Dear Members of the Fairhaven Community,
My name is Heidi Hacking and I am excited to announce my candidacy for the Board of Health. I am a lifelong resident of Fairhaven with more than 30 years of experience as a registered nurse and currently work for Southcoast Hospitals Group as a Risk Manager.
I have been a member of numerous community groups and now is a good time to offer my knowledge and skills to the town in a different capacity.
My philosophy has always been to move forward and give back. As our town government is evolving to better serve our residents, I believe I can contribute.
As a registered nurse, I’ve practiced in a variety of settings including acute care, chronic care, quality and management. My healthcare background offers diversity to the board and can lend a fresh perspective. At Southcoast, in my current role, I work to identify risk and I have oversight in creating policy and assuring its implementation. I have certifications in many quality improvement methods, some of which use statistical analysis to help reduce variation and waste while promoting standardization.
In my roles as both a nurse and a healthcare administrator I have interacted with the general public, colleagues and patients with immediate critical needs and I am dedicated to treating all people with both courtesy and respect.
As a board member, I realize I will be serving the people of Fairhaven. While we may not always agree, we can be respectful in our disagreements. This is imperative, as without respect there is no prospect of achieving success.
My original motivation to join the Board of Health was to be of service to my community during a pandemic, but there is so much more I can offer. My critical thinking skills, leadership ability and common sense are valuable not only during this deeply stressful time, but as we move forward toward normalcy — or a new normal.
I’ve taken the time to delve deeper into the world of “public health” and all it encompasses. I’ve discovered it goes beyond sewer inspections and COVID. The foundation of Public Health is in maintaining current policies on domestic animals, sewer, sanitation, food service, nuisances and contagious disease.
In looking over the past year of minutes from the current BOH I can see that these topics are important as they have strong impact on people’s lives. The minutes of the meetings also identify areas for improvement and I believe the BOH can do more in protecting the public. COVID may be front and center now, but let’s talk about tick and mosquito borne diseases, mental health issues in the community, the opioid crisis and supporting our colleagues to assure clean drinking water. Most important, let’s talk about what concerns you and your families.
Finally, I am committed to collaboration. As Fairhaven moves forward, we need to learn to work better together, as a team. Each team player may have their assignment — be it offense, defense, or special teams — but they must work together to win the game. Similarly, the departments and boards of Fairhaven need to work collaboratively and not in silos. Working together we can help the community we serve thrive.
If elected to the BOH, I will help the community explore and implement ways to prepare for problems, protect against disease and provide education.
I look forward to earning your vote on Monday April 4, 2022.
If you would like to learn more about me or be in touch, please follow me on my campaign Facebook page: Heidi Hacking for Fairhaven Board of Health
Thank you
Heidi Hacking
BSN, MA, MS, CPHQ, Risk Manager , Candidate for the Fairhaven Board of Health
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