Jocelyn Caple named interim CEO at Greater Seacoast Community Health

SOMERSWORTH and PORTSMOUTH, NH — The Board of Directors of Greater Seacoast Community Health has appointed Dr. Jocelyn Caple, an accomplished physician executive, as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Succeeding Jim Avrett, who left the CEO post at the end of 2024, Caple leads a network that serves about 15,000 people annually through Families First Health & Support Center in Portsmouth, Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth, The Family Center, and the Strafford County Public Health Network.

Dr. Caple has been in executive healthcare leadership for about a decade, following 22 years as a practicing pathologist. She served as Chief Medical Officer at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester starting in 2016 and later became its President and CEO from 2018 to 2020. Most recently, she was Interim President and CEO of Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont, leading the organization through the pandemic and the process of affiliating with Dartmouth Health.

During her tenure at Frisbie, Dr. Caple achieved a 7% improvement in financial performance, boosted employee morale, reduced turnover, and enhanced quality of care and patient satisfaction. At Valley Regional, she increased provider productivity, improved patient access to care, and maintained organizational stability during a critical transition period.

Although this marks Dr. Caple’s first role within a community health center, she notes that both of the hospitals she led were in underserved communities. “I have experience with the opportunities and challenges of providing access to care to everyone, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay,” she said, “and I’m honored to continue that work by joining with the dedicated teams at Goodwin and Families First to meet the challenges of today’s healthcare landscape.”

Dr. Caple earned her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and holds an Executive MBA from the University of New Hampshire. She is also certified in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt methodology.

Jennifer Glidden, Chair of the Greater Seacoast Board of Directors, praised Dr. Caple’s leadership skills. “Dr. Caple’s ability to drive change, unify teams, and nurture talent will be instrumental in advancing the goals of our community health centers,” Glidden said. “She has a track record of fostering high-performing cultures, recruiting top-tier executives and physicians, and leading organizations through transitions while maintaining the highest standards of care.”

Greater Seacoast Community Health is a network of community health centers offering a wide range of services, including primary care, pediatrics, dental care, prenatal care, behavioral health counseling, substance use disorder treatment, mobile health services, WIC nutrition programs, social work, parenting classes, playgroups, and home visiting. Services are open to everyone – all ages, all income levels, insured and uninsured – and are offered in a respectful, recovery-friendly, LGBTQ+-affirming, and trauma-informed manner. For more information, visit GetCommunityHealth.org.

CAPTION: Jocelyn Caple, MD, MBA, is the new interim CEO at Greater Seacoast Community Health.