JR was raised on the bay of Rhode Island and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1983 where he remained, serving his country for some thirty three years. JR has provided medical care on every continent of the globe and has served in ground combat. After all those years of travel, he is looking forward to settling down and helping to provide care to those that need it here at the clinic. JR is an avid Sailor and outdoorsman who enjoys all aspects of the outdoors and enjoys cooking, cider making, and growing apple trees.
WHY
White Mountain
Community Health Center?
At the heart of White Mountain Community Health Center...
is an innate goal to care for the whole person. With empathy and understanding, we work with our patients to meet them where they are and develop care plans that are uniquely personal. In caring for the community, White Mountain Community Health Center’s approach to better health goes far beyond medical solutions. It’s about respect, trust and the ability to help our patients overcome barriers that hold them back from improving their wellbeing.
Our Mission, Vision & Values
White Mountain Community Health Center provides the community with affordable access to high-quality, compassionate, individualized healthcare and support services needed to achieve wellness.
We envision a community where everyone gets the care and support they need to be healthy regardless of financial situation.
AFFORDABLE CARE
We want to ensure that anyone in the community can access the best healthcare, no matter who they are and what resources they have. We welcome all regardless of ability to pay, strive for cost transparency, and look for other ways to help patients overcome barriers to care.
RESPECT
We respect each person we work with as a fellow human being. We take the time necessary to build good relationships with patients. Patients’ opinions matter to us and we listen to them and shape their care accordingly. We expect patients to treat us with respect and integrity in return. Staff take the time to build good relationships with each other as well to create a supportive and respectful work culture.
COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED CARE
We provide care for the whole person. Providers work as a team to provide integrated care for patients and connect them with resources to address all factors affecting their ability to achieve health.
PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
We recruit highly skilled staff and provide support and continuing education to ensure our patients get the highest level of care. We evaluate our performance regularly and use data to determine areas of improvement.
DEDICATION
We work hard for our patients and go the extra mile to ensure we are following through. Our patients can depend on us.
COLLABORATION
Our staff collaborate and learn from each other to take full advantage of each staff member’s strengths. We work closely with other organizations to address our community’s health needs and underlying social determinants of health.
INNOVATION
We lead the way in community healthcare, finding creative ways to provide cutting-edge care with the available resources.
How We Do It
White Mountain Community Health Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community health center and Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike (FQHC-LAL). As an FQHC-LAL we receive enhanced reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare, but no additional annual funding.
We provide healthcare to all Mt. Washington Valley residents regardless of ability to pay by having a diverse base of support. Our funding includes local, state, and national sources, both private and public. This supplements revenue from health insurance companies, Medicaid, Medicare, and payments from patients, which do not fully cover the cost of the care we provide.
Board of Directors
Since the beginning, community health centers have been led by the people they serve. Having a board where the majority of members are patients and all are Mt. Washington Valley residents is critical to our mission and success.
Christy Mackie, President
Camp Operations Director, Geneva Point Center
Caitlin Behr, RN, Vice President
Registered Nurse, Memorial Hospital and Fresh Face Studio
Angela Zakon, CPA, Treasurer
Supervisor, Leone, McDonnell & Roberts, PA
Ellen Blanchard
School Nurse, Retired
Richard Faucher
ESL and HiSAT Teacher, Carroll County Adult Education
Chad Laflamme
Software Engineer, The Atom Group
Alison Saunders
Cashier, WalMart
Administrative Staff
Kenneth "JR" Porter
Julie Everett Hill, BSN RN
Julie Everett Hill earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Western Governors University and her Associates Degree in Nursing from New Hampshire Community Technical College. She began her nursing career in 1994 as a nursing assistant and was inspired to advance in the profession. She joined the White Mountain Community Health Center team in March of 2009 after several years in hospital-based nursing. Julie is passionate about finding creative strategies to improve access to healthcare, and is currently working on her master’s degree in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at the University of New Hampshire.
In her operations role at White Mountain, Julie enjoys her work leading quality improvement initiatives that result in meaningful changes for both patients and staff. She has been instrumental in the implementation of SBIRT (Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) at the health center, and has been deeply involved in speaking about its benefits at the state and local levels. Julie has a passion for fitness and nutrition, and is a Level 2 CrossFit Trainer and Olympic weightlifting coach. A lifelong writer, she studied English at the University of Southern Maine before pursuing nursing. She lives in Madison with her husband, and makes time to pursue her varied interests: mountain biking, skiing, birding, writing, oil painting, knitting, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Deborah Cross, APRN PMHNP
Deborah Cross completed her undergraduate degree with a psychology major from Rutgers University. She went on to get an associates degree in nursing from LSU Medical Center in New Orleans. For the next eleven years she worked in a wide variety of hospital settings as a registered nurse including telemetry, ICU, pediatrics, and ER. She decided to switch her focus to primary care after volunteering in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She had always had a passion for helping the underserved access healthcare. In 2009, she graduated from the UCSF family nurse practitioner program. She began working at White Mountain Community Health Center later that year. She received her certification as a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a post-masters degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2023.
Deborah has started a Medication Assisted Therapy program at the health center to respond to the opioid crisis in our area. She has also received specialized training to treat chronic hepatitis C in primary care. Deborah and her husband are also licensed foster parents. They have adopted three teenage girls, two of whom still live with them. Deborah enjoys getting outside and spending time with her bunnies.
Lichen Rancourt
Lichen Rancourt embarked on a new career with White Mountain Community Health Center in 2023 after over 20 years as a librarian. She now puts her degree in Information Science to work managing our finances. She is an expert knitter who also enjoys cooking, making greeting cards, spinning, weaving, and collecting new hobbies. She spends her extra time maintaining her home and property in Conway that once belonged to her great-grandmother. She lives with her husband, Kevin and two children. She believes all problems can be solved with a finely crafted spreadsheet.
Siena Kaplan-Thompson
Siena earned her Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College and has been with the health center since 2013. She began her work in nonprofit administration at the Environment America headquarters in Boston, working primarily on grants, program development, and research. She worked as a policy analyst for Frontier Group, the in-house think tank for Environment America and U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG), where she authored reports on health care policy and other public interest issues. At the health center, Siena works to increase the organization's capacity to serve the community by building financial support through grants and other fundraising, deepening the community's understanding of our work through communications, and strengthening our operations.
Siena has lived in Tamworth since 2011, and when she isn't at the health center she can often be found playing the fiddle with the White Mountain Céilí Band, serving on the Tamworth School Board, or adventuring with her wife and their two children.
Deborah Eastman
Debbie was born and raised in the valley. She is married and has two adult daughters and five grandchildren. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of New Hampshire College for Lifelong Learning. Debbie joined us at the health center when the pandemic ended her 25-year career working for a local dental practice. She can be found in her craft room preparing for a card class when not at work. She loves reading and spending time with her twin granddaughters & grandson that live in the valley.
Toni Howard
Toni started working as a part-time bookkeeper at Children's Health Center (formerly C&Y Project) in April of 1987. A few years later, Toni began working full-time as a receptionist and bookkeeper, and would assist with weighing and measuring babies when needed. When Children's Health Center merged with Family Health Centre to become White Mountain Community Health Center in 2001, Toni took on the position of business manager, doing bookkeeping and medical billing. She taught herself medical billing and helped establish electronic billing and billing to insurances.
Toni currently holds the title of billing manager. Since her early interactions with patients, Toni has thoroughly enjoyed participating in fundraisers and events, watching generations of children receive care at the health center, and the time she was able to work alongside of her good friend Shawn Rogers. She is proud of her 30 years at the health center and cannot imagine working anywhere else. Originally from Dedham, Massachusetts, Toni graduated Dedham High School in 1976, and moved to NH in 1978 with her husband, Jay. They have lived in the Valley since 1983, where they raised their children, Nick and Corrie. Toni's outside interests include running, camping, hiking, and fishing.
Clinical Staff
Cheryl Buzzell, MA
Cheryl has been a medical assistant for 32 years. She graduated from Westbrook College in Portland, Maine. Cheryl grew up in the White Mountain Valley area and moved back in 1993. She enjoys the variety that working as a medical assistant offers and the dedicated people she works with at White Mountain Community Health Center.
Jessica Kiesman, MA
Jessica has worked in healthcare since she became an LNA in 2003. She received her medical assistant certification in 2011. Before coming to the health center in 2021, she worked at Granite State Pain and the ROAD Program for addiction treatment, and another family practice. She loves working at the health center because it truly feels like a family. Jessica has lived in New Hampshire for most of her life, and loves gardening (she has an epic yard every summer), kayaking, and being near water.
Our History
-
1968
Children & Youth Project (C&Y) is founded to provide health services to children through age 6 under Director Carroll Bergin, RN, including medical, nutrition, and social services. -
1981
C&Y Project is incorporated as a non-profit. -
1983
Family Health Centre is founded to provide family planning and prenatal care to women who could not otherwise afford it, and to reduce teen pregnancy. -
1988
Carroll Bergin, RN retires from the C&Y Project and David Brooks begins as Executive Director. -
1991
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Shawn Rogers, APRN joins the C&Y Project. -
1992
C&Y Project changes its name to the Children’s Health Center. At this point, the organization provides medical, nutritional, and social services to children from birth to age 10, including groups and workshops for parents. -
February 12, 2001
The Children’s Health Center and Family Health Centre merge to form White Mountain Community Health Center, which opens its doors on this date as a non-profit community health center providing primary care, prenatal care, family planning, and referral services to men, women and children of all ages. David Brooks serves as Executive Director, Ruth Hamilton as Director of Operations, and Dr. Angus Badger as Medical Director. -
2002
Patricia McMurry joins as Executive Director, the Health Center participates in enrollment efforts for the new NH Healthy Kids Program (Children’s Medicaid), and the Teen Clinic begins its Peer Educator program. -
2004–2009
Children’s dental services are added, as well as the Miranda Leavitt Diabetes Fund and Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome Fund. -
2013
The Health Insurance Navigation program is established to help Mt. Washington Valley residents enroll in the new Health Insurance Marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act. -
2015
SBIRT (universal substance abuse screening and intervention) and universal depression screening programs are begun, and the Phil Kelly Food Pantry Fund is established. -
2016
The pediatric program begins the New Baby Safety Bags program to provide free safety tools to new parents, staff is trained in motivational interviewing to help patients make desired health changes, and the Board of Directors is restructured to have a patient majority. -
2017
Adult dental services and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorder are added, JR Porter joins as Executive Director following Patricia McMurry's retirement. -
2018
The Health Center becomes a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike (FQHC-LAL), and Community Health Worker services are added. -
2019
Telehealth Hepatitis C treatment program launched -
2020
Services continue during the pandemic by switching to telehealth video or phone calls for most appointments. Prenatal and essential healthcare continue in-person throughout the pandemic. -
2021
Health Center staff are able to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and full in-patient appointments resume. Family Nurse Practitioner Deborah Cross, APRN becomes Medical Director. -
2022
The Health Center offers COVID-19 vaccination and free home tests, and holds vaccination clinics. The Health Center offers the Monkeypox vaccine and is recognized for its quick turnaround in making the vaccine accessible. The Care Coordination Team is established and coordinates with other local nonprofits to hold the first Community Baby Shower. -
2023
Mental health services are expanded: a Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor is added and Deborah Cross, APRN receives her Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner certification. The Family Planning Fund and Dental Fund are established. -
Beyond
White Mountain Community Health Center is working towards moving to a new space that could be a true center of community health anyone can access, with a full dental suite and room for workshops, groups and classes. Our biggest visions include spaces for teenagers, on-site childcare, maybe even a gym, community gardens, or walking trails. This is a large project we’re just starting to envision. Stay tuned as we get to work! In the closer term, we hope to add children’s mental healthcare, become a full Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), find ways to expand access to our services, and improve our cost transparency.