Coordinator believed to be first-of-its-kind position within the Minuteman Library Network.

The Somerville Public Library is pleased to announce the hiring of a Health Services Coordinator, to provide referrals and related services on behalf of vulnerable populations. Beginning in mid-November, the Coordinator will be available to members of the public at all three branches of the Library.

Believed to be the first such position in the Minuteman Library Network, the hiring Health Services Coordinator is the result of a partnership between the City of Somerville and the Cambridge Health Alliance, a local provider of choice for primary care, specialty care, emergency services, hospital care, maternity care and behavioral health, serving residents of Somerville, Cambridge, and the Metro North region.

The Coordinator will enable the library to better address the complete social and emotional needs of community members who use Somerville’s libraries, ultimately improving patrons’ library experience and the Somerville community’s overall health. The Coordinator will assist vulnerable library patrons, from youth through the elderly, to advocate for themselves and oversee the provision of services that will support their mental health and physical wellbeing.

“We are thrilled to be offering this valuable service on behalf of the community in conjunction with the CHA,” said Library Director Glenn Ferdman.

Kathy Betts, Director of Community Health Improvement, for the Cambridge Health Alliance, said: “We are so very excited to partner with the City of Somerville to help support the health and well-being of our community,” said Kathy Betts, Director of Community Health Improvement for the Cambridge Health Alliance. “Libraries are vibrant resource centers; they are community hubs where essential social services can be readily accessed.”

For more information about the new Health Services Coordinator, please contact Cathy Piantigini, Deputy Director of the Somerville Public Library, at 617-625-6600 ext. 2954.