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History
In 1995, five community health
care agencies with a collective history of over seventy-five years of
experience in providing primary care services to uninsured, underinsured
and Medicaid populations, formed an Integrated Services Network (ISN),
Community Health Access Network (CHAN). A New Hampshire Health Care
Transition Fund grant in 1996 set the opportunity to expand the network
and develop shared services. Two additional health centers joined the
Network in 1997, and the Network was further supported by a Bureau of
Primary Health Care grant. Today, CHAN administers several grants from
Federal, State of New Hampshire and private foundation sources.
Originally, the
Network Members established mutual standards for software selection and
operations at the separate sites. This arrangement necessitated careful
coordination between each site to ensure the core uniformity of data
collection, storage and output expected by the Network. It soon
became evident that a more central configuration of the system would
provide efficiencies and better support the desired level of
integration. CHAN then orchestrated the implementation of a Wide
Are Network (WAN) beginning in 1999.
As an integrated provider
network CHAN’s primary mission is to enable the health centers to serve
the vulnerable populations and maintain a comprehensive range of health
care services needed to assure the effective and efficient delivery of
health care. Integration is important to the continuation of the local
programs that have the experience, the expertise and the positive health
care outcomes. To do this, CHAN members established common standards
for the network in clinical protocols, operational policy, financial and
information systems.
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Governance |
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Network Governance is through a Board of Directors from the Membership.
An Executive Director administers the Network business plan and oversees
program operation. CHAN has organized several advisory and working
committees to develop and execute projects. Staff and contractors with
specific expertise carry out collaborative activities in several
dimensions, such as Clinical, Information Systems and Information
Management, Fiscal, and Operations. CHAN has achieved regional and
national recognition for our standardized practice e management
solutions. |
| Board
of Directors |
| Edward George |
Executive Director, Manchester Community
Health Center |
| Janet Atkins |
Executive Director, Avis Goodwin
Community Health Center |
| Ann Peters, Secretary |
Executive Director, Lamprey Health Care |
| Helen Taft, Chair |
Executive Director, Families First of the
Greater Seacoast |
| Richard Silverberg, Treasurer |
Executive Director, Heath First Family
Care Center |
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