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In honor of Doherty’s
unwavering commitment and dedication, the
Norwell Chamber of Commerce has tapped her
as the association’s 2007 “Citizen of the
Year.”
In responding to notification
of the honor, Doherty said, “The Norwell
community has always shown tremendous
support for the Norwell Visiting Nurse
Association. They have helped us grow to
what we are today.”
Doherty originally served as
an Associate Member of the Norwell VNA’s
Board of Directors from 1980 until she was
appointed as the organization’s Executive
Director since 1986. Since taking the helm
as the Norwell VNA’s Executive Director,
Doherty has led the organization’s growth
from six staff members to more than 150
employees currently servicing 21 South Shore
communities.
“Meg has touched the lives of
so many Norwell residents,” said Reiko
Beach, Vice President of the Norwell Chamber
of Commerce. “The unmatched level of care
the Norwell VNA provides our residents
combined with the organization’s ongoing
community involvement under Meg’s leadership
truly makes her one of Norwell’s most
influential citizens.”
The Norwell VNA’s community
involvement has become a fixture on
Norwell’s agenda. In addition to the Norwell
VNA’s numerous monthly support groups and
wellness clinics, the organization also
provides the annual Babysitting Program,
participates in the Lights on the Common
with the Norwell Men’s Club and the Friends
of the Norwell VNA.
In Spring 2006, Doherty and
the Norwell VNA, in conjunction with the
Norwell Fire and Police Department,
developed an Emergency Preparedness plan
making Norwell one of the first towns in the
state to create an emergency preparedness
plan that encompasses an entire community.
“We have made many life long
friends in Norwell and have such fond
memories of Christmas’ on the Common,
Memorial Day celebrations, Town Fairs and
Boy Scout road trips. I believe the true
meaning of community can be found right here
in our town,” said Doherty. “The events that
have left the deepest impact on me, however,
are the everyday responses I see from my
Norwell neighbors when there is a medical
need. I am proud that my involvement in the
Norwell VNA has helped so many residents
receive the care they need to stay within
their Norwell homes.”
In addition to her leadership
duties at the Norwell VNA, Doherty is a
Registered Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner
at Harbor Medical Associates. She has been
a visiting scholar at Boston College’s
William Connell School of Nursing since 2002
and is a member of BC’s continuing education
faculty.
Doherty is Immediate Past
President of the Visiting Nurse Association
of New England’s Board of Directors as well
as the Chair of the Quality Standards
Committee. She is also is a member of the
Visiting Nurse Association of America’s
Emergency Management Policy and Procedure
Committee, the Home and Health Alliance of
Massachusetts, and of Sigma Theta Tau, the
National Honor Society for Nursing. She is
former chair and member of the Massachusetts
Board of Registration in Nursing.
“I feel very fortunate to do
what I do and to love what I do,” said
Doherty. “I love nursing. Its very nature is
dynamic and constantly changing, which gives
me the opportunity to learn something new
every day.”
Doherty’s degrees include a
B.A. in Psychology from the University of
Massachusetts, an M.S. in Nursing from the
Boston University School of Graduate
Nursing, and an M.B.A. from Anna Maria
College.
She is a graduate of the
Boston City Hospital School of Nursing and
holds a Post Graduate Certificate in
Advanced Practice Nursing from the Institute
of Health Professions at Massachusetts
General Hospital. She is a text author and
has published in several nursing journals.
In her spare time she enjoys reading,
traveling and spending time with her husband
Daniel and children Meaghan and Griffin.
The Norwell Visiting Nurse Association,
located in Norwell and serving the South
Shore, provides nursing, physical therapy,
occupational therapy, speech therapy,
nutritional counseling, home health
aides/homemakers and a variety of support
services and programs to patients of all
ages and for all needs. The Norwell VNA has
been serving the community since 1920
providing services to residents in Norwell,
Scituate, Abington, Braintree, Cohasset,
Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham,
Holbrook, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield,
Pembroke, Quincy, Rockland, Weymouth and
Whitman. For more information about the
Norwell VNA and its services, please visit
the web site at
www.nvna.org or call 781-659-2342. |
