Services We Provide

Annual Wellness Visits

The Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is free service offered through Medicare that focuses on prevention and is designed to keep you healthy, lower your risk of illness and injury and provide the support you need for a healthy quality of life. The purpose of the AWV is to review an individual’s wellness and develop a personalized prevention plan.

Medicare covers one free Annual Wellness Visit each year if you have been enrolled in Medicare Part B for at least 12 months. There’s no co-payment or deductible for this visit.

The Annual Wellness Visit is different from a yearly physical exam. It will not include a hands-on exam or evaluation or management of new or existing health problems or medications that are part of your annual physical exam with your primary care provider.

The annual wellness visit will be with a nurse or care team member who works with your provider and will include:

You will leave the visit with a personalized plan designed to help prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors.

The Annual Wellness Visit is a review of your general health but is not intended for discussion of pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or medications. If you wish to discuss such a condition, we’ll help you schedule time with your primary care provider.

The Annual Wellness Visit Medicare benefit is easy to use. Just call your primary care provider or send a request through your patient portal asking to schedule your “Annual Wellness Visit.”

Take Advantage of this important FREE service from Medicare!

Call your primary care provider’s office to schedule your Annual Wellness Visit today!

Click here for more information about Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit.

To view our providers, visit here. 

Growing Up Healthy at Community Health Pediatrics!

From newborns to teens, Community Health Pediatrics is here for you and your kids. Whether your child needs a checkup, an illness visit, immunizations or care for a chronic illness, our providers will help you raise healthy kids.

We are accepting new patients!

With hours Monday through Saturday, we provide your child with the highest quality primary and preventive care.

If you have any questions or need to schedule an appointment:
Call 802-773-9131

We are located in Rutland on General Wing Road across from Community Health’s Rutland and Express Care practices.

Community Health Tip from Community Health Pediatrics:

A shortage of infant formula has some parents worried about being able to locate enough formula to feed their infant. When in doubt, call your Community Health pediatrician’s office. We are always happy to help you and answer your questions.

• Do not water down your baby’s formula to make it last longer. This can lead to serious health problems.
• Always mix formula by manufacturers’ directions.
• ONLY buy FDA-approved formula.
• For those receiving a WIC benefit, WIC has expanded to cover more than Similac, to include Enfamil and other products. Check the WIC website for more details.
• Do not make your own formula.
• While it is not ideal to switch between formula brands, you can ask your provider if it’s ok to switch brands for your child.
• Toddler formula is not recommended for infants.
• If you can afford to, it can be helpful to buy formula online.
• Call Community Health Pediatrics at 802-773-9131 if you have questions.

Also, you can check this website healthychildren.org for additional information.

For after hours sick visits and minor injuries, Community Health Express Care in Castleton and Rutland are open 7 days a week, 8:00am-8:00 pm.

After our office closes, please follow these guidelines:

• For life threatening emergencies call 911
• For urgent questions that cannot wait until the next day, call our office at 802-773-9131 to speak with the answering service. They will page the nurse triage service to call you back.
• For routine medical questions, prescription refills, appointments or other issues please call 802-773-9131 during normal office hours or contact us through the Patient Portal.
• Call 24 hours ahead to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

Community Health providers are a dedicated group of certified pediatric specialists who have cared for children in the Rutland area for decades. Community Health Pediatrics formed in 2011 with a staff specially trained to care for newborns to teens.

Community Health Pediatrics is a teaching site for nurses, nurse practitioners and medical students. As a community service, we proudly provide experience and clinical guidance for those training for future careers in health care.

Express Care is for children and adults of all ages.

Located at Community Health Castleton 802-468-5641 and at
Community Health Rutland 802-773-3386

Walk-ins are welcome.

Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8am-8pm

Here are examples of some things we would treat in Express Care:

• Simple sprains/strains to the extremities
• Minor cuts that may need stitches
• Common illness, such as; sore throat, coughs, urinary tract infections, and pink eye
• Cold/flu/sinus infection
• Fever
• Allergies
• Tick bites
• Minor fractures and sports injuries
• Earaches
• Rashes

Community Health offers a wide range of services that address mental health and substance use disorders. Our team of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed alcohol and drug counselors, behavioral health care managers and Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) care managers provide programs and treatments to meet the needs of our patients and their families.

Working in collaboration with primary care providers, the Behavioral Health program follows a holistic approach to treatment utilizing the medical home model. We offer our patients:

• Comprehensive Care: Medical and behavioral health services utilize teams of providers with various roles within the organization to meet the complex needs of the patient. Our trained staff helps patients overcome barriers to achieve the best treatment outcomes. We offer clinical assessments and treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders. Treatment modalities include; individual, group or family sessions.
• Patient-Centered Care: Behavioral health services are relationship based with our patients. We partner with patients and their families to help meet each patient’s unique needs, cultures and preferences as they navigate the different levels of care and move forward with their treatment plans.
• Accessible Services: Behavioral health services are included in the overall health care and wellness services provided at each Community Health location. By integrating behavioral health in our practices, patients have convenient and easy access to behavioral health programs and services within their community.
• Coordinated Care: Behavioral Health communicates directly with primary care providers, specialists and other community resources to meet the needs of the patients. Using our specialized care managers, patients can also receive assistance in meeting socio-economic needs including housing, transportation, insurance and other quality of life services.
• Quality and Safety: Behavioral Health utilizes evidence-based approaches in treatment of all patients. Staff members are licensed in various disciplines and implement a shared decision-making process with each patient. This approach tailors services to the unique needs of each patient. Community Health prioritizes quality service by using performance measures to evaluate clinical goals. Community Health Behavioral Health has a strong focus on the safety of patients and will initiate referrals to community organizations to help patients remain safe both inside and outside of their homes.
• Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT): The prescribed use of buprenorphine is one approach Community Health uses to treat patients with opioid use disorder. Working under the state of Vermont’s “Hub and Spoke” model, Community Health can provide MAT in the primary care office setting to patients who receive primary care services. The MAT program is a comprehensive treatment plan that includes physical health maintenance, counseling and participation in social support programs.

Behavioral Health is dedicated to the health and well-being of the community and the patients we serve by making your health our mission.

If you are interested in obtaining behavioral health services, please contact your primary care provider to receive a referral.

Brandon Community Pharmacy is located inside Community Health Brandon practice. You may use the services of our pharmacy, or you may use a pharmacy of your own choice. We now offer online prescription renewals through our RX Local Patient Portal.

Community Health provides certified laboratory blood draw services at Community Health’s Brandon, Castleton, Rutland and Mettowee practices. The labs are staffed by RRMC at Castleton and Rutland Community Health practices and are available to anyone who has an order from their provider. The order can be electronically placed by a provider or a written order can be presented at the time of the procedure. You need to be an existing Community Health patient to use lab services at Community Health Mettowee and Community Health Brandon.

At Community Health Castleton, a state certified laboratory staffed by Community Health, handles lab work for Community Health’s primary care patients as well as those from Castleton Express Care. A separate outpatient lab service at the Castleton practice, operated by Rutland Regional Medical Center, serves not only Community Health patients but any community member with orders from their provider.

If you need to have a blood test, check with your provider and take advantage of one of Community Health’s conveniently located blood draw sites. Hours of operation vary at each practice.

For laboratory locations and hours, visit here.

Care management is a service Community Health provides for patients of all ages and conditions. Our care managers are highly experienced medical professionals who harness the combined powers of health and wellness, educational resources and community services.

Care management can help a person with chronic conditions, behavioral health challenges, a parent with an autistic child or a person with food insecurity find a path to security and recovery. These are just a few examples of how Community Health’s team of care managers works closely with primary care providers to understand and overcome struggles a person may encounter as they regain, maintain and improve their health and the health of their family.

Learn more about Community Health’s Care Management and Chronic Care Management programs.

Diabetes Education Program

The Community Health Diabetes Education Program provides information, support from Certified Diabetes Educators and resources for:

• self-managed care
• medication management
• lifestyle improvements like exercise and nutrition

Patients diagnosed with all stages of diabetes are referred to the education program by their provider. Each patient is linked to a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)  who will review the three-part program and schedule the follow up sessions. The three-phase program includes:

• an initial assessment
• individual or group sessions
• follow-up session three months later

Community Health’s Certified Diabetes Educators meet with patients at Community Health’s practices for individual and group sessions.

The diabetes education program features a team of Certified Diabetes Educators, guidance from the Diabetes Advisory Committee and accreditation from the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES), a nationally recognized professional organization that reviews the program annually.

Diabetes in Our Community

Diabetes is one of the four illnesses identified in the state of Vermont’s 3-4-50 initiative that spotlights the overwhelming impact of chronic disease in the state. “Three behaviors (no physical activity, poor diet, tobacco use) lead to 4 diseases (cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, lung disease) and result in 50% of deaths in Vermont.” According to data from the Vermont Department of Health website, 10% of the residents of Rutland County and 8% of Addison County are diabetic.

Community Health Diabetes Advisory Committee

Community Health’s Diabetes Advisory Committee is made up of representatives from the medical, clinical, quality control, educational and community aspects of diabetes education and treatment.  Working in concert with medical and educational experts in the community, members of the board provide avenues for:

•  improving patient knowledge about medications and self-management
•  referrals to experts in endocrinology and other specialties
• connecting patients with programs that promote physical activity and nutrition education

The quality director at Community Health works closely with quality coordinators who manage the data collected from patients diagnosed with diabetes to develop and assess quality improvement outcomes and evaluate the trends and gaps in care that are reflected in the data.

Community Health Certified Diabetes Educators
Michele Redmond, RN, BSN, CDE, Program Director, Community Health Castleton
Colleen Bates, MA, Community Health Mettowee
Diana Johnson, RN, CDE, Community Health Mettowee
Robin Myers, DNP, FNP-BC, CDE, Community Health Brandon
Abigail Wikoff, APRN, Community Health Brandon

For more information about Community Health’s diabetes education program, consult your primary care provider. Ask about our three-phase program and our team of expert educators who can help you to learn how to manage your diabetes and live a healthy lifestyle.

Community Health Diabetes Education

Our Certified Diabetes Educators offer self-management training and support at several convenient locations for our patients. Community Health’s Diabetes Education program is certified by the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES).

Community Health’s Nursing Home Service Line provides a network of medical professionals which supports patients that require both long-term care and short-term rehabilitation at several area nursing homes. Community Health physicians and nurse practitioners are the providers that determine what the patients need for medical care and work in collaboration with the nursing home staff.

Telehealth

Telehealth is delivered for primary care, psychiatry, chronic disease monitoring and management, dentistry and home health care.

Many patients have barriers that impact their ability to be seen in the office for appointments such as lack of transportation, childcare issues, physical limitations or mental health issues preventing them from leaving their homes.

Telehealth offers an opportunity for Community Health’s Behavioral Health providers to have sessions with patients from the safety of their homes. “The best behavioral health treatment outcomes are when patients have consistent and consecutive sessions with their providers,” said Community Health’s Behavioral Health Leader, Christopher Chadwick. “Telehealth is a very effective tool in making those sessions happen,” Chadwick said.

Community Health’s Patient Portal is an extension of our digital care network, providing secure online access to your records, prescriptions and a connection to communicate with your provider. Signup for the Patient Portal here.

The State of Vermont supports telehealth and allows Vermont patients to receive virtual care from home. Read more about the state’s telehealth policy here.