1980– Dr. Selma Deitch opens Child Health Services (CHS) with 100 patients.
Implementing a model ahead of its time, services included nutrition, social services, and transportation to appointments, in addition to medical care. Over the years, behavioral and mental health services were added.
1981– Child Development Clinic is sited at Child Health Services. Special Medical Programs for children with special health care needs soon follows.
1982– Preschool Dental Clinic is established at CHS.
1986– Dr. Selma R. Deitch is named NH Woman of the Year.
1993– Manchester Community Health Center (MCHC), a collaborative project of Elliot Hospital, Catholic Medical Center and other community partners is founded at 1415 Elm Street to provide care for the uninsured in Manchester. First Executive Director is Mariellen Durso. First Medical Director is Geordie Thomson, MD. The same year, the annual Bike Clinic is started at Child Health Services.
1996– Child Health Services relocates to 1245 Elm Street.
1997– Child Health Services joins Minority Health Coalition to improve access to culturally competent care.
1998– Ed George becomes MCHC’s second President/CEO. Teen Health Clinic is founded at Child Health Services.
1999– MCHC receives first awarded accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Child Health Services joins Reach out and Read Program.
2000– Governor Jeanne Shaheen and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals celebrate MCHC for participating in Pfizer’s Sharing the Care pharmaceutical assistance program. CHS Founder Dr. Selma Deitch retires. Rob Nordgren, MD, MPH is named her successor. CHS’ “Children’s Public Health Fund” Campaign is launched in honor of Selma Deitch, MD, which increases the CHS endowment to $1 million.
2001– Gavin Muir, MD is named MCHC Medical Director. First Lady Hillary Clinton visits MCHC.
2003– MCHC is the first community health center in the nation to be surveyed under a collaborative Joint Commission Bureau of Primary Health Care process, affirming its commitment to delivering high-quality care.
MCHC implements an electronic medical records system. U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop visits MCHC for its 10th Anniversary celebration.
2005– U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona visits MCHC. MCHC adds Adolescent Preventive Services.
Child Health Services celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
CHS’ “Children’s Care Campaign” is launched. $1.36 million is raised for clinic renovations & program expansion.
2006-WMUR covers the “MCHC Story.” Watch here: https://youtu.be/eT7dE6DFSs0
2008– MCHC moves from its original Elm Street location to the current Hollis Street location.
At Child Health Services, Fred Rusczek is named Executive Director and Lisa DiBrigida, MD, is named Medical Director.
That same year, the Manchester Sustainable Access Project determined a need for a healthcare access point on the West Side. Catholic Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock agreed to collaborate and established the West Side Neighborhood Health Center. Dr. Paula Mahon, the family practice clinician, provided consistent care at WSNHC from the beginning; she now continues to work for Catholic Medical Center’s Healthcare for the Homeless program.
2010– Bedford Commons OB-GYN partners with MCHC to provide clinical support. Child Health Services celebrates its 30th Anniversary.
2011– Family Literacy Program is developed at CHS.
2012– Child Health Services receives accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. Ed George, President/CEO of MCHC, retires after more than 14 years of service.
2013– MCHC adds a second location at Tarrytown Road. Kris McCracken is named President and CEO.
Dr. Gavin Muir, Chief Medical Officer, is named Family Physician of the Year by the New Hampshire Academy of Family Physicians. MCHC celebrates its 20th anniversary. Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) is launched. Both CHS and MCHC participate.
2014– MCHC introduces the Center of Excellence for Culturally Competent Care. Child Health Services and Manchester Community Health Center unite to expand services to the community. Child Health Services becomes Child Health Services at MCHC, the pediatric practice of the organization.
2015– Manchester Community Health Center receives NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition. Dr. Laura Fry, family practitioner, is named Family Physician of the Year by the New Hampshire Academy of Family Physicians. MCHC assumes operations of the West Side Neighborhood Health Center, working in partnership with Catholic Medical Center. MCHC now has four locations of care in Manchester.
2017– MCHC receives the 2017 Health Center Quality Leader award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).CHS undergoes renovations and adds four new exams rooms, a dedicated check-in area for the teen clinic, and updated building systems.
2018– Manchester Community Health Center celebrates its 25th anniversary. MCHC is awarded the 2018 Health Center Quality Leader Award from the Human Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MCHC opens the Eye Care Center at MCHC in partnership with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS University) at Child Health Services at MCHC providing optometry services to patients ages 5 and older. Dr. Lisa DiBrigida, Associate Medical Director of Pediatrics, is awarded the 2018 Pediatrician of the Year award by the New Hampshire Pediatric Society.
2019-In June 2019, Manchester Community Health Center, Child Health Services, and West Side Neighborhood Healthcare consolidate under one organizational name, Amoskeag Health. ProHealth, co-located physical and mental health services with the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, opens its doors in October 2019.
2020– Amoskeag Health faces the unprecedented, world-wide Covid-19 pandemic and remains open, adjusting locations of care, to serve those most in need.
2021– Amoskeag Health administers Covid-19 vaccine to vulnerable populations and BIPOC communities.