Neighbor News September 2025
Dr. Doug Briggs Earns Harris Memorial Award
Congratulations to our very own Dr. Doug Briggs for earning the Harris Memorial Award, as presented by Constellation Quality Health, a nonprofit healthcare quality consulting organization. For more than 25 years, Constellation Quality Health has recognized outstanding achievements in healthcare quality and service through annual awards in North and South Carolina.
Established in 1999, the Harris Memorial Award honors the life and memory of T. Reginald Harris, MD for his decades of service to the medical community through the North Carolina Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and many other professional civic, and community activities.
Dr. Doug Briggs joined NeighborHealth Center as a founding member in 2018 after spending twenty-three years delivering medical care in Southwest China and Tibet, serving people of the poorest rural villages and surrounding communities.
For his entire adult life, Dr. Briggs has been focused on one specific purpose – to serve as a resource for those who are underprivileged, connecting them with healthcare they never dreamed they could have, and demonstrating a level of compassion most have never experienced. He calls this “the trajectory of his life,” and he has never veered off course.
Dr. Briggs served as our first Chief Medical Officer until recently, when he returned to devoting all of his time to the practice of his first love—family medicine. From sunrise to sunset, he sees patients at NeighborHealth. Dr. Briggs is passionate about caring for individuals, families and communities in a way that integrates all aspects of health. He provides health restoration, illness prevention, and the preservation of personal dignity and autonomy by supporting patients as they learn how to care for themselves and navigate the American healthcare system. He personally cares for more than 2,000 patients each year.
This award shines a light on Dr. Briggs’ extraordinary contributions to healthcare and celebrates the impact he has made on his patients, colleagues, and the broader community. Congratulations, Dr. Briggs!
Welcome to NeighborHealth!
Amy Leden Joins as Chief Financial Officer
We are excited to welcome Amy Leden to the NeighborHealth Center executive team as our new Chief Financial Officer. Amy brings more than 15 years of experience as a senior finance executive. She began her career as an auditor with McGladrey & Pullen, where she developed a passion for serving not-for-profit organizations. She later helped lead the finance department at Community Care of North Carolina. Amy earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida and her Master of Accounting from NC State University. She and her husband live in Raleigh with their four children. Outside of work, Amy enjoys reading, singing in the choir, Taekwondo, and time with family at the beach and mountains. We are thrilled to welcome Amy to the NeighborHealth team and look forward to her leadership as we continue to grow and serve our patients.
A heartfelt thank you to Jennifer Williams, who has faithfully served as our Interim CFO since April 2025. Her dedication and leadership during this transition have been invaluable.
Welcome New Providers!
NeighborHealth is pleased to announce the addition of the following new providers to our clinic. Click here for a complete list of our providers.
Martha Carlough, MD, MPH: Women’s Health Consultant: a family physician with additional training in both clinical and public health aspects of maternity care and over thirty years of experience in global health, including a decade in medical missions in Nepal. She is Professor Emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine and Gillings School of Global Public Health. Working part-time at NeighborHealth in the role of Women’s Health Consultant brings together her love of maternity care and desire to join in a mission of serving in the name of Christ.
LaVonne Colasuonno, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC: a Family Nurse Practitioner with more than a decade of experience in pediatrics and maternal-child health, LaVonne previously served as a Women’s Health Provider in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, strengthening her dedication to delivering personalized, culturally sensitive care.
Lia Davis, PA-C: a Physician Assistant with a passion for quality, compassionate health care delivery. Lia’s love for the medical field was deepened after participating in medical mission trips to Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
Emily King, PA: As a Physician Assistant, she works to apply warmth, compassion, and love of service to create a strong patient-provider relationship, taking into consideration the individual needs of each patient.
SIGN UP: Pray with NeighborHealth
Pray with NeighborHealth is a simple, ongoing way for our team to lift each other and our patients up in prayer. By signing up, you’ll receive regular updates with specific prayer requests and encouragement, helping us stay connected and support one another spiritually as we serve our community.
Sign up for Pray with NeighborHealth
HRSA Badges of Distinction
NeighborHealth is proud to share that it earned two new badges of distinction from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the government agency that helps fund community health centers like NeighborHealth Center.
The Advancing Health IT badge recognizes NeighborHealth Center for using technology to improve health care and make it easier for patients to access care. NeighborHealth Center was one of only four health centers in NC to receive this badge.
The High-Value Care badge recognizes health centers that demonstrate improvements in clinical quality while managing costs. NeighborHealth Center was the only center of its kind in NC to receive this badge.
These badges are a direct reflection of the incredible work of the NeighborHealth Center team. Every day, our staff goes above and beyond, not only embracing innovation and technology but also ensuring that our patients receive the highest quality and most cost-effective care possible.
State Employees Combined Campaign
We’re so excited that NeighborHealth Center has been selected as a 2025 participant in the NC State Employees Combined Campaign (SECC)! This campaign allows state employees to support trusted nonprofits that are making a local impact and support vital services – like access to a medical home and quality medical care provided by NeighborHealth Center. If you are a state employee, you can use Charity Code #7087 to direct your contribution to NeighborHealth Center.
Thank you to some of our most recent partners for their generous gifts!
- Church of the Apostles
- The Carolina Hurricanes
- Coastal Credit Union Foundation
- Crossroads Fellowship
- Project HOPE
NeighborHealth was awarded a grant to partner with Project Hope to increase access to breast cancer screening and education for uninsured persons in our community. We are honored to be part of this important effort.
