Blankenship retiring as head of CCMC
After nine years manning the helm, Lynn Blankenship, executive director of Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic, is stepping down, having led the organization “through some challenging times” over the years, a news release said.
Blankenship, who was honored with a farewell reception Thursday evening at First Baptist Church, has said she is retiring to move closer to family in Okla
homa, “especially to be near her grandbaby,” with Kim Carter, the former executive director of Camp Tanako, a local Christian camp, taking over her role.
Carter told The Sentinel-Record recently Blankenship has been an amazing mentor and teacher during the transition process and she plans to model her actions of listening to the people the ministry serves.
“Lynn has laid this firm foundation,” she said. “She went through and led changing the mission and adapting the work of CCMC after the Affordable Care Act and how we serve the poor and impoverished in our community. … I plan to build upon the foundation and the work that Lynn has laid out during her service and time at CCMC.”
CCMC’s mission is focused on creating sustainability for individuals, families, and community by developing an environment where everyone can live with adequate physical, social, and spiritual resources, according to its website.
Under her leadership since
2011, Blankenship led CCMC to expand the mission beyond the charitable clinics to include individual case management and poverty reduction programs, the release said.
The following are some of her major accomplishments as executive director:
• Created a revised mission for the organization after the Affordable Care Act altered the clinic’s reason for being.
• Helped over 1,000 patients enroll in Arkansas’ expanded Medicaid and taught them how to use their new benefits.
• Recognized that health insurance does not eliminate poverty and added new services to address the needs of the under-resourced in the community.
• Expanded the organization to included charitable medical, dental, vision, and pharmacy clinics; case management services to connect under-resourced people with vital services; and began the Bridges Out of Poverty initiative to launch long-term solutions to the instability that comes with poverty, including coordination of Getting Ahead, Getting Ahead While Getting Out, and The R Rules classes, as well as community wide Bridges Out of Poverty training workshops to raise awareness and develop effective strategies for poverty reduction.
The release notes that over
400 people have graduated from Getting Ahead and Getting Ahead While Getting Out.
Blankenship was also president of the Arkansas Association of Charitable Clinics during implementation of the ACA and negotiated a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Health — the public health preparedness partnership — to share volunteers to be ready in the event of a public health emergency, leading to an agreement that resulted in a compensation award of $145,000 shared with participating clinics.
Under her guidance, CCMC obtained and installed vision equipment purchased with funding by the local Lions Club and became licensed to assist clients to enroll in government-subsidized health insurance.
CCMC also expanded services offered by the charitable dental clinic to include dental hygiene and updated to digital image X-rays for the dental clinic, the release said.
Blankenship was appointed by the governor to the Governor’s Council for Restore Hope in Garland County, with the focus being recidivism and foster care. She also brought the first Poverty Summit to Hot Springs, partnering with the city and community agencies, businesses, and citizens to raise awareness and examine ways to reduce poverty in the community.
Under her leadership, CCMC received a proclamation from the city of a “Community Committed to Poverty Reduction” and Hot Springs was named the 2017 Bridges Community, noting the excellence in facilitating change on the individual, organization, community, and policy levels to create a sustainable future for all.