Oct 17, 2025
Dr. Paul Forman
WATERVILLE – Connie Coggins, President & CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, is pleased to announce that Dr. Paul Forman has joined the organization’s Governing Board of Directors.
Dr. Paul Forman, of Albion, Maine, is a retired medical clinician. After graduating with his Doctor of Medicine degree and completing his residency as Chief Resident at Central Maine Family Practice Residency (now Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency), Dr. Forman worked as one of the founders and as a staff member of the Lovejoy Health Center. He continued serving at Lovejoy from its opening in 1978 until 2007. Additionally, Dr. Forman served as Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine, Chief of Medical Staff, and At-Large Director on the Board of Directors all at the Mid-Maine Medical Center (now MaineGeneral). Currently, he is a member of the MaineGeneral Medical Center Honorary Medical Staff. The HealthReach team is grateful to have Dr. Forman back as a member of the HealthReach Board of Directors, and looks forward to all that we can accomplish with his support.
Dr. Forman will join Board officers: Jim Higgins, Chair; Jack Ducharme, Vice Chair; and John Opperman, Secretary & Treasurer; as well as Board members: Jenny Boyden, Paula Callan, Buffy Higgins, Michelle Kelley, Juliana Richard, Susan Tedrick, and Allen Wicken. HealthReach appreciates the volunteer efforts of its Board members, who contribute to the leadership, direction, and success of the nonprofit. Without them, HealthReach would not be able to serve the people of rural Maine as effectively as it does with local, high-quality, and affordable healthcare.
HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating twelve family medical practices with the mission of serving the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975! HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12% of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88% to be financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S.
Jul 30, 2025
Strong Pierpole 5K participants
STRONG – HealthReach Community Health Centers is proud to announce that Strong Area Health & Dental Center’s 4th annual Pierpole Day 5K run/walk — a family-friendly event with broad community support — was a great success!
The event started and ended at the Strong Area Health & Dental Center, and featured giveaway items, kids’ games, health education materials, and commendable community engagement.
Thank you to the 50 participants for showing up early in the morning to demonstrate their community’s commitment to health and wellbeing! With their help (the registration “fee” was a food donation) HealthReach was able to restock the Strong Area Health & Dental Center food pantry. The Pierpole Day 5K planning committee would also like to thank everyone who came out to volunteer for the event. Your support is what made this event such a success, and allows us to continue engaging with our community in fun, meaningful ways.
The Board and Staff of HealthReach would like to express their special thanks to Priscilla Bartlett, Practice Manager at Strong (and her steadfast spouse!); Ayla Haines, Care Manager; and Mack McAnirlin, Health Informatics Analyst — who has each volunteered their support for all four Strong Pierpole 5K events since its start in 2022! HealthReach would also like to thank local business supporters, including Anni’s Market, Mainely Provisions, and Poland Spring — all three of Kingfield, Maine.
Place Time Bib# Name
1 24:30 37 Garrett Fontaine
2 25:40 23 Sarah Marin
3 25:50 39 Taylor Reed
4 25:56 46 Paul Gloe
5 26:27 17 Beth Allen
6 26:54 16 Hannah Berten
7 27:31 5 Abigail Hatch
8 29:08 13 Lee Rutigliano
9 30:52 11 Angela Wilkinson
10 31:48 18 Doug Allen
11 32:41 30 Michelle Volz
12 34:08 44 Ashley Adie
13 34:15 19 Luisa Stearns
14 36:38 2 Keegan Collins
15 36:41 1 Chloe Collins
16 37:07 34 Alex Metivier
17 37:07 33 Jim Metivier
18 37:42 26 Kanoa Weess
19 38:42 32 Scarlett Katzenbach
20 38:43 41 Laura Columbue
21 39:59 47 Jinger Johnson
22 44:23 35 Bethany Richards
23 44:24 36 Kali Richards
24 48:52 50 Steve Constantine
25 49:42 25 Bryan Weess
26 51:31 14 Robert Rutigliano
27 52:54 3 Sandra Rogers
28 52:54 4 John Rogers
29 56:18 15 Kaitlyn Berten
30 56:18 42 Everett Bartlett
31 56:25 10 Alexander Moody
32 56:26 8 Morgyn Cornell
33 57:11 7 Jillian Moody
34 57:11 9 Lorrie Moody
35 1:00:09 29 LeeAnna Lavoie
36 1:00:10 31 Robin Mutasa
37 1:01:11 12 Beth Milewski
38 1:01:11 6 Rebecca lane
39 1:06:32 22 Mio Acimenez
40 1:06:54 20 Doris Mitchell
41 1:07:11 28 Mary Reed-Dunn
42 1:07:11 27 Mary Young
43 1:08:21 45 Megan Richardson
44 1:08:21 40 Molly Glidden
45 1:08:27 43 Kate Jaroncyk
46 1:08:27 38 Rebecca Zeed
47 1:08:47 24 Lisa Consciage
48 1:08:47 21 Ann Ping
49 1:13:13 48 Jia Johnson
50 1:13:13 49 Jason Johnson
Strong Area Health and Dental Center is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers. HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating twelve family medical practices with the mission of serving the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975! HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12% of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88% to be financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.
Jun 25, 2025
Dr. Paul Gloe
Strong — This July, staff of the Strong Area Health Center are happy to welcome Dr. Paul Gloe to their professional healthcare team.
Gloe earned his Doctorate degree from the University of Washington. Previously, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Sheldon Jackson College. Gloe’s wealth of medical experience includes a variety of care types and settings — including emergency care, family medicine, and extensive time spent in rural medicine settings. By the time he begins delivering care at Strong, Gloe will have completed the first year of a two-year Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Fellowship, courtesy of the University of Arizona. This fellowship teaches an evidence-based approach to combining traditional medical care with complimentary medicine, consideration for the mind-body connection, and knowledge of the benefits of nutrition and exercise. With Gloe’s wide range of experience and training, he will be a wonderful addition to the Strong Team.
Gloe shares,
“I am so excited to be bringing my family to Maine… specifically, I am overjoyed to be bringing my wife back home to Maine after 25 years in Alaska. My wife was born and raised in Lewiston, and she has deep multi-generational roots in both the Maine and New Brunswick areas.
My approach to each patient is to take the time to genuinely listen, meet people where they are at, offer compassionate guidance, and help empower individuals to invest in their own health. My place as a physician has always been as a rural Family Medicine provider, and I feel privileged to share with my new community what my training has taught me — but, even more important than what my training has taught me, to share what my patients have taught me as I have practiced rural medicine.”
Gloe joins the existing Strong clinical team — Physician Assistant, Madelyn Besse; Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Amy Peters; and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Cinder Savage.
Founded in 1986, Strong Area Health Center is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine. HealthReach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating twelve family medical practices with the mission of serving the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975!
HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12% of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88% to be financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.
-END-
May 23, 2025
STRONG – Strong’s annual Pierpole Day celebration will take place on Saturday, July 12, 2025. As a part of the celebration, the Strong Area Health & Dental Center will host a fun 5K run/walk event. Don’t miss this family-friendly outdoor activity!
The event course will start and end at the Strong Area Health & Dental Center, 177 North Maine Street, in Strong. The event will begin at 9:00 AM. Those who plan to register on the day of the event should arrive at 8:30 AM. In lieu of a registration fee, please bring a donation of a non-perishable food item for the community pantry. In addition to the run/walk event, we will be distributing fun giveaway items, and a mobile health unit will be onsite to provide health education, kids’ games, and prizes!
Please visit the following RunReg page to pre-register and help our planning committee prepare –
https://www.runreg.com/strong-area-health-center-5k
In thanks for pre-registering, the first 50 registrants who sign up by 6/06 will also be able to order a FREE participation T-shirt!
The Pierpole Day 5K planning committee is also seeking volunteers to help ensure this event is a success for the community. Volunteers are requested to assist from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM on July 12. This year, we will be providing a volunteer breakfast to kick off the day! Following breakfast, volunteers can help with setup, teardown, and other assorted tasks. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Ayla Haines at ( 207 ) 860 – 8609 or email the health center at Priscilla.Bartlett@HealthReach.org by no later than Friday, June 27.
Finally, for those that are curious – Pierpole Day is an annual event celebrating local Strong heritage and history. The day is named after the Wabanaki (Abenaki/Amaseconti) settler Pierre “Pierpole” Paul. Paul and his wife, Hannah Susup, came to the Strong area in the late 1700s to settle in what was known at the time as Middletown.
Strong Area Health and Dental Center is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers. HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating twelve family medical practices with the mission of serving the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975! HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12% of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88% to be financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.
-END-
Mar 18, 2025
WATERVILLE — Connie Coggins, HealthReach President & CEO, is happy to commemorate an important milestone: in 2025, HealthReach Community Health Centers marks its 50th year of providing high-quality, affordable care to rural Maine. Founded in 1975, HealthReach’s mission continues to be serving the otherwise medically underserved areas of Central and Western Maine. HealthReach offers rural communities convenient healthcare close to home, including general primary and preventative, behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services.
In 1975, when the local doctor in Bingham retired, the tightknit community pulled together and imagined a family medical practice where everyone felt welcome. Working together, neighbors helped raise funds to renovate an old house, which they converted into a community health center. This is how the very first HealthReach clinic — Bingham Area Health Center — was formed!
Since its founding, HealthReach has gradually grown to now operate 12 community health centers across Maine, including one school-based health center, as well as integrated dental centers in two towns: Bingham and Strong. HealthReach is a 501c3 nonprofit that offers patients high-quality care without high costs by putting patients before profits. Nearly 300 HealthReach staff serve 26,000 patients each year. The majority of the volunteer HealthReach Governing Board are patients of HealthReach. This model has led to steady success by building the voice of the patient into the organization’s strategy and priorities.
HealthReach proudly celebrates a half-century of patient-centered care while looking forward to the future!
HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating twelve family medical practices
with the mission of serving the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to
the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975! HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to
receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12% of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88% to be financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S.
Government.
May 28, 2024
STRONG – Strong’s annual Pierpole Day celebration will take place on Saturday, July 13, 2024. As a part of the celebration, the Strong Area Health & Dental Center – In partnership with the Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County – will host a fun 5K run/walk event. You won’t want to miss this family-friendly outdoor activity!
The event course will start and end at the Strong Area Health & Dental Center, 177 North Maine Street, in Strong. The event will begin at 9:00 AM. Those who plan to register on the day of the event should arrive at 8:30 AM. In lieu of a registration fee, please bring a donation – either a non-perishable food item for the community pantry, or diapers for the MaineHealth Diaper Drive. Adult participants will be given one entry for a chance to win raffle prizes; one additional raffle entry will be provided for every three extra donations that the participant contributes! In addition to the run/walk event, we will be distributing fun giveaway items, and a mobile health unit will be onsite to provide health education, kid’s games, and prizes!
Please visit the following RunReg page to pre-register and help our planning committee prepare –
https://www.runreg.com/12074
As a thank you for pre-registering, the first 50 registrants who sign up by June 7th will also be able to order a FREE participation t-shirt!
The Pierpole Day 5K planning committee is also seeking volunteers to help ensure this event is a success for the community. Volunteers are requested to assist from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM on July 13. Volunteers can help with setup, teardown, and other assorted tasks. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Ayla Haines at ( 207 ) 860 – 8609 or Ayla.Haines@HealthReach.org by no later than Friday, June 30.
Finally, for those that are curious – Pierpole Day is an annual event celebrating local Strong heritage and history. The day is named after the Wabanaki (Abenaki/Amaseconti) settler Pierre “Pierpole” Paul. Paul and his wife, Hannah Susup, came to the Strong area in the late 1700s to settle in what was known at the time as Middletown.
Strong Area Health and Dental Center is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across rural Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality, evidence-based healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, dental, and podiatric services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs – including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
A private non-profit with a 49-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.
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