At Fuller Hospital, we work diligently to create an atmosphere to promote healing in an environment which is clinically sound, compassionate and focused on individualized treatment plans and goals. We engage with patients during some of the most difficult times of their lives. Our highly trained staff, competent and engaged physicians and clinically robust, evidence-based programs provide services for adolescents and adults across a continuum of care that includes assessments, community-based care, day treatment, and inpatient hospitalization. We provide specialized support to patients with co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders and we operate Massachusetts’s only inpatient unit for adults with intellectual disabilities. Fuller Hospital seeks to lead the way in behavioral health, and we welcome the opportunity to serve you or a loved one.

Jacob Picard
Chief Executive Officer

Jacob Picard joined our team as Hospital CEO in January of 2023, with more than twenty years of healthcare leadership experience at multiple levels. His previous leadership roles have included overseeing psychiatric departments in multiple hospitals, through multiple states. With expertise in clinical operations, Jacob is committed to providing high quality, patient centered care. His work has been instrumental in the development and implementation of numerous quality programs throughout the country with focus on restraint reduction and prevention, as well as building therapeutic patient care environments. Jacob worked as a staff nurse in all areas of psychiatric nursing prior to moving into management and leadership roles. Jacob received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts and holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Sacred Heart University.

Dale Hershman, LICSW
Director of Clinical Services

Dale Hershman received her MSW degree from The University of Chicago in 1983. She spent five years working as a case manager at The Arbour Hospital and was promoted to assistant department director. From there she was hired as the Director of Social Work for the inpatient psychiatric unit at Emerson Hospital. She then came to Fuller hospital over 28 years ago as the Director of Social Work. In her time at Fuller, she was also the program manager for the adolescent unit before moving into her current role as the Director of Clinical Services. She has worked tirelessly to make sure that patients receive the care that they require while ensuring that the hospital is reimbursed appropriately for care.

Maria Duarte, RN
Assistant Director of Nursing

Graduating with a nursing degree in 2009, Maria worked as a Home Care Nurse with elderly and home bound clients, educating clients on medication regimen, performing wound care, before finding her passion for behavioral health. Maria started at Fuller Hospital in 2010 as a Charge Nurse, Lead Clinical Nurse in 2015 and then Unit Manager of an 18-bed adult unit in 2018. Maria is committed to exceptional patient care, thoughtful staff engagement and best-practice nursing.

Lyndsey Collins
Director of Business Development

Lyndsey came to us with a diverse background in relationship building and communication. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Marketing from the University of Massachusetts, she worked in public relations with Fortune 500 companies, government entities and non-profits. From there she began a career as a private marketing consultant for small to mid-size businesses, developing trusted relationships between business and target market. Lyndsey then found her passion in healthcare, helping practitioners provide the best possible education and care for their patients as an Administrator and Reputation Manager in private practices.

Lyndsey is a highly skilled communicator and people person, finding reward in the positive impact she brings to our patients, team, community, and hospital. Through intake management, community outreach and engagement, Lyndsey is dedicated to educating the community on the services we offer and how we are leading the way in behavioral health here at Fuller Hospital.

Peter Vecchiarelli
Director of Nursing

Peter began his career working with adolescents in a residential vocational training center as a Residential Advisor, Substance Abuse Counselor, Career Development Manager and Corporate Consultant. Peter comes to us with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, Master of Science in Management and Master of Science in Nursing. He is also a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. After earning his RN he worked in medical facilities and spent the last 10 years working in Emergency Mental Health at a Level 1 Trauma Center as a Crisis Intervention Specialist, Clinical Coordinator and Nurse Manager. Peter is dedicated to result-driven quality outcomes for patients via innovation, evidence-based practice, lean management systems and staff engagement. He is a patient advocate and is motivated to help staff pursue professional development.

Michele Casoli Reardon, MD
Chief Medical Director

Dr. Reardon is enthusiastic about patient care and has been a strong advocate for child and adolescent behavioral health needs throughout her career. Her dual training in both medicine and psychiatry has allowed her to diagnosis and treat patients in a holistic manner. She hopes to affect greater changes in psychiatric care as Medical Director here at Fuller Hospital.
Dr. Reardon graduated Simmons College with a dual degree in both Biology and Biochemistry. She attended Pennsylvania State University Medical School before entering her residency at Brown University’s program in Pediatrics, Adult Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry. Following her residency, Dr. Reardon went on to work as a staff physician and Training Director for St. Elizabeth Psychiatry Program at Carney Hospital. She then transitioned to Mass General Brigham Salem Hospital’s Psychiatry Department, where she spent over seventeen years in leadership roles. She served as the Medical Director of Adult and Adolescent Partial Program for ten years with a primary patient population of children suffering with school phobia. Her expertise in this area led to multiple speaking roles and authorship of an article on School Phobia. She also held the role of Regional Medical Director for the Massachusetts Behavioral Health MCPAP [Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program]. The MCPAP offers on demand phone and in person consultation for pediatric physicians faced with patients’ mental health crises. The program was the first of its kind and remains an indispensable resource. Dr. Reardon has served on multiple hospital and advisory committees over the course of her career.
Dr. Reardon has a passion for treating children with neuropsychiatric disorders. She has helped families navigate their way through illness that can be terrifying and overwhelming. As a member of the PANDAS [Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus] Physician’s Network, her expertise in this area has been highly recognized.
She previously held and enjoyed a role at Tufts University Medical Center training and supervising students and hopes to continue an educational role here at Fuller Hospital in our program with Boston University Medical School students during their 6-week clerkship in psychiatry.

Nicole Cascione, LMHC
Director of Outpatient Services

Nicole Cascione is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a Masters in Agency Counseling and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In her undergrad, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Dependency and Addiction Studies.

Nicole has been part of the Fuller team since 2009, working in various capacities within multiple departments before stepping into a senior leadership role overseeing outpatient and community-based programs as the Director of Outpatient Services.

Nicole chairs the hospital service excellence committee and leads staff retention initiatives. These initiatives are part of Fuller’s mission to provide quality healthcare and facilitate a supportive working environment for all staff. Nicole is a strong advocate for patients and staff and strives to maintain a culture of positivity and appreciation within the hospital.