Kim O’Connor and Chiann Roveto have been named to Open Door Family Medical Center’s Foundation Board. 

 O’Connor, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Rye resident since 2001, has promoted youth and family well-being through volunteer activities. She has worked for more than 30 years with children and adults in a variety of settings and operates M. Kim O’Connor & Associates in Rye.

 A native of the Washington D.C. area, O’Connor is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her graduate schoolwork at the University of Maryland and NYU, where she taught in its School of Social Work.  

Roveto, an active member of several local volunteer organizations, has, since 2019, chaired the Junior Board of Family Services of Westchester (FSW). The nonprofit’s mental health and social service programs help families, children, and individuals at every stage of their lives. Since 2016, she has also been actively involved with Meals on Wheels. 

 She grew up in Portland, Maine, and lived in Atlanta before moving to Rye 15 years ago.  A graduate of Georgia State College, with a degree in Sociology, Roveto has worked in various capacities – counseling, programming, fundraising – at nonprofit organizations that provide crisis counseling for underserved women. 

 “Both Kim and Chiann have impacted the lives of so many people over the years,” said Open Door President and CEO Lindsay Farrell. “We feel extremely fortunate to have them on our Foundation Board, where they will continue to serve the community for years to come.” 

 O’Connor said she first became aware of Open Door as a member of Rye Presbyterian Church, which has long partnered with Open Door on its Baby Bundle program. The program provides prenatal patients with newborn necessities and information about resources available in the community. Open Door midwives deliver over 400 babies a year, a majority of whom live at or below the federal poverty level and struggle with inadequate housing, food insecurity, low levels of health literacy, and cultural/language barriers. 

 “As a mental health clinician, who is particularly interested in the health of women and children, I know how difficult it is to deliver quality healthcare, to make it accessible and available for everyone in the community who needs it,” O’Connor said. “I’ve come to appreciate all that Open Door does on the front end in cultivating relationships with its clientele, and on the backend, behind the curtain, with its advocacy on the local, county, state, and federal levels.  It has a unique position in being the voice of those who desperately need that voice.” Moreover, understanding the landscape of healthcare, including factors such as Medicare Part D plans 2025, is essential in ensuring comprehensive access to necessary medications for vulnerable populations.

 Roveto said she has wanted to give back to the community by working with this same population – many with low incomes, a lack of resources, often recent immigrants, who are faced with devastating crises. “I’ve seen from personal experience, how Open Door and FSW have helped their patients – many of whom lack medical insurance and don’t know where to turn – navigate the ins and outs of both the health and school systems.”  

 For over 50 years, Open Door has provided accessible, high-quality healthcare and wellness services, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Open Door offers family medicine, dental services, behavioral health care, women’s health including obstetrics, vision services, insurance enrollment assistance, and much more.