ACHS-Littleton Opens Its Newly Renovated & Expanded Facility
With a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Open House on July 12th
July 21 2011 - Press Release
LITTLETON – Back in December of 2009, Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Inc. (ACHS) received an affirmative Notice of Grant Award for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Facility Investment Program (FIP) for funding to expand the ACHS – Littleton Facility. Seven months later, what had only been a dream, has turned into wonderful reality. An Open House on July 12th from 5-7pm will celebrate this milestone.
The celebration will begin with a flag-raising ceremony at 5 pm led by Dan Greenlaw, VFW Post Commander, and other members of the Shawnee Post 816, remarks from Special Friends of ACHS set the stage for the Ribbon Cutting. At 5:30, ACHS staff members will lead tours of the facility, the Board of Directors will be on hand and the public has an opportunity to meet the Health Care Providers of ACHS-Littleton, light refreshments will be provided. There will be an art exhibit featuring the paintings of Paula Wolcott; and the Laughing Couple, a husband and wife team, will delight the younger audience with their unique performance combining their respective skills as mural maker and storyteller. This event has been very generously sponsored by Union Bank and Martin’s Cleaning Service.
The public is invited to tour the new facility which is very welcoming and comfortable. Much thought and consideration went into the planning of the facility, from color selections to work flow and especially patient needs. News of this award came at a time when ACHS was seeing a significant increase in demand for services. The Littleton care delivery site had become insufficient to effectively and efficiently deliver the nationally-recognized, high-quality care and optimal outcomes our patients consistently experience.
Ed Shanshala, ACHS’ CEO, says of the new facility, “We are extremely fortunate to have been selected to receive this funding and build for the community’s future. As we continue to realize an increase in demand for service, the new facility will increase access and bring new efficiencies to our provision of integrated healthcare to the 1 in 3 residents of the 26 towns we serve who call us their “Patient-Centered Medical Home of Choice”.
Having been recognized by HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) as one of only 26 FQHCs who were identified as “high-performing” the ARRA FIP funds have provided a much needed expansion and renovation to our ACHS-Littleton care delivery site. This will enable us to continue to provide even more high quality patient outcomes well into the future, which the community has received from ACHS since 1975. We are passionate about being our “community’s health partner for life.”
The expansion has almost doubled the size of the previous site and improved every aspect of the setting in which care is delivered. All of the clinical staff is now located in one building, there is an increased number of exam rooms with state-of-the-art equipment allowing for increased patient service and provider productivity, internal access to both levels of the building, improved parking, installation of an elevator and more lab space. The overall design of the clinical areas will enhance patient flow and ensures a much more comfortable, welcoming environment. Teresa Brooks, ACHS Director of Patient Services, says “Patients will now enjoy the look, feel and comfort of a facility built to reflect the quality care they have been receiving from ACHS all these years.”
The newly expanded facility is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, meaning it has been designed and engineered for energy efficiency and a healthy work environment. The building will require minimal energy to heat and cool, and overall performance is enhanced with solar panels which provide year-round domestic hot water. Environmental conditions, such as lighting, building materials, and internal temperature controls are designed to ensure a comfortable work space for both staff and patients. Shawn Tester, ACHS’s COO, says “LEED’s requirements drove important design and construction decisions; for example we were required to use locally grown wood materials throughout the health center. We are proud to have built a facility that is environmentally responsible.”
The towns ACHS serves are considered by HRSA as Medically Underserved Populations in northern Grafton and lower Coos counties in New Hampshire. Recent economic conditions resulting in job and insurance losses and reduced wages and a lack of public transportation have added to the already challenged access to primary care for many members of our community. We anticipate an increase in demand for the sliding-fee-scale primary care services that ACHS has provided since 1994. The expansion of ACHS-Littleton will significantly increase the organizations ability to care for the underserved populations in its service area. Our mission is to provide evidence-based, outcome specific, systematic medical care that is patient-centered, focused on prevention and accessible and affordable to all. This expansion is critically important to meet our goals, maintain our quality of care and serve those in need.
Founded in 1975, Ammonoosuc Community Health Services is a nonprofit community health center offering a network of affordable primary health care services. Our programs promote and support the well-being of individuals and families by emphasizing preventive care and encouraging active participation in one’s own health.
ACHS serves 26 New Hampshire towns in northern Grafton and southern Coos counties and has sites located in Littleton, Franconia, Whitefield, Warren and Woodsville. Clinical teams, made up of doctors, nurse practitioners or physician assistants supported by nurses and medical assistants, provide comprehensive services on a sliding fee scale to over 10,000 patients. For more information about ACHS, visit www.ammonoosuc.org or call 444-2464. ACHS is accepting new patients, call the New Patient hotline at 1-866-201-5076.