Island Health Care (IHC) announced that founder and CEO Cynthia Mitchell received the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers’ 2026 Outstanding CEO Award.
The league formally presented the award to Mitchell on Friday, June 12, at its annual Awards Gala in Boston; this year’s theme: “Courage to Care.” The theme was created to celebrate the bravery and education required for healthcare providers to serve their communities, according to the league.
Mitchell told The Times that receiving the award from her peers on the league’s board of directors felt humbling. “It was particularly touching to be honored by them,” she said.
Mitchell, whose husband was raised on the Island, moved to the Vineyard from San Francisco more than 40 years ago. A West Tisbury resident, she chairs the town’s select board, and has served the town for 29 years.
Mitchell’s interest in community healthcare first sparked after she volunteered to serve on the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s board of directors in 1990 as a representative of an Island select board. Mitchell then went on to chair both the hospital board and the Dukes County Health Council.
In 2004, Mitchell founded Island Health Care, a community health center in Edgartown that provides primary medical, dental, nutritional, and behavioral healthcare to all residents and visitors of the Island, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay, the release said. The center, which began as Massachusetts’ first rural health center (RHC) with a staff of eight employees, currently employs more than 60 people.
IHC became the Vineyard’s only federally qualified health center (FQHC) in 2013. Unlike an RHC, the FQHC designation allows the center to operate in both rural and urban areas and to provide services beyond primary and dental care.
Mitchell said that IHC became more prominent on the Island during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the center administered vaccinations and organized a drive-through virus-testing center. “It more or less put us on the map locally,” she said.
Looking to the future, Mitchell underscored that IHC hopes to continue growing its services, particularly in primary care, wellness and nutrition, and dentistry.
“Our primary goal in the next few years is to expand to serve more people,” Mitchell said.
Cynthia Mitchell deserves this award and then some. She has led, by example with concern,empathy, compassion and accountability in a league of her own. We are so lucky to have her here on the Vineyard.
Cynthia, congratulations on the award and thank you for caring and serving the community! We need more people like you.