Bi-State

About Us

Our Mission

Advance access to comprehensive primary care services for all, with special emphasis on those most in need in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Our History

Bi-State Primary Care Association was founded in 1986 by a small group of committed individuals with a shared goal to enhance access to primary care services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Our journey started with just one Federally Qualified Health Center in each state, collectively serving 10,000 individuals. Today, we’ve grown to encompass 23 Community Health Centers and affiliated organizations serving over 330,000 individuals. Our health centers offer a comprehensive range of medical, dental, mental health, and substance use disorder services regardless of ability to pay. 

Our Work

Bi-State provides training and technical assistance (T/TA) to Federally Qualified Health Centers, Look-Alikes, and other safety-net providers to improve programmatic, clinical, operational, and financial performance. Separate from our federal and state grants, we also represent our Community Health Centers and affiliated member organizations in their national and state government relations efforts.

Bi-State is home to:

  • The Recruitment Center, which offers recruitment and retention services to our membership and other clients and which provides other workforce development supports.  Recruitment services focus on primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, dentists, and behavioral health clinicians. 
  • The Vermont Rural Health Alliance (VRHA), a health-center controlled network serving Vermont’s FQHCs with data and quality improvement supports. 
  • The Food Access and Health Care Network, which innovates at the intersection of food access and health care. 
Our Leadership Team

Tess Stack Kuenning, CNS, MS, RN – President and CEO 

Lori H. Real, MHA – Executive Vice President, Talent and Culture, Finance, and Information Technology; Privacy & Compliance Officer; Office of Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance and Business Development 

Georgia J. Maheras, Esq. – Sr. Vice President, Policy and Strategy

Other Key Contacts

For employment verification, please contact Kim Martin. 

For information about membership, please contact Kate Simmons. 

For press inquiries, please contact Colleen Dowling. 

Bi-State Primary Care Association (Bi-State) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that represents Community Health Centers and safety-net providers serving over 330,074 patients at 177 locations throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. Bi-State’s 26 members include Community Health Centers, the Community Health Access Network, North Country Health Consortium, the NH Area Health Education Center, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Vermont’s Free and Referral Clinics. Bi-State promotes access to quality, affordable primary health care with an emphasis on reaching underserved populations.

 

Bi-State was founded as a 501(c)3 charitable organization in 1986 with offices in Bow, New Hampshire, and Montpelier, Vermont, and holds a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) to provide training and technical assistance (T/TA) to safety-net providers. This T/TA is based on statewide and regional needs to help health centers improve programmatic, clinical, and financial performance and operations. Under this cooperative agreement, Bi-State supports health centers with strategic growth planning and recruiting and retaining their health care workforce. For more information on the role of Primary Care Associations, please visit the BPHC website: https://bphc.hrsa.gov/. Bi-State also operates the NH/VT Recruitment Center.

 

Bi-State’s website is supported by HRSA and other funding sources.

 

If you have any questions or need assistance navigating and interpreting this site, please contact Colleen Dowling, Communications & Development Manager, at [email protected] or (603) 228-2830 x 127. Google Chrome is the recommended browser.

525 Clinton Street, Bow, NH 03304

 

603-228-2830 Fax: 603-224-2464

61 Elm Street, Montpelier, VT 05602

 

802-229-0002 Fax: 802-223-2336

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