Cheryl Bartlett, RN

Director
President and CEO
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center

Cheryl Bartlett, RN is the President and CEO of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center. Ms. Bartlett is an accomplished professional with over 35 years of leadership experience in nursing, health care administration, public health, and health policy. Ms. Bartlett was the founder and Executive Director of the Nantucket AIDS Network and received state and national recognition for her community approach to prevention, education, case management and clinical care for persons with HIV/AIDS and their families. She was recognized twice by the Massachusetts AIDS Action Committee as a “Hero in Action” and “Unsung Hero” for her dedication and compassion in the fight against AIDS. Cheryl served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health under Governor Patrick and is the first nurse to ever serve as Commissioner. Under Cheryl’s leadership Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to declare the use of opioids and associated overdose deaths a public health emergency and to provide universal access to nasal Narcan. She led the Patrick administration’s signature anti-obesity initiative, Mass in Motion, recognized nationally as an innovative public health model, to promote health and wellness across the Commonwealth. She chaired the inaugural Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund’s advisory board, the Statewide Comprehensive Cancer Advisory Board, and the Interagency Council for Substance Abuse Prevention. Ms. Bartlett was honored by MPHA with the Lemuel Shattuck Award in 2018 and served as the co-chair of MPHA’s Task Force on Coronavirus and Equity during the height of the pandemic.