Meet Our Veterans Health Team

Geren Stone, MD, the clinic’s medical director, has worked at the NECHV clinic since he joined BHCHP in 2013. He loves the team’s cohesiveness along with the strong partnership with NECHV, focused on bringing the highest quality of care to our Veteran patients.

Dr. Stone recalls a patient in the throes of addiction, who came to the clinic in 2016 and told him, “I don’t want to stick a needle in my arm tonight.” Today, Dr. Stone says, “he’s stable in recovery and comes to see us every two weeks.” Over the years, Dr. Stone has accompanied his patients through many challenges and profound loss and trauma, along with celebratory milestones such as housing, graduations, births, and new jobs.

Julianne Lavelle, FNP-C, is the team’s primary care nurse practitioner, joining BHCHP nearly 13 years ago. Julianne shares, “It’s a humbling honor to work with our patients—their incredible resiliency and ability to find light even in the most difficult situations is truly inspiring. It’s also so special to work with a team of coworkers who are creative, thoughtful, and always willing to go the extra mile for our patients.”

She feels that working with her Veteran patients is an ongoing learning experience and feels fortunate to be a steady presence in their lives. “If you get the chance to meet any of our patients, take a moment and ask them their story!”

Julia Williams, the patient benefits coordinator, works at the front desk. She’s the friendly face welcoming our patients to the clinic, assisting with whatever issues arise— scheduling external appointments, contacting pharmacies, and coordinating transportation.

Julia values the relationships she builds with patients. Many come by for a cup of coffee or for a quiet place to hang out in the building. Julia spends a lot of time chatting with them, sometimes about their healthcare, sometimes about their lives. Julia shares, “I think it’s easy to see how important our presence is in our patients’ lives, but we don’t always talk about the reverse. In sharing their stories, our patients teach me things and show me generosity I can only hope to return.”

Kristin Hirth, RN, is the nurse clinic site director, caring for patients and supporting clinic operations and management. Kristin is also grateful for the deep relationships she has formed with her dedicated and caring team and with her patients. “Walking alongside our patients is humbling. I am so honored.”

Kristin shares the story of one patient who hadn’t seen a medical provider in 10+ years. His health was declining so she referred him to the VA hospital, where he learned that he had stage IV throat cancer and only a few months to live. Kristin visited him at the hospital and, like a good nurse, tried to convince him to stay there and receive pain management and chemotherapy. He declined. He was clear he wanted to go home—to the NECHV where he had lived for 20+ years—near friends and our clinic. He passed away a couple months after returning home. Kristin says she learned a big lesson from him, “to always listen intently, provide respect, and advocate for patients during their journey.”

Lauren Fedak, PMHNP, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner. “The operations of our clinic reflect the discipline, excellence, attention to detail, and reliability of military operations. Staff at our clinic are kind, welcoming, and competent. When patients come to clinic, they are known by our whole team.”

About four years ago, Lauren met with a new patient who was accompanied by their case manager. The patient was intoxicated and extremely anxious. For the next few years, they were in and out of detox, but, Lauren says, “they kept showing up for appointments,” often intoxicated. Through hard work and many bumps along the way, the patient has been in recovery nearly two years, is working full time, and lives independently. They are now working on their wellness goals, including weight management and reducing daily medications.

Jenn Hollands, RN, works as a nurse in the NECHV clinic. One of her favorite parts of her job are her weekly home visits to the 60+ permanently housed Veterans in the center’s single room occupancy (SRO) units. Accompanied by James Noonan PA-C, a physician assistant (pictured on front cover), and Patrick, a NECHV SRO case manager, Jenn does outreach to build relationships and ensure the wellbeing of the Veteran population. It warms her heart when Veterans living in the SRO units reach out to her, asking her to check on their neighbors who may be acting differently, appear ill, or have not been seen recently.

Jenn explains that the well-organized and synergistic relationship between the BHCHP clinic team and the NECHV, combined with the camaraderie of the Veterans, enhances her job and the potential for positive outcomes.

Monni Ryan, RN, who shared the initial story about Mike, is energized by the warm, fun, compassionate team at NECHV, and getting to know and care for Veterans. She regularly provides medication-assisted treatment for those struggling with addiction. Monni is moved by her patients’ stories of trauma, struggle, heartache, and loss along with their hopes and dreams of survival and being able to live a safe and dignified life.

Monni adds to Mike’s story: “Mike is now housed with assistance from NECHV, in recovery, and couldn’t be more thankful for the support and understanding from the teams he learned to trust and lean on, despite having built up so many walls over the years. What Mike may not realize is how thankful I am to know him and how much I have learned and grown from having a part in managing his care.”