To the editor: North Star to move Rockingham Health to Springfield, Charlestown locales

As highlighted by the Green Mountain Care Board’s recent guidance under Act 167, Vermont’s healthcare system is at a crossroads. While their report focused mainly on area hospitals, most healthcare entities in our state are struggling.

Effective Jan. 1, 2025, North Star Health will consolidate our Rockingham Health Center with our Springfield and Charlestown, N.H., locations — a necessary move that underscores the urgent need for change.

Since 2020, volume at the Rockingham Health Center has dropped nearly 50%, from about 4,300 to about 2,300 primary care patients. With financial challenges driven by unfair reimbursement models, staffing shortages, and aging facilities, it’s clear that we must rethink how care is delivered to ensure sustainability and access for all.

Though unsettling, these changes are essential to the bigger picture of preserving access to quality care in our rural communities.

This will not affect our ability to serve patients. It’s simply a reduction in our physical footprint. Most individuals will have access to the same care team they’ve come to know at our Rockingham Health Center, just in a different location.

Not everyone will agree on the best path forward for healthcare in our state, but there is a need for systemic change. No single solution will resolve the challenges faced by North Star or Vermont’s healthcare system. Consolidating services into fewer, better-supported locations is one step we must take to ensure care remains accessible to everyone in our community.

We have engaged closely with our elected officials, who have heard that reimbursement models must evolve to keep health care accessible in our state. At the same time, our community members are feeling the burden of rising taxes and cannot bear much more.

We invite stakeholders to join a community forum in the waiting room of the Rockingham Health Center on November 14, 2024 at 5:30pm to discuss the change and share ideas for the future.

Another avenue to having your voice heard is by contacting your state legislators to advocate for policies that support community health centers. Lawmakers need to hear from patients that rural healthcare requires fairer reimbursement models, stronger workforce support, and investments in sustainable infrastructure.

This is a call to action for all of us. As a community, we need to support new models of care that prioritize access and sustainability without compromising quality. Investments in additional transportation options, like MOOver buses, medical rides, and North Star Health’s Community Health Team help bridge the gap for patients impacted by these changes. Programs like these can ensure no one is left behind as we navigate this transition.

If we continue to operate on a model that no longer meets the realities of today’s healthcare landscape, we will see more closures and fewer options for care. But if we embrace change and support providers and patients in this new era, we can build a stronger, more resilient healthcare system for everyone in Vermont.

Sincerely,
Joshua R. Dufresne, MBA
CEO
North Star Health