Chappaqua's Sue Greene Fuirst Named Open Door Foundation Chair

The Open Door Foundation, a non-profit organization established to raise funds for the Open Door Family Medical Centers, has announced its new slate of Directors for 2018, including the appointment of Sue Greene Fuirst as Chair. Fuirst, who has served as Vice Chair of the Foundation for the past four years, takes the helm at a crucial juncture for community health center funding nationwide. Open Door serves more than 55,000 low-income patients each year throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties. The organization provides more than 300,000 patient visits at 15 locations, including six community health centers, seven school-based health centers and two mobile dental vans. Federal funding for community health centers remains uncertain, despite a two-year extension recently passed by Congress, making the work of the Open Door Foundation more vital than ever before.

Sue Greene Fuirst commented, “Healthcare is a fundamental right for all. Open Door provides access for people who might not otherwise be able to afford medical care and it’s gratifying to know that our patients have these critical services without fear of being turned away. Open Door is the face of community health care in Westchester and Putnam.” Lindsay Farrell, President & CEO of the Open Door Family Medical Centers, added,

“Philanthropic support for community health centers plays a crucial role in extending services that cannot be provided with Federal or State funding alone. We’re grateful for Sue’s leadership at the Open Door Foundation and excited for opportunities to expand our services in the years to come.”

Sue Greene Fuirst began her affiliation with Open Door Family Medical Centers more than 10 years ago as a volunteer in the organization’s Reach Out and Read program and has steadily expanded her involvement, joining the Open Door Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2011. A native of Westchester, Sue’s professional career has included roles with Paragon/Time Warner Cable, Music Choice, and her own company, Basics Fuirst, which includes a line of spice blends sold locally in Westchester. Her philanthropic work has included the Spiral Giving Youth Philanthropy Program, for which she is Founder and Executive Director, Impact 100 Westchester, and the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program. A graduate of Clark University, Sue and her husband Ken Fuirst are residents of Chappaqua, New York.

In addition to Fuirst, Open Door Foundation Board members for 2018 include: Jamie Jensen, a Rye resident and former senior program officer with the Rockefeller Foundation, now serving as a consultant to leading non-profits; Phyllis Neider, a Briarcliff resident and artist, who has served on the boards of the UJA United Jewish Federation and Pleasantville Cottage School; Jan Nolte, a New Rochelle resident, who is founder and president of The Influential Voice, an executive coaching and leadership development company; Laura Picone, a Harrison resident and Vice President at TD Bank N.A. in White Plains; and Steve Troup, a resident of Mt. Kisco and a Partner in the law firm of Tarter, Krinsky & Drogin, LLP. Laura Mogil, a Briarcliff Manor resident and former Open Door Foundation Chair, transitions to Vice Chair. Laura is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, Westchester Magazine, Westchester Home, Hudson Valley Magazine, WAG Magazine, and The Journal News. Those continuing to serve on the Board include Barbara Gilbert of Briarcliff Manor, a health advocate who has held roles with Planned Parenthood and The Westchester Medical Center; Carter Sackman of Sleepy Hollow, President of Sackman Enterprises, a leading real estate development and management company; Kate Sanzenbacher of Briarcliff Manor, who has been dedicated to the Westchester community for many years including volunteer roles with The Cottage School and as a board member of the Junior League of Westchester-on-Hudson; and Howard Schrader of Scarborough, a former Open Door Foundation Chair, who is Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Chubb Overseas General, at Chubb Ltd.

2018 promises to be a landmark year for Open Door Family Medical Centers, which moved its Sleepy Hollow location to a new state-of-the art facility at 300 N. Broadway. With recent changes in the national health care landscape, Open Door’s role as a highly accessible, accredited Patient Centered Medical Home is crucial in the communities it serves. The new Sleepy Hollow health center provides expanded facilities for the Open Door Phelps Family Medicine Residency Program and the launch of the General Practice Dental Residency Program that Open Door provides in partnership with New York Medical College and Phelps Hospital/ Northwell Health.

About Open Door Family Medical Centers and Foundation

The Open Door Foundation was established in 1990 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to raise funds that benefit Open Door Family Medical Centers and community health initiatives. Open Door Family Medical Centers provides healthcare and wellness services to individuals and families in need throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties in New York. A pioneer Federally Qualified Health Center, Open Door provides more than 300,000 patient visits annually, serving more than 55,000 individual patients who might not otherwise have access. Open Door offers integrated services and a holistic approach to building healthier communities. Primary care, dental care, behavioral health care, clinical nutrition, wellness programs and chronic disease management are the foundation of our clinical programs. For more than 45 years, Open Door has developed a proven model of cost-effective healthcare for patients in need that benefits the entire community. Open Door operates centers in Brewster, Mamaroneck, Mt. Kisco, Ossining, Port Chester, and Sleepy Hollow, New York, in addition to seven school-based health centers. Open Door is accredited by the Joint Commission and is recognized by the National Committee on Quality Assurance as a Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home. It achieves clinical results that consistently surpass national benchmarks for patient outcomes related to diabetes management and to blood pressure control among others. Learn more by calling Amy Wolfson, Chief External Relations Officer (914) 502-1416 or online at www.opendoormedical.org.