Governor Sununu visited Mid-State Health Center today to preview Mid-State’s new program that provides vulnerable populations access to food resources when they are affected by COVID-19. Mid-State received just over $15,000 in GOFFER Funding through the State’s COVID-19 Relief Fund for the Community Support Program. “Many of those in our community rely on local food banks and community resources to obtain their food, and once affected by the COVID-19 virus and required to quarantine, the resources that they commonly seek become inaccessible,” shared Samantha Hooper who is leading the program implementation.
As part of their COVID-19 Testing service, Mid-State will now be able to help ensure access to food resources for those who test positive, or who are required to quarantine, and do not have adequate access to food by providing “Quarantine Grocery Boxes”. The goal is to ensure everyone has enough healthy food to complete their quarantine and ultimately reduce the exposure to COVID in the community. The program is focused on people impacted by COVID-19 and who are unable to access to their normal food security resources such as a food pantry or grocery store because. The goal is to help those in our community who are most vulnerable, a way to stay as healthy as possible while addressing their COVID-19 related quarantine. With the GOFFER funding, Mid-State will be able to help 90 or more families with food resources during these already challenging times.
Governor Sununu said “Mid-State didn’t take a step back, they took a step forward, making sure they were providing testing and innovative solutions. The kick-off of this program is taking their food service to the next level, and especially in these next winter months, there is still going to be a very high need.”
This program will piggy back Mid-State’s already successful food security program, Feed the Need, that offers Mid-State patients who are identified as food insecure to leave the health center with three days’ worth of healthy food along with recipe suggestions to prepare it and are connected with a patient support specialist to assist them in establishing a food security plan. This program originated in 2019 in response to the needs of the community. The need for food resources in the rural region Mid-State serves continues to grow exponentially due to the pandemic.
By Ann Petersson, RDN, LDN Dietitian at Mid-State Health in Plymouth Owner of Nutrition Works NH LLC in Downtown Concord
Each year the holidays bring treasured once-a-year recipes, both savory and sweet, to our tables as we celebrate this special time of year. Along with holiday cheer, many of my clients report overindulgence in these foods feeling ill afterward. Often, they report overeating because they intentionally didn’t eat much throughout the day; saving their appetite for celebratory meals. This approach often causes intense, almost uncontrollable hunger that is only quelled with a plate that is overflowing and eaten rapidly.
For some holding back hunger cues throughout the day seem like a good strategy around the holidays however it’s usually unsuccessful. When we intentionally deprive our bodies of food, we often crave foods that are energy-dense like cookies, cakes, chocolate, candy, or highly processed foods like chips, crackers, fries. Our bodies know this food will give us quick energy only to leave us hungry or hungrier afterward.
How do we change this behavior?
Moderation and balance!
Eat three balanced meals at regular times, eat slowly, and mindfully until you feel comfortably full. What’s in a balanced meal? Fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates (whole grains/starchy vegetables), protein foods like eggs, poultry, meat, fish, beans, tofu or tempeh, fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, and even butter in moderation.
Portion Control: Try to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables with ¼ plate of protein and ¼ plate complex carbohydrates with a bit of fat added to the meal or used in meal preparation. If you enjoy something sweet, salty, or both after a meal then have it! It’s better to have a moderate portion of these foods with your meal as it will digest with the other foods reducing cravings.
Holiday Drinks: When having cocktails, wine or beer try to have them either with the meal or with appetizers using the same approach of savoring them as you eat them slowly and mindfully. This helps your brain and your stomach communicate feelings of fullness and satisfaction leading to fewer cravings.
Pro Tip: Here’s a simple way to eat in moderation when there are too many delicious holiday foods served. Fill your plate with a small serving spoonful of everything that looks appetizing to you, then eat it slowly and mindfully, chewing well to savor every bite. Allow your body about 20 minutes to feel your fullness. If you still feel hungry you can repeat this technique but you may be surprised how full and satisfied you are because you didn’t deprive yourself throughout the day and you had a bite or two of all the holiday foods you enjoy at this time of year.
Ann's Energy Bites Recipe
These little energy bites can be stored in the freezer or fridge for a quick snack that is balanced with protein and fat from the nut butter and seeds some complex carbohydrates from the oatmeal and a little sweetness from dried fruit.
Crispy Nut and Seed Bites with Peanut Butter and Chocolate
- 1⁄2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
•1⁄2 c rice crisp cereal
•1/4 c. chopped nuts: walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or almonds •2 T. sunflower seeds
•1/4 t. cinnamon
•1/8 t. sea salt
•1/4 c. + 2 T. nut or seed butter of your choice
•1/8 c. honey
•1/2 t. vanilla extract
•2 T. raisins or craisins
•Optional: 1/4 c. semi sweet chocolate morsels
Method: mix nut butter with honey, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Add oats rice crisp cereal, nuts/seeds and raisins/craisins. Mix well. Use a teaspoon to scoop a small amount then roll into 1/2-1 inch diameter balls. Freeze or refrigerate until firm. Enjoy!
In 1952, polio ravaged the country, with over 20,000 Americans, mostly children, paralyzed. Public pools and movie theaters closed and windows were shut in the heat of the summer. Parents feared their kids would have to live in iron lungs to breathe. On April 12, 1955, millions gathered around their radios to hear the announcement that Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine was safe and effective. Church bells rang out as family members embraced, hopeful at last.
We are now faced with another dangerous pandemic, COVID-19, which has killed over a million people worldwide, closed schools and businesses, and kept us away from sports, entertainment, and our friends and family. While we all know that face-mask wearing and social distancing are essential, many people worry about the disruption in our children’s education, the economy, and our mental well-being.
Fortunately, the unprecedented effort to quickly discover a COVID-19 vaccine has paid off. In Pfizer’s clinical trial, 170 of the 40,000 volunteers got COVID-19 but only 8 of those had received the vaccine. Only 1 of the 10 severe cases had gotten the Pfizer vaccine. Moderna had similar results with 30,000 volunteers and 95 getting the virus, with only 5 who received the vaccine. None who had the Moderna vaccine became severely ill. While the trials were completed quickly, scientific standards were followed and no shortcuts were made. The high prevalence of COVID-19 allowed enough people in the trials to catch the virus and give us these results sooner.
Side effects are expected to occur in 10-15% of people vaccinated including fatigue, muscle, and joint aches, headaches, and pain or redness at the injection site, typically going away after one or two days. People should expect to be somewhat more uncomfortable than with the typical flu shots and consider taking the next day off from work. These symptoms are all signs that the vaccine is working. No long term side effects have been seen in vaccine trials. A second dose is required in three to four weeks before the vaccine will protect you.
In deciding whether to get the vaccine, compare the risk of one or two days of tiredness and aches with the known COVID-19 risks of heart and lung damage, strokes, and potentially death. A study showed that 2 months after being hospitalized with the virus, one-third of people still had trouble breathing. Experts all agree that getting COVID-19 is far more dangerous than any potential risk from the vaccine. It is safe for people who have had COVID-19 to get vaccinated, and vaccination remains important since those who had a mild illness may not be immune from getting re-infected.
New Hampshire has a detailed plan for vaccinations including 4 phases: initially health care workers, first responders, and then those in long-term care facilities or with high-risk health conditions. This first group will be followed by teachers, child-care workers, essential industry workers, and older adults. Finally, children, young adults, and then the entire public will be eligible. It will likely be April before everyone has an opportunity to be vaccinated. Thus, it is critical that we all continue to maintain social distancing and wear masks over both nose and mouth to prevent further increases in the spread of COVID-19 while we wait for a vaccine.
Plymouth, NH – Renovations are underway at Mid-State Health Center’s Plymouth office to create specially designed space to expand the community’s access to COVID-19 testing.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded nearly $583 million to 1,385 HRSA-funded health centers, including Mid-State, to expand COVID-19 testing.
Mid-State has contracted Nickerson Designs to transform a portion of their existing lobby into a specially-designed space for COVID-19 testing. The newly renovated space will increase community access to COVID-19 testing while decreasing the risk of exposure to the virus for its staff and patients. The renovation will enable Mid-State providers to continue to provide high-quality health care to everyone in the community and better protect staff and patients.
“Mid-State has been dedicated to providing high-quality health care to the community, even now more than ever. This renovation is another way that Mid-State ensures patient access to health care services that are needed most, which currently is COVID-19 testing. While we expand our testing capabilities in the coming winter months, the re-designed space will ensure our space is comfortable for our patients to seek the primary care services they need”, said Mid-State Chief Executive Officer Robert MacLeod.
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Construction is will begin on November 16, 2020 and is planned to be completed in early January 2021. Mid-State Health Center at Boulder Point will remain open during normal hours during
2020 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING
Did you miss our meeting? Want to see it again?
Dr. Jennifer Bentwood has returned to New Hampshire, joining Speare’s Plymouth OB/GYN practice where she will provide women’s health services and Mid-State Health Center’s Bristol office where she will provide family medicine services.
Having earned her medical degree at Dartmouth School of Medicine, Dr. Bentwood is pleased that her medical career has brought her back to New Hampshire.
“I feel fortunate that I can come back to my home town, raise my children, practice medicine, and be a part of a community as supportive as Plymouth,” she says.
Board-certified in family medicine and fellowship-trained in high-risk obstetrics, Dr. Bentwood specializes in family medicine and obstetrics/gynecology. She has a special interest in the care of women and children and preventing chronic disease through lifestyle and dietary changes.
“As a family doctor who also practices obstetrics, I get to be part of some the most significant events in a family’s life, from the birth of a child to the passing of a grandparent,” says Dr. Bentwood. “The opportunity to develop a relationship with an entire family, often with multiple generations, is the best part of my job.”
To become a patient of Dr. Bentwood call:
Mid-State Health Center 603-744-6200
Plymouth OB/GYN 603-536-1104
Dr. Sunny Gaudet joins Mid-State’s Dental Team allowing Dental Services in Bristol Office to operate Monday – Friday.
Mid-State Health Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Sunny Gaudet, General Dentist, to the practice, allowing for the expansion of dental service hours. Dr. Gaudet will be seeing patients in their Bristol office alongside Mid-State’s Dental Director Dr. Kelly Perry, Monday – Friday.
Dr. Kelly Perry says “We are so fortunate to have a kind and gentle dentist like Dr. Sunny Gaudet joining our team. Her roots in the community, as well as her experience and skills, are a tremendous asset for Mid-State. I am confident our patients will enjoy working with her as much as I do.”
Dr. Gaudet received her Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. She is highly trained and able to offer a full range of preventative and restorative dental care, as well as advanced surgical procedures, extractions, and implants.
Mid-State’s Dental Services are now open Monday – Friday for routine dental procedures and is accepting new dental patients of all ages.
To become a patient and schedule an appointment with either of our General Dentists, call (603) 744-6200.
Mid-State Celebrates a year of lighting the way to a healthier community as a Community Health Center.
Mid-State Health Center will celebrate National Health Center Week this year from August 9 through August 15 and recognize their team as well as all the health clinics around the nation who work tirelessly to keep our communities healthy and safe.
Community Health Centers provide preventive and primary care services to over 91,400 patients in New Hampshire and have continued to do so while facing a global pandemic. Community Health Centers nationwide are committed to providing care to those in our community who are underserved and lack access to affordable, quality care. While our approach is community-based and local, collectively we are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system. Community Health Centers lower health care costs to the tune of 24 billion dollars a year, reduce rates of chronic diseases, and stimulate local economies.
Robert MacLeod, Mid-State’s Chief Executive Officer highlighted, “now more than ever, our mission to provide high quality primary care to our community is essential. Mid-State is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring everyone has access to the care they need, when they need it, regardless of their ability to pay.”
Mid-State is also committed to help its patients address factors that may contribute to poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, and, lack of nutrition. They continue to serve our communities through both telehealth and in-office visits to ensure their patients can still access the care they need to stay healthy. Despite the challenges of the past year, Mid-State has added more options for local access to healthcare services through the addition of an Imaging Center in its Plymouth office; welcoming the Alpine Clinic to add access to orthopedics with its Visiting Specialist Program; and expansion of its RISE Recovery Services to include an Intensive Outpatient Program.
While the response to COVID-19 continues in our nation, Community Health Centers have stretched themselves to reconfigure services for those in need. The mission of Mid-State and of all Community Health Centers remains crucial today because access to basic care remains a challenge in parts of the United States.
Mid-State’s Mission:
Mid-State Health Center provides sound primary medical care to the community, accessible to all regardless of the ability to pay.
During National Health Center Week, and every day, Mid-State wants to recognize the valuable contribution its entire staff brings and highlight how the dedication of each and every member of the Mid-State team is what ensures its ability to continue providing high-quality care accessible to all, regardless of the ability to pay.
Mad River Tents generous donation helps Mid-State continue to see its patients.
In March, as part of its response to COVID-19, Mid-State moved quickly to a telehealth model of care for most of its patients, but there were many high-risk patients who required an in-person visit with their care team to stay well. Thanks to the tent generously donated by Mad River Tents located in Campton, New Hampshire, Mid-State launched a temporary outdoor care model to ensure its patients could be seen for their healthcare needs in a safe and convenient location.
Mid-State’s Medical Director, Dr. David Fagan said “thanks to the help from Jessie at Mad River Tents our care team was able to quickly adapt and ensure the safety of our patients”.
Staying healthy is one of the best ways to combat the impact of the coronavirus and Mid-State’s commitment to providing primary care to the community has never been more important. As Mid-State’s care team and its patients return to the more familiar in-person visits, Mid-State has a plan in place for those who require limited exposure during their visit.
Mid-State and its entire care team extend their appreciation to Jessie Solberg of Mad River Tents for supporting them in their mission to provide sound primary care to the entire community during these challenging times.
As the region returns to work and more people are out and about, patients can schedule a visit with their provider for all of their regular visits as well as things like flu-like symptoms, rash and hives, and behavioral health support. Call today to schedule (603) 536-4000.
Dr. David Fagan, MD
Dr. David Fagan, a longtime Internal Medicine physician at Mid-State, began in his new role as Medical Director in early May. Dr. David Fagan brings extensive experience working in clinical health care in a career that spans more than thirty years with over ten years as part of our care team.
“Dr. Fagan brings a wealth of knowledge, operational experience, and innovation to his new leadership role,” Mid-State Chief Executive Officer Robert MacLeod says. Most recently, Dr. Fagan has been instrumental in leading the health center’s successful response to Covid-19 with his steadfast commitment to ensure the safety of patients and staff.
Mid-State Health Center is also pleased to welcome Stephen Regan, MD, to our care team in Plymouth. Dr. Regan specializes in internal medicine providing primary care for adults. Dr. Regan received both his undergraduate degree and completed medical school at Boston University. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Vermont.
Post residency, Dr. Regan ‘s long-term post was with Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster, NH where he practiced Hospital Medicine, including caring for acutely ill patients in the emergency room and intensive care unit. Dr. Regan joins Mid-State’s care team with over twenty-three years of hospitalist and emergency medicine experience. Dr. Regan specializes in treating adult men and women for both common and complex illnesses.
Robert MacLeod, shared, “We are delighted to have a clinician of Stephen’s caliber joining our staff. His expertise and commitment to the health of our community makes him an excellent addition to the Mid-State team.”
Dr. Regan is now accepting new patients at Mid-State. To learn more about to enroll as a patient call 603-536-4000.
