Community Health Center has come a long way in the last quarter century and is proud to celebrate our 25th Anniversary of improving the health of the community through the provision of equitable, patient-centered, high-quality, compassionate health care to all, regardless of ability to pay in 2023.

CHC was founded in 1998 as the Falmouth Free Clinic, by a small group of dedicated volunteer physicians, nurses, counselors and lay people to people to provide free health services to uninsured residents of Cape Cod and the Islands. Today, we are a Federally Qualified Health Center, providing integrated care services to more than 25,000 individuals at seven offices on the Cape.

“Through all of our growth and change since our founding, our original mission has remained constant, to provide access to care for all, regardless of ability to pay,” says Karen Gardner, Chief Executive Officer at Community Health Center. “It has been so incredible to watch this organization continue to have a positive influence on the health of our community. We are so grateful for the last 25 years, and look forward to the impact we will continue to make in the future.”

Community Health Center provides care within a complete medical home model, offering individuals primary care, behavioral health care, dental care, walk-in care, gynecology, optometry, substance use disorder services, on-site affordable prescriptions, lifestyle medicine, x-ray and ultrasound services, case management services, barrier assessments and assistance, Veterans care and many other specialized programs.

There are a number of ways for the community to get involved with Community Health Center’s 25th Anniversary, culminating with a Treasures of Good Health Celebration on Friday, October 13 at Willowbend.  To learn more about this event or other ways to get involved, please visit CHCofCapeCod.org/25years. If you have any questions about Community Health Center, feel free to reach out to the Advancement Department at (508) 477-5990 or cellis@chcofcapecod.org.

Community Health Center will be hosting their 23rd Annual Golf Tournament at Pocasset Golf Club (24 Club House Drive, Pocasset) on Monday, September 11. Last year’s event featured a sold-out field that raised a record-breaking amount to support CHC’s programs and services. This Tournament is just one event that CHC is planning this year to commemorate their 25th Anniversary.

The funds raised from this event go directly to impact Community Health Center’s mission, specifically to increase access to health and wellness programming for the community. This includes providing chronic disease programs to improve overall wellness; supporting busy, working families; nurturing youth to build character through positive life choices; and creating social and wellness programs for seniors to remain active and independent.

The CHC Golf Tournament will begin with a 12:30 shotgun start, and includes lunch, a cocktail reception, on-course contests, dinner, awards and auction. To register, learn more or find other ways to support Community Health Center’s Golf Tournament, visit CHCofCapeCod.org/golf.  If you have questions, please contact Christopher Ellis at cellis@chcofcapecod.org or (508) 477-5990.

Effective May 11, 2023, Community Health Center updated its mask policy for all patients, visitors, and staff. Masks will continue to be provided at all CHC locations. Patients, visitors or team members who would like to continue wearing a mask are free to do so at any time.

Please note, there are some instances when wearing a mask is still recommended or required:

• Recommended: All CHC employees are recommended to wear masks when they are in a clinical setting, providing routine patient care.
• Required: All patients will be screened at the front desk and if positive for symptoms of an airborne pathogen illness, including fever, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, shortness of breath, they will be asked to wear a mask. Health care provider caring for the patient should wear a mask.
• Required: Health care provider should wear a mask if they have symptoms of an airborne pathogen illness, including fever, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, shortness of breath.
• Required: When isolation precautions (aka transmission-based precautions) are in place (ex. confirmed or suspected COVID-19, flu, etc.)
• Required: After exposure to someone diagnosed with COVID-19 without wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Required: Health care provider should wear a mask upon request by the patient or the patient’s representative.

*This guidance may change based upon county COVID-19 prevalence.

CHC’s masking guidance may change based on COVID-19 prevalence within its counties. If COVID-19 activity increases in a county, masking requirements may be reinstated for all CHC facilities.  for more information about COVID-19 vaccinations and testing at Community Health Center, please click here.

Bourne – Community Health Center now offers walk-in care services for CHC patients and the community at their Bourne office at 123 Waterhouse Road. Walk-in care can be utilized for sick visits such as flu, cold, cough, sore throat and other minor illnesses or injuries. These services are available Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 4:30pm. This expansion of services aims to increase access to day-of care for individuals in need on the Upper Cape and surrounding areas. 

Community Health Center’s walk-in care location can be found in the current CHC office in Bourne which provides primary care, dental care, behavioral health care, and diagnostic lab services as well as a full-service retail pharmacy. Community Health Center also provides walk-in care at its Mashpee (107 Commercial Street) and Centerville (1185B Falmouth Road) offices. No appointment is necessary to receive walk-in care at Community Health Center’s locations. In addition to walk-in services, CHC offers integrated primary care, behavioral health care, dental care, gynecology, optometry, substance use disorder services, on-site affordable prescriptions and other services.

As part of our continued commitment to improve access to care for all in our community, Community Health Center offers a convenient telehealth tool called Bright.md SmartExam. Adult CHC patients can access the Bright.md SmartExam any time of day or night. A Community Health Center provider will review the exam during walk-in hours (Monday-Thursday 8:00am-5:30pm and Friday 8:00am-5:00pm). Once the provider has reviewed and signed the exam, the patient will receive an email with their treatment plan, including prescriptions ordered, if appropriate. Providers may notify patients directly if they determine an in-person or video visit is necessary to diagnose their ailment.

Community Health Center is proud to offer this tool as a way to improve access to care. Though Bright.md SmartExam won’t be a perfect fit for everyone and every situation, we hope the convenience will be welcomed by those who opt to use it.

SmartExam is available for a wide variety of ailments including:

Acne
Birth Control
Bladder Infection (UTI)
Burn/Sunburn
Constipation
Depression/Anxiety
Erectile Dysfunction
Ear Pain
GERD
Headache
Low Back Pain
Mastitis
Mouth sore
Rash
Smoking Cessation
Sexually Transmitted Illness
Sty/Pink Eye
Upper respiratory illness
Yeast Infection

If you have any questions about this service please contact Community Health Center at (508) 477-7090.

Community Health Center (CHC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Arshiya Seth as the new Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Seth is a highly experienced physician leader with 10+ years of extensive experience in patient safety, risk, quality, and performance improvement.

Dr. Seth began her medical education at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College in Pune, India, where she received her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree. She then completed her internal medicine residency at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) through Harvard University, where she spent 14 years as a primary care provider. Dr. Seth has also served as Performance Improvement Coach to multiple teams, leading several projects to improve overall quality and provider satisfaction within the CHA system of care. She is a Certified Professional in Health Care Quality, a Six Sigma-Lean Professional, and holds a white belt certification in Lean Six Sigma. Dr. Seth is a national speaker on patient safety, risk, and quality, and her career has been devoted to improving patient and staff experience of care through innovation and quality improvement.

CHC is excited to welcome Dr. Seth as the new Chief Medical Officer. Her experience and expertise in patient safety, risk, quality, and performance improvement will be invaluable in CHC’s mission to provide high-quality healthcare to our community.

Mashpee – Community Health Center is hosting COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine clinics at CHC offices in Mashpee, Falmouth and Bourne, which are open to the community. The Moderna bivalent vaccine will be administered for individuals 18 and older at the following times and locations:  Falmouth, at 200 Jones Road in Homeport on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00am to 5:30pm.  Mashpee, at 107 Commercial Street on Thursdays from 8:30am to 5:00pm.  Bourne, at 123 Waterhouse Road on Wednesdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm. 

Community Health Center has created an online scheduling tool to make it easier for CHC patients and others in the community to view availability and to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.  To make an appointment, please visit CHCofCapeCod.org, or call (508) 477-7090.  These vaccine clinics are being administered by Community Health Center’s pharmacy team in each of these locations.     

For additional information about COVID-19 response and testing from Community Health Center, please visit their website, or call (508) 477-7090.

Sandwich – Community Health Center is pleased to have Ryan Golden, MD join their team as Addiction Program Manager. Dr. Golden’s role at CHC will include both internal medicine and substance use disorder/addiction services.         

Dr. Golden received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Stonehill College in Easton, followed by his Doctor of Medicine degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, WI. He completed his internship and residency for Internal Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, as well as his fellowship in Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Golden will split his time between substance use disorder services and primary care, working in Community Health Center’s Mashpee (107 Commercial Street) and Sandwich (90 Route 6A, Unit 5A) offices. Community Health Center offers medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) programs for substance use disorder using Suboxone or Vivitrol. Substance use disorder treatment services at Community Health Center provide access to a structured, safe, and empowering environment, consultation to discuss and develop an integrated treatment plan, and integrated comprehensive care that can include addiction services, behavioral health group sessions, primary care follow-ups, and personalized pathways to recovery with the consistent guidance of the addiction specialty team.

Mashpee – The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded multiple commendations to Community Health Center for outstanding quality improvement. Most notably, Community Health Center has received Silver Certification as a Health Center Quality Leader based on quality measures they implement for the patients they serve. In addition to this award, Community Health Center has been recognized with a number of other honors, including the following.  

Access Enhancer, recognizing CHCs that increased the total number of patients and the number of patients who receive at least one comprehensive service by at least 5% during consecutive years. Advancing HIT for Quality, recognizing CHCs that meet all criteria to optimize Health Information Technology (HIT) services. Addressing Social Risk Factors, recognizing CHCs that are screening for social risk factors impacting patient health, and are increasing access to enabling services. Health Disparities Reducer, recognizing CHCs that qualify for the Access Enhancer award, and meet clinical measures related to low birth weight, hypertension control and uncontrolled diabetes. Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition (PCMH), recognizing CHCs with PCMH Recognition in one or more delivery sites.

“Community Health Center staff have been continuously working together in order to mitigate lapses in our patient’s health maintenance,” said Dr. Kristy Brown, CHC’s Associate Medical Director for Quality Improvement. “We are focusing on what can be done beyond their visits to ensure they are engaged in their own wellness. With new programs such as Remote Patient Monitoring and Lifestyle Medicine, we are able to take a more comprehensive approach to care for our community.”

These awards recognize the highest-performing health centers nationwide as well as the health centers that have made significant quality improvement gains from the previous year.

Mashpee – Community Health Center is proud to welcome Dr. Karoline Sieracki, MD and Ellen Ficks, NP to CHC’s staff.

Dr. Karoline Sieracki received her Doctor of Medicine from the Universidad Federal do Parana in Curitiba, PR, Brazil, followed by her internal medicine residency at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Sieracki is a member of the American College of Physicians, Society of Hospital Medicine and American Medical Association. She has an extensive history of volunteerism across the country as a general physician and is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Dr. Sieracki is practicing in Community Health Center’s Bourne office at 123 Waterhouse Road.

Ellen Ficks, NP received her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Bridgewater State College, before attending Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston, where she received her Master of Science in Nursing. Ms. Ficks has an array of experience, with over 10 years working as a Nurse Practitioner in different clinical settings before joining Community Health Center. She also holds multiple licensures for mental health counseling and suboxone administration. She currently sees patients in CHC’s Mashpee office located at 107 Commercial Street.