Influential community health leader Sally Fabian-Oresic to end final leg of 50-year career

For those without health insurance, accessing needed medical treatment can feel like standing outside a locked door without a key.

But in Bucks County, Sally Fabian-Oresic has been working to open those doors for the past 50 years.

She has continuously crusaded to remove barriers and improve access for the underserved, not only in her current position as executive director of the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic, but throughout her entire career as a public health nurse and community health care leader.

So, it was only natural the news of Fabian-Oresic’s upcoming retirement this June, would be met with deep appreciation for the legacy she leaves behind.

“Sally’s retirement will mark the last chapter of a remarkable public health career,” board chair of the Ann Silverman Health Clinic Paul Edgerton said in an announcement Thursday.

“She has led the clinic with a clear focus on improving the health of our patients and approached her work with compassion and a collaborative spirit. We are very grateful that she’s put the clinic on a great path to ensure our important work continues.”

Prior to joining the clinic, Fabian-Oresic worked at the Bucks County Department of Health for 27 years, where she started as a staff nurse and advanced to become director of Personal Health and Nursing Services. As director, she managed a team of more than 70 nursing, nutrition, and support staff; ran vaccination clinics, the Women, Infant and Children’s Supplemental Food Program and several other services; and investigated communicable disease cases and outbreaks.

Fabian-Oresic later served for 16 years as the founding executive director of the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP), a nonprofit collaborative partnership initiative of the County of Bucks, six Bucks County hospitals and the Bucks County Medical Society. While there, she directed two free clinics, developed tobacco education and cessation programs, initiated an advanced care planning program with five hospitals, and helped create the Domestic Violence Awareness Task Force and the Bucks County Child Advocacy Center.

“Sally’s history as a public health nurse for the County, as the executive director of BCHIP, and then running the Ann Silverman Clinic, makes her the single best known and most influential community health advocate in Bucks County for the past 50 years,” said Lynn Bush, who was a board member at the time of Fabian-Oresic’s hiring.

“We were lucky to get her. The organization is better for it in so many ways. Its expanded facilities, broader community reach to compensate for the closure of other health clinics, and the significant addition of much-needed mental health services are her legacy,” Bush added.

Through the entirety of her career, Fabian-Oresic advocated for the most vulnerable Bucks County residents, with one focus in mind, “access to health services for all,” said BCHIP executive director Kimberly Everett.

“Sally has helped establish programs and services that will serve our community well after she retires,” Everett said. “She’s an advocate. She’s always at the table asking how we can remove any and all barriers so all people can gain access to the services needed.”

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In 2016, Fabian-Oresic joined the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic, located inside Doylestown Hospital, where free medical, dental and behavioral health care and social services are provided to low-income, uninsured families in Bucks County.

The clinic grew under her leadership with fundraising initiatives to support increased programming and the construction of larger facilities to accommodate new services, including the expansion of its dental clinic to incorporate both preventative and restorative care. She also established the clinic’s first behavioral health program, with both English and Spanish-speaking counselors.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented greater challenges for the clinic, as its patients were disproportionately at risk for infection and hard hit by job losses, closed schools, and food insecurity. Fabian-Oresic quickly mobilized the clinic, pivoting to telehealth visits and organized vaccination clinics that protected nearly 900 people with the assistance of Doylestown Health. During that time, the clinic started a Gift Cards for Groceries program, raising $90,000 to help patients buy food for their families.

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About 65% of the clinic’s patients are new immigrants, many who do not speak English. The clinic does not ask about immigration status, instead focusing on determining financial need.

Heidi Roux, executive director of Immigrant Rights Action, said she often refers her clients to the Ann Silverman Community Clinic for services, thanks to the clinic earning a reputation for being a safe and welcoming place for immigrants seeking care.

“We work together to create this safety net for those who don’t have one. A lot of times our immigrant clients have been dealing with a chronic symptom and they just haven’t known where to turn for help. So, when they hear that the Ann Silverman Clinic is there to help, it’s a big relief for them to know that there is a recourse for them, and they are so grateful to be able to communicate their medical concerns in their language,” Roux said.

“Sally has an amazing team that she oversees and everyone there is so helpful and that is a direct result of her leadership. I look forward to welcoming her successor and wish her all the best in retirement, knowing that she’s accomplished so much and fulfilled a great need,” she added.

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Fabian-Oresic will continue at the clinic until June 30. A new executive director has not been chosen yet, but a search committee was formed by its board of directors.

“I am enormously grateful for the opportunities to live out my passion for public health these past 50 years,” said Fabian-Oresic.

“I’ve been fortunate to serve with some of the most dedicated caregivers and leaders in health care, and although I will retire this summer, my commitment to community health will never waver. I will always support efforts to make the world a better place for all. I am, however, very excited to be able to spend more time with my family and granddaughter.”

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic director Fabian-Oresic to retire