Primary Care is facing a crisis in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

In rural Northern New England, where residents are socially and economically marginalized, and health disparities are amplified, all primary care strategic priorities must include a rural health equity lens.

image source: https://depts.washington.edu/uwruca/map_4_divisions.php
  • Northern New England’s rural population by state:
    • Maine 61%
    • New Hampshire 37%
    • Vermont 60%
  • Barriers to delivering primary care services in rural settings include:
    • long distances to services,
    • inadequate transportation,
    • inclement weather,
    • insufficient connectivity,
    • lack of affordable housing,
    • low reimbursement rates, and
    • severe workforce shortages.

About NNEST-PC

The Dartmouth NNEST-PC is a joint venture between Dartmouth Health’s Department of Community and Family Medicine (CFMED) and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in New Hampshire. We seek solutions by collaborating across systems levels to address the profound challenge of providing high-quality and equitable primary health care in the rural Northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The goal of NNEST-PC is to ensure that whole-person and equitable primary care (PC) is implemented in rural Northern New England (NNE).