“When I was a college student at UNH over 25 years ago, I became very ill and could hardly breath. I went to the original Newmarket clinic and was diagnosed and treated for asthmatic bronchitis. I had found a medical home – a place that would treat my asthma, deliver my children and take care of my entire family, from sleepless nights with an infant ear infection to annual well care visits. As my family has grown, so has Lamprey Health Care from that small clinic on Elm street in Newmarket, to three locations serving Newmarket, Raymond, Nashua and the surrounding communities. I take great pride in being part of the Board that helps guide Lamprey Health Care as one of the leaders in Community Health Care.”
Chris Drew, Patient and Board Member
In 1971, an Act of Congress created – and funded – a whole new concept in healthcare: the Community Health Center. The goal was to make quality healthcare services available to individuals and families in medically under-served urban centers and rural communities.
In 1973, Lamprey Health Care (originally named the Newmarket Community Health Center) became one of the nation’s first rural Community Health Centers. Operating out of crowded, rented rooms on Main Street in Newmarket, we provided basic immunizations and health screenings and studied the healthcare needs of our community.
The Newmarket Masons donated space to house the town’s first primary care medical service, and Lamprey Health Care's Newmarket Center became the State of New Hampshire’s first nationally designated Community Health Center.
In 1988, thanks to a successful capital fund drive, a beautiful new facility was built on South Main Street in Newmarket. That facility has been expanded twice since 1988 to accommodate our expanding service offerings and growing patient volume.
Responding to the unmet health care needs of the communities west of Newmarket, the Raymond Center was built in 1985, and we changed our organization name to Lamprey Health Care. The Raymond Center was subsequently expanded to relieve overcrowding and provide new X-ray and physical therapy services.
In 2000, LHC acquired the financially troubled Neighborhood Health Center for Greater Nashua, which serves the state’s second largest city of 79,662 residents.
In 2001, Lamprey Health Care fully implemented the electronic medical record (Logician) in our Raymond and Newmarket offices. This state of the art technology, now in place at all three centers, has resulted improved excellence in clinical standards, fewer medication errors, improved record keeping, and better disease and case management.
The Nashua Center expanded our pediatric services in 2002 by providing pediatric consultation and referrals for the city of Nashua Health Department following the loss of their pediatrician. In the fall of 2002, Lamprey Health Care assumed full responsibility and now provides a medical home for the low-income children previously seen by the Health Department’s well child clinic. In addition, we added critical outreach and bilingual staff to accommodate the needs of our Hispanic and Portuguese patients.
The Joint Commission re-accredited Lamprey Health Care in 2009, following our original accreditation in 1999. LHC also participates in the Community Health Access Network’s best practice program for diabetes and asthma.
Lamprey Health Care's Newmarket Center received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a patient-centered medical home for its excellence in patient services, use of best practices, and integration of health information technologies.