Press Release

Release Date: June 15, 2010
HRCHC Contact: Communications Department
Telephone: (207) 861-3466
Email: Communications@HealthReach.org

New Provider, New Service in Belgrade

Jessica Hopkins, LCSW, CADC will be joining the medical team at Belgrade Regional Health Center in July. Hopkins is a licensed clinical social worker and certified alcohol and drug counselor. She will be the first clinician in the HealthReach system of eleven community health centers to implement a new model of integrated behavioral health into health services.

One of the program goals is to focus on the total patient rather than simply treating disease. The Belgrade medical providers will recommend patients to Hopkins and she will meet with them right in the health center. This will include patients with chronic conditions, families experiencing parenting challenges, and others who would benefit from a brief visit with a trained professional. “I have a strong desire to make a positive difference in the lives of families and children and am looking forward to working in the Belgrade Lakes region,” states Hopkins.

Hopkins earned a Master in Social Work degree from University of New England and a Bachelor of Art degree in Communication from University of Southern Maine. She brings experience with infants, children and families in a variety of settings including neonatal intensive care, residential, outpatient and outreach environments.
Hopkins joins Dr. Amy Madden, Vickie Chapman and Megan O’Brien, nurse practitioners, and Matt Colaluca, physician assistant who provide medical care to 2,500 residents and visitors from the Belgrade region and surrounding communities.

HealthReach is grateful for the support of Maine Health Access Foundation and Davis Family Foundation, which have both recognized the importance of our program and provided necessary startup funding to enable us to launch this program.

The Maine Health Access Foundation is Maine's largest health care foundation. MeHAF was founded in 2000 and each year provides approximately $5 million in grants and program funding to expand access to health care (particularly for people who are uninsured and medically underserved) and improve the health of all Maine residents. www.MeHAF.org.

The Davis Family Foundation is a public charitable foundation established by Phyllis C. Davis and H. Halsey Davis of Falmouth, Maine, to support educational, medical and cultural/arts organizations located primarily in Maine “to make grants where they will do the most good and where our gifts make a real difference.” www.davisfoundations.org,

Belgrade Regional Health Center is a practice of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a system of eleven federally qualified health centers in Central and Western Maine. Dedicated providers deliver first-class health care to citizens in over 80 rural communities. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts major insurances as well as Medicare and MaineCare. In addition, uninsured and underinsured patients have access to an Affordable Care Program and assistance with applications for other programs that help with health care and medication costs. A private, non-profit organization celebrating 35 years of providing care, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants and individual donations. www.HealthReachCHC.org.