After serving as executive director at White Mountain Community Health Center for eight years, Kenneth “JR” Porter has announced his retirement at the end of July due to health challenges. Director of Operations Julie Hill, BSN RN will serve as interim executive director.
"My time at White Mountain Community Health Center has been a gift to me in many ways," JR said. "After my retirement from the Navy I was looking for another chance to serve my country and community. I found a home here at the Health Center. Our team and board of directors have embraced and built on our mission over the years. This has led to a highly effective operation that has served over 72,000 visits in my time alone.”
Under JR’s leadership, the Health Center became a Federally-Qualified Health Center Look-Alike (FQHC-LAL) in 2018 and has maintained that status ever since. FQHC-LALs provide comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services consistent with Health Center Program requirements. Through this program, the Health Center has received increased federal reimbursement since 2018, allowing the organization to expand its services and meet more of the community’s needs.
JR guided White Mountain Community Health Center through the COVID-19 pandemic and most recently oversaw the implementation of a new electronic medical record system. During JR’s tenure, the organization was able to leverage its limited funding to advance its technology to a more modern platform and better serve its patients. Over the last few years, the Health Center has updated its Ethernet wiring, modernized its phone system, and upgraded to a new electronic medical record system.
“By utilizing up-to-date technology, we have been able to establish a system that will allow for future growth,” JR explained. “I am more than proud of our team here. Despite challenges and low funding compared to full FQHCs, our center has grown and advanced while maintaining a very narrow margin. The team has become family to me but it’s time to move on and watch the Health Center grow from the sidelines. It has been an honor to serve this community for the past eight years.”
Board President Caitlin Behr, RN, said, “It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that I acknowledge Executive Director Kenneth “JR” Porter has made the decision to retire from his position. His years of dedication have made a lasting impact in the stability and future growth of this organization.”
Julie has served as director of operations for ten years. During this time, she has led significant advances in patient care, including the adoption of annual substance use disorder and depression screening for all patients, the improved integration of behavioral health services into primary care, and the creation of the care coordination program to more comprehensively address the social drivers of health (SDOH) that underlie medical issues for many patients.
Caitlin said, “Julie has a long tenure at the Health Center and has been an integral part of the leadership team as director of operations. With Julie acting as interim executive director, health center operations will continue uninterrupted during this transition. The board wishes to assure you that our commitment remains unchanged and guided by our mission, vision, and values.”
The Board of Directors has established a Transition Task Force that has already begun the work of searching for the next executive director. A job posting will soon be available on the Health Center’s website at WhiteMountainHealth.org/careers. For more information, those interested may reach out to Director of Communications and Development Siena Kaplan-Thompson at skaplan@whitemountainhealth.org.
JR’s last day as executive director will be this Friday, July 25. There will be a casual farewell gathering at Tuckerman’s Brewery in Conway that evening from 4 to 6 pm to see him off.