Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency

Contact Us - FLHSA@FLHSA.org

FLHSA Staff

Fran Weisberg - Executive Director
Ms. Weisberg has more than 25 years experience in human service, community leadership, administration, policy-making and fundraising within the Rochester community. She served as President/CEO of Lifespan for over 10 years, leading the organization to provide direct services to those 55 and older. In addition, she created a statewide model to combat Elder Abuse and co-chaired the new Statewide Elder Abuse Consortium. Most recently, Ms. Weisberg was the Vice President for External Affairs and Strategic Directions at Catholic Family Center. Her background includes both operational and planning/programming development responsibilities at the institutional, community, and state level. Ms. Weisberg received a baccalaureate degree from the University of Rochester.

Sarah (Sally) Trafton, JD - Associate Executive Director
Ms. Trafton has over 25 years of health policy experience in long-term and chronic care, disabilities, local health systems, and not-for-profit regulation and governance. From 1989-2006, she was Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Education, and Director of the Master of Public Health Program in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Prior to her time at the University, Ms. Trafton was State Public Policy Director for the Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters, as well as Program Director for the Rochester Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Ms. Trafton chaired the New York State Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Task Force. Currently she is on the Board of Directors of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and the Rochester Rehabilitation Center, Inc. Her other Board service includes Monroe County Long Term Care Program, Community Health Network, the Visiting Nurse Service, and the Rochester Health Commission. During her tenure with the Rochester Health Commission, she chaired the Rochester Health Care Forum, and also served as Interim President for the Commission. Ms. Trafton has a JD from Suffolk University Law School, and an AB with Honors from Harvard University.

Margaret (Peggy) Clark - Director, Planning and Capacity Analysis
Ms. Clark has more than 35 years of experience in health care delivery, including ambulatory care and long term care, health insurance, managed care and compliance. Prior to joining the FLHSA, Ms. Clark worked at Excellus Health Plan, Inc. for 33 years. At Excellus she was on the initial team that launched one of the areas first HMO’s, Genesee Valley Group Health Association and introduced to the community provider based managed care products – StrongCare, ViaHealth Plan and Finger Lakes Health Plan. Ms. Clark established, managed and grew the Medicare and state government programs throughout region. In her last position, she was Vice President of Government Program Compliance. Ms. Clark holds a baccalaureate degree from Empire State College and a Masters in Public Administration from SUNY Brockport.

Irene Coveny - Associate Director
Ms. Coveny has 30 years experience in human service, strategic planning, management, program development and program evaluation. She was Senior Vice President of Program Services at Catholic Family Center prior to coming to FLHSA. In that role, she designed an integrated care management system for high risk individuals having multiple and complex health and social needs. Ms. Coveny also served as Director of Elder Services where she co-founded Eldersource in 1995, developed the Kinship Care Resource Network and developed and implemented the STAR (Support to Aging Residents) and EISEP (Expanded in Home Services Program) Programs. Ms. Coveny received her Masters in Public Administration from SUNY at Brockport.

Arthur Streeter - Senior Planner and Director of Review
Mr. Streeter has over 20 years of broad health care planning experience, including acute care, primary care, mental hygiene, long term care, epidemiology and public health, facilities planning and capital project analysis. He currently has primary responsibility in areas of acute care, high technology equipment, and healthcare capacity analysis. Mr. Streeter has also served as Research Director at FLHSA and is well-versed in computer and statistical analysis of epidemiological data, and has designed, conducted and analyzed numerous surveys. Mr. Streeter holds a baccalaureate degree from Dartmouth College and earned a Masters in Health Administration with a concentration in health planning from Duke University.

Susan Touhsaent - Senior Research Associate
Ms. Touhsaent works in the areas of capacity management, health professional shortages, and concerns of the aging population, having joined the agency in 2003. Over the past 15 years, she has assisted in the development of managed long-term care programs in several northeastern states. Ms. Touhsaent has a B.A. in sociology from Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, and an M.S.W. with a concentration in research and planning from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a licensed master social worker.

Lynn Varricchio - Senior Planner
Ms. Varricchio is the Senior Planner for services for aging and chronically ill populations. With over 30 years of experience in health planning, Lynn most recently was the Coordinator for the Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS, the local Ryan White Care Network. Her areas of specialty include planning a wide array of community based and institutional health care services for the chronically ill of all ages. Currently she is involved with assessing gaps in community based and institutional resources needed to more effectively serve these populations. Ms. Varricchio has worked for the Agency for over 25 years and holds a baccalaureate degree from Mercyhurst College and masters degrees from St. Bernard’s Institute (M.A Theo.) and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (M.P.H.).

Patricia Healey - Health Planner
Ms. Healey joined the staff of the FLHSA in February 2008. She works in the area of Planning and Capacity Analysis. Prior to joining the FLHSA in 2008, Ms. Healey was a Research Associate in the health care-pharmaceutical division at the market research firm Harris Interactive. Her research interests include mental health, health of incarcerated populations, and access. Ms. Healey graduated with a double major in Political Science and Russian Studies from the University of Arizona. She recently completed an M.P.H. at the University of Rochester.

Wade Norwood - Director of Department of Community Engagement
Mr. Norwood directs the Agency’s efforts to link health planning efforts to the needs of medically underserved communities. The many community coalitions that are supported by the Department also provide a direct and powerful channel through which the voice of community can engage in the health care dialogue. As the Director of Community Engagement, Mr. Norwood also leads the Agency’s efforts to build connections between health and human services and to connect community health planning to public policy advocacy. Mr. Norwood joined the FLHSA after twenty years of elected and appointed state and local government service. He is an ordained minister and a graduate of the University of Rochester (B.S. Political Science).

Alfredo M. González - Community Coordinator for Health Initiatives of the FLHSA’s Department of Community Engagement.
In this position, he supports community connections to health planning efforts that support medically underserved communities and that reduce racial/ethnic health disparities to environmental/neighborhood concerns. Mr. Gonzalez also assists the Agency’s efforts to build connections between health and human services and to connect community health planning to public policy advocacy. Mr. Gonzalez joined the FLHSA after thirty years of business management in the areas of marketing, strategic planning process, public relations, program development, fund-raising, budget management, human resources, board development, and volunteer management. He is currently completing his degree on Business Administration at Medaille College.

Rachel Pickering - Associate for Community Engagement for Preventing Childhood Overweight and Obesity of the FLHSA’s Department of Community Engagement.
Ms. Pickering joined FLHSA in April, 2008. Ms. Pickering supports the FLHSA’s HEALTHI Kids (Healthy Eating and Active Living THrough policy Initiatives for Kids) Policy Team and the FLHSA’s efforts to achieve public policy changes and establish a community-wide coalition to address these changes. Prior to joining the FLHSA, Ms. Pickering worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County’s Youth Development and Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health Programs. Ms. Pickering holds a baccalaureate degree from Dickinson College in Environmental Studies and Political Science.

Patricia Zacharias - Coordinator
Ms. Zacharias joined FLHSA August, 2003. Ms. Zacharias is coordinator for the Ryan White HIV CARE Network. Her responsibilities include providing staff support for the Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS (RATFA) and RATFA committees, assisting in planning and logistics for conferences and special projects, producing the RATFA Bulletin and maintaining databases. Ms. Zacharias has an AAS degree in Human Services from Monroe Community College and a BS degree in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Melinda Whitbeck - Director of Research
Ms. Whitbeck has over 25 years of experience working with health and demographic data. She is an expert on the interpretation of demographic and socioeconomic data and their implications for the health of the community. Ms. Whitbeck manages the Agency’s extensive health status and service delivery databases. She has designed, conducted and analyzed numerous surveys for a wide variety of organizations. Ms. Whitbeck received an M.B.A. from the Simon School of Management at the University of Rochester.

Gary Stevens - Research Associate and Manager of Information Technology
Mr. Stevens maintains the agency’s databases, network and web sites. He graduated from Union College, Schenectady, NY with a B.A. in East Asian Studies.

Kathie Pierce - Office Manager
Ms. Pierce has worked for FLHSA since 1994. Ms. Pierce is responsible for all aspects of the Agency’s operations, finance, personnel and grant management. Ms. Pierce has an associate's degree from the Finger Lakes Community College.

Sally Gerling - Librarian
Ms. Gerling earned her B.A. and M.L.S. from SUNY Geneseo. Prior to joining the agency in November 2001, Ms. Gerling administered the Stabins Health Sciences Library at The Genesee Hospital for over 30 years.

Tori Toliver - Administrative Assistant
Ms. Toliver joined the staff of FLHSA in July 2007. She provides administrative support to the Planning and Capacity Analysis function within FLHSA. Ms. Toliver holds an associate's degree from the Monroe Community College.

Nora Rowland - Administrative Assistant

Debra Flanagan - Administrative Assistant