeply honored that Lee chose to stay on in a leadership role, understanding that this role would require an even deeper commitment of his time. Every board should be so lucky to have such a dedicated and energetic board member.”

Millham is one of the founders of the Home Care Association of New Hampshire, established in 1974, when she was involved in home health care in the Lakes Region. She was also the co-founder of the predecessor agency that became Community Health & Hospice and is now Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice. She served as executive director of Community Health & Hospice for 17 years before retiring in 1998. Among her many accomplishments, she is a past board president of the Home Care Association, was the first recipient of the Home Care Service Award in 1976, is a trustee of the Lakes Region General Hospital, and is currently a State Representative from Gilford.

As a legislator, Millham has focused on issues related to long-term care, public health, professional practice acts, and medical record information privacy and exchange.

“Alida is a consistent, thoughtful policymaker,” states Susan Young, executive director of the Home Care Association of NH. “She has the respect of both parties and state officials, and provides leadership on all sorts of health care issues. She is a true champion of home health care.”

CAPTION: (l-r) Dr. Karen Baranowski, president and CEO of Home Health & Hospice Care; John Callahan, chairman of the board for Home Health & Hospice Care in Merrimack; Susan Young, executive director of the Home Care Association of NH; Margaret Franckhauser, CEO of Central NH VNA & Hospice; and Lee White, Chairman of the Board for Central New Hampshire Home Health & Hospice at the Home Care Association of NH Annual Board Meeting. (Courtesy photo)