Local – Caring – Personal

Your Best Health Starts Here

Every day, Mountain Community Health is helping our neighbors improve their lives through delivering the highest quality preventative and medical care services – right here in Bristol, Vermont.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), comprehensive healthcare is available to all people, regardless of the ability to pay. We offer a sliding fee scale program (LINK) to ensure our medical and associated care services are accessible to every member of our community.

Your experience at MCH is a cooperative effort between our patients and staff. We pledge to respond as quickly as possible to your questions, problems, concerns and options regarding your health care, recognizing YOU are the center of YOUR healthcare team.

Our goal is to improve and restore our patient’s health in a kind and compassionate manner.

Primary Care Services

MCH Medical Providers are dedicated to creating a lifelong and trusting relationship with our patients and are often the first contact to address any health concerns.

Our goal is to help our patients navigate the health care system – offering referrals to specialists and other healthcare facilities when necessary.

Our services are designed to meet the broad medical needs of the entire family, including:

Services

Planning For the future

Empowering Conscious Choices

MCH offers family planning services to help women and men make choices about their reproductive health. Decisions regarding birth control management, pregnancy planning contraceptive options and fertility awareness are all designed to help our patients make healthy decisions about reproduction.

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Devoted to Childhood Health

Keeping Kids Safe and Well

MCH provides comprehensive medical care, health assessments and screenings for children of all ages. We provide a relaxed and friendly environment to ease your child during their visit. Our services are designed to meet the wide range of medical needs for children under the age of 18.

We provide a variety of care including:

  • Physical Exams
  • Sports Physicals
  • Vaccinations
  • Immunizations
  • Acute and Chronic illness
  • Evaluation and treatment of injuries
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The Circle of Care

Healthcare for all stages of Life

MCH Adult and Geriatric Medicine provides comprehensive evaluation, prevention, diagnosis and treatment options for the unique health needs of adults and seniors.

From an annual wellness exam to ongoing support and management of acute and chronic conditions, our experienced adult medical care team is here to help.

Working with our adult medicine team at MCH, we provide:

Regular wellness screenings
Helping patients identify possible health problems before they may develop into more serious conditions. Regular screenings also help manage chronic issues such as diabetes and high cholesterol.

Click here to learn more about Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit

Healthy Lifestyle Support
Our providers help our patients implement healthy choices from smoking cessation to nutritional and dietary improvements – resulting in healthier lifestyles to meet your lifetime wellness goals.

Chronic Disease Management
MCH Adult and Geriatric providers work with our patients to control chronic ailments and to reduce the risk of more serious health issues, such as heart disease and stroke. We take the time to understand your complete health history and consider ourselves as partners in restoring and maintaining your health.

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State of the Art Technology

Fast – Accurate – Reliable

The MCH facility in Bristol includes comprehensive medical laboratory services on-site, providing a full range of pathology and associated services. Fast and convenient access is assured to meet our patient’s needs.

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Dedicated Providers – Exceptional Care

Here when you need us

MCH performs a variety of minor surgical procedures at our facility, typically completed in a brief period of time with a rapid at-home recovery period.

Minor procedures may be recommended for small corrective surgeries, including wound treatment, skin biopsies, skin growths, or lesions. Your provider can help you decide the best course of action for your particular medical condition.

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A Patient Centered Approach

Prevention – Diagnosis – Treatment

Many of our neighbor’s struggle with issues that fall under the broad category of behavioral health, often finding it difficult to get the proper treatment they require – or lack the necessary resources to get the appropriate help.

At MCH, we understand that behavioral health and physical health can be closely related. Managing the physical health of a patient with underlying behavioral conditions can be challenging.

Our team of medical and behavioral professionals provide a variety of services to help individuals with everything from depression to anxiety, diabetes management to weight loss, drinking, drug use and much more. Whatever challenges you are currently facing – we are here to help.

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Solving the Cost of Care

Everyone is welcome – regardless of the ability to pay

Covering costs for necessary medical and health care should not add needless stress to an already stressful situation. We believe that families should have easy access to the medical care they need – that is also affordable.

At MCH – we offer a sliding fee scale model to help cover your health care costs – so there is never a worry about finances interfering with receiving the health care you and your family need to live happy and healthy lives.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)?

Federally Qualified Health Centers are community-based healthcare providers that receive funds from the HRSA Health Center Program to provide primary care services in underserved areas.

How do I make an appointment?

Please call our office at 802-453-3911.

Are you taking new patients?

Yes, however, while we are recruiting for new providers, we may need to utilize a waitlist. Please call our office at 802-453-3911 to inquire what appointment availability is.

What are our office hours?

Mountain Community Health’s office hours are Monday 8am – 5pm, Tuesday 7:30am – 5pm, and Wednesday through Friday 8am – 5pm

What if I need care when the office is closed?

To access the on-call provider, call 802-453-3911 and you will be directed to our answering service who will page the on-call provider. If you have a medical emergency, you should go directly to the nearest emergency room or call 911.

What medical insurance do you accept?

MCH accepts all private health insurance plans. MCH is contracted with and bills many payers including Aetna, BCBS of Vermont, Cigna, Green Mountain Care, Martin’s Point, Medicare, MVP, UHC, CBA Blue, and Worker’s Comp.

What dental insurance do you accept?

For dental we are in-network and will bill BCBS, CBA Blue, Cigna, NE Delta Dental, GEHA, MetLife, MVP, UHC, United Concoridia, VT Blue Advantage, and Green Mountain Care.

Do you offer DOT physicals?

We do offer DOT physicals; which must be paid in full at time of service.

How do I learn more about the behavioral medicine programs?

For more information on our behavioral medicine programs like smoking cessation, hypertension, chronic pain, and weight loss management, you may call us at 802-453-3911to set up an appointment with your provider who can send a referral for these services. These services are offered only to MCH patients.

How do I become a new patient for the Medical Assistance Treatment (MAT) program?

Please call our office at 802-453-3911 to speak to our MAT Nurse to see if you qualify for our MAT program.

Our Clinical Team

Exceptional Patient Care

Providing exceptional care includes creating a healing environment where all patients feel safe, comfortable and where recovery and restoring full health is our main goal. At MCH, our priority is to ensure that each patient is valued, respected and well cared for, providing the highest quality of care. At MCH – the patient always comes first.

Clinical Team

Brian Bates, MD

Brian Bates, MD

Brian grew up in Maryland and first ventured to New England for undergraduate studies at Dartmouth. He went to medical school at the University of Maryland and then completed his family medicine residency at Boston Medical Center where he continued to work as a teaching physician. He practices full-spectrum primary care for children and adults. He also provides medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders with Suboxone. Outside of work, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, outdoors activities, beekeeping, gardening, and playing music.

image of dr. melanie connah

Melanie Connah, MD

Melanie grew up in Maryland where she attended medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed her residency at Medstar Franklin Square Family Medicine Residency Program in Baltimore. After residency, Melanie worked as a faculty member and helped to build a new family medicine residency program in Seneca, South Carolina. There she practiced full spectrum family medicine including inpatient and outpatient care and delivering babies, and taught students and residents. Melanie came to Vermont in 2022 with her husband and two girls and quickly fell in love with the state in general and Bristol in particular. She is excited to join the Mountain Community Health team and provide excellent care to patients while pursuing her clinical interests in quality improvement, LGBTQ health, addictions treatment, and integrative medicine.

image of physicians assistant Bryanne Breezy Salmonsen

Bryanne (Breezy) Salmonsen, PA-C

Breezy Salmonsen, PA-C is delighted to be back in Vermont after spending the last 15 years abroad and in the Western US. She grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts and completed her undergraduate degree at UVM. She received her masters in physician assistant studies at UC Davis and then practiced as a PA at Planned Parenthood in Reno, NV. Her professional interests include reproductive health, gender affirming care and community medicine.

Prior to her career in medicine, she worked on the US/Mexico border advocating for the humane treatment of undocumented immigrants and refugees. She has also guided kayak trips in the San Juan Islands, led educational travel trips in Ecuador, worked at a university in Costa Rica and taught ESL and Spanish in Jackson, Wyoming.

Breezy lives in Richmond with her spouse, their son and mastiff named Noodle. In her free time, she loves growing flowers, mountain biking, baking cookies, surfing in warm water and staying in yurts. She is accepting new patients.

Tonya Howard, FNP

Tonya Howard, FNP

Tonya is doing acute care one or two days a week at MHC. She has been involved at many levels and in different roles in the community health center world in Vermont. She lives in Underhill, has 2 cats and a big farmhouse and barn she has been “bringing back to life”, and enjoys having guests, retreats, and gatherings there. She always has an audiobook queued up for the commute. She graduated from Yale University School of Nursing with her Master’s too many years ago to admit and continues to love learning, traveling, swing dancing, hiking, singing, eating and cooking good food, and cherishes time with her diverse group of friends.

Kate LaMancuso, MD

Kate LaMancuso, MD

Kate is originally from western New York. She took the long path to medicine, via undergraduate studies in literary arts and Italian studies at Brown University. She completed her post-baccalaureate premedical studies in Buffalo. There, she fell in love with family medicine and its power for individual and community transformation while working as a medical case manager at a refugee service agency. She completed medical school and a family medicine residency at Brown University, where she pursued clinical and research interests in women’s health, global health, and health care for vulnerable populations. Kate is eager to participate in the Addison County community through her work at Mountain Health Center. She enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, yoga, Green Mountain culinary adventures, and spending time with family and friends.

Lindsay Soares White, FNP

Lindsay Soares-White, FNP

Lindsay Soares-White graduated from the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in 2008. She has chosen to work in community health centers throughout her career because she shares the belief that health care is a human right and that individual health is interconnected with family, community, and society. Lindsay takes a collaborative approach to the care she provides. She loves learning about people, hearing their stories, and building trusting relationships that help people move toward their health goals. She lives with her partner and toddler in Lincoln, where they spend their days exploring puddles and singing while meandering.

David Turner, MD

David Turner, MD

David has practiced in Family Medicine and Women’s Health for over 25 years, the last 13 locally in Vermont.  He enjoys working with patients to improve their overall wellness and believes his role is to listen to and help patients make informed decisions about their health.  He graduated from the Dartmouth/Brown Program in Medicine, Tacoma Family Medicine Residency and Rural Fellowship, and Dartmouth/Hitchcock OB/GYN Residency.  He enjoys coaching soccer, hiking, cross-country skiing, and spending time with his wife Laura Weylman MD, and their family.

image of dr jennifer wisdom

Jennifer Wisdom-Behounek, MD

Dr. Wisdom-Behounek grew up in a rural community in Illinois and attended the University of Illinois for medical school, where she had additional specific training in rural medicine.  Residency took her to Columbia, Missouri, where she completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Missouri.  She has worked in private practice, and in academic medicine teaching medical students in addition to clinical care.  She has additional training and a specialized interest in Lifestyle and Nutritional Medicine to prevent and reverse disease where possible. She loves to travel, recreate outdoors, and write about the research illustrating nature’s positive impact on human health.