Families First Grateful for Portsmouth Hospital's Support

Portsmouth Regional Hospital has added a new dimension to its longstanding support of Families First Health and Support Center, earmarking $60,000 of the $222,000 it will donate to Families First this year to subsidize three dental programs. The money will help Families First expand access to dental care for senior citizens and also maintain its mobile dental program and school-based dental program.

The hospital has been Families First’s largest corporate donor ever since the agency’s founding in 1984 as the Portsmouth Prenatal Clinic, which was then housed at the hospital.

“The hospital’s generosity has been key to Families First’s ability to grow over the past 30 years to meet community needs,” says Families First Executive Director Helen Taft. Today, in addition to prenatal care – provided in partnership with the hospital-affiliated practice Harbour Women’s Health – Families First now includes a full-service family practice, dental care, behavioral health care, mobile health care, parenting classes, home visiting, and other family programs.

The latest growth area, made possible with the hospital’s support, is to open Families First Dental Center to senior citizens even if they are not Families First Health Center patients. “Due to limited capacity, adults could not become dental patients here unless they also receive their primary care at Families First, although all children and teens could,” says Taft. “We have always received lots of calls from senior citizens who needed affordable dental care but did not want to leave their longtime primary care providers. It’s a wonderful thing for them, and for us, that we no longer have to turn these patients away.”

Senior citizens who live in Portsmouth, Greenland, Rye, Kittery, Newington, Hampton or North Hampton may now come to Families First for dental care. “Medicare does not cover dental care, so many seniors lack dental insurance,” says Taft. “With the hospital’s help, we can offer these patients discounts of up to 75% off the cost of their visits, depending on the patient’s income.”

The hospital also contributed to a recent capital campaign to replace one of Families First’s health care vans.

In addition to the monetary support, the hospital and Families First partner in many other ways. The hospital has an agreement with Families First to discount its fees for shred patients who are hospitalized. And when patients who don’t have a primary care provider or dentist come to the hospital’s Emergency Department seeking care for an oral health problem or a complication related to a chronic illness, a system is in place for Families First to “fast track” referrals of patients so they can get timely follow-up care. And to ensure continuity of care, hospital personnel can view the electronic medical records of Families First patients who come to the hospital, and Families First can receive electronic discharge summaries for its patients who are hospitalized.

More information about Families First is available at 603-422-8208 or FamiliesFirstSeacoast.org.

More information about Portsmouth Regional Hospital is available at 603-436-5110 or portsmouthhospital.com.

Caption: Helen Taft, executive director of Families First Health and Support Center, left, and Portsmouth Regional Hospital ‎Associate Director Marketing and Public Affairs Nancy Notis are pictured at Families First’s new health care van, which recognizes the hospital as the agency’s lead corporate sponsor.

Submitted text. Courtesy photo.