About Our Health Center...
Indian Stream Health Center is a federally qualified health center and the most comprehensive provider of primary care to residents of 19 rural communities located in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Our 850 square mile service area is in one of the most isolated rural regions in New England and is sparsely populated with 6.7 people per square mile. Within the 19 communities there are approximately 8,500 residents. The percentage of our population that speaks French is 14%. Many residents are bilingual with English as a second language, and many elderly speak primarily French and have some difficulty understanding English.
The Department of Agriculture's Frontier Education Center has classified Coos County, New Hampshire a frontier county. Fourteen of our communities are medically underserved populations, 17 are in health professional shortage areas and 11 have dental health professional shortage populations.
Our target population consists of low-income, un- and underinsured residents of the area and the 17% elderly resident population - a 27% higher rate of elderly than the weighted state average in general. 35% of the population is considered low income, approximately one-half of these residents are uninsured, and an additional 10% of residents are living in poverty with 51.6% uninsured low-income individuals in the service area.
Medicaid covers approximately only one half of this low-income population. Using "wealth clusters" - groupings of economic conditions, six of the 10 New Hampshire towns fall into the poorest cluster and one is in cluster four - the next poorest cluster. The total population of those communities is more then 6,500 which represents nearly 98% of the population who reside in the two poorest clusters and a state per capita income of 75%.
Health disparities in our service area include a higher than normal rate of cancer, infant mortality, asthma, diabetes (40% above the weighted state rate) coronary heart disease (60% above the weighted state rate), dental disease, obesity/morbid obesity, hypertension (36% above the weighted state rate), unintentional injury rate (70% above the weighted state rate), teen pregnancy and suicide. Our service goal is to provide 24,000 visits to 7,500 people annually.
The provider staff consists of two physicians, two physician assistants, one nurse-practitioner, and one mental health social worker. A podiatrist is available one day per month and services have also been contracted with a local dentist and an optometrist.
The health center hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00AM - 7:00PM and Saturdays, 9:00am - 12:00pm
ISHC obtained 501 (c)(3) status and has developed a Board of Directors, many of who are users of the health center and represent the target population. In 2009 a Strategic Plan was developed and approved by the board.
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