Community Benefits
Of and for the community.
Since establishment of the “modern” Portsmouth Regional Hospital more than twenty years ago, our team has worked to provide the Seacoast region with medical care of the highest quality, continually evolving to ensure the availability of advanced, sophisticated services. This year, with the support of parent company HCA, we put the finishing touches on a $70-million dollar expansion/renovation project. Many local trades’ people and vendors were hired for this effort which evolved over the last three years. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is not just a key provider of healthcare in the Seacoast, it’s one of the largest employers, with more than 1,000 physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians and other personnel. It’s also a large contributor to the region financially.
Each year, the hospital pays more than $27 million in state and federal taxes and $1.2 million in local property taxes. In 2010, it provided nearly $10 million in free care and more than $325,000 in donations to organizations as diverse as Families First, Big Brother/Big Sister and the Prescott Park Arts Festival, working closely with area non-profit organizations. This commitment to our community defines Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s core mission – serving the Seacoast with top-quality care for today’s patients and for generations of patients to come.
2010 Tax Payments, Human Resource Impact, Uncompensated Care Costs and Charitable Donations
Economic Impact of New Hampshire Hospitals and Portsmouth Regional Hospital
Giving Back
Portsmouth Regional Hospital employs more than 1,000 full-time employees who live in and around the Seacoast. These individuals, from nursing staff to lab techs, physicians to housekeepers give generously back to the community their time, talent and treasurers. They in turn volunteer at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, churches and temples, The Red Cross, United Way, in the schools, at the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, for the Rotary, at Crossroads House, for Families First, Seacoast United Soccer, Prescott Park, Pro Portsmouth, Music Hall, NHSPCA, Richie McFarland Children’s Center, the Chase Home and the list goes on.
With the growing number of people without health insurance, Portsmouth Regional Hospital has provided steadily increasing amounts of free care. In addition, we support organizations like Families First Health & Support Center and SeaCare in their respective missions to provide primary care and dental services to area residents in need. The hospital and its medical staff support the Portsmouth Prescription Assistance Program, designed to help those unable to afford necessary and expensive medications.
Improving Access to Primary Care and Dental Care
Prescription Assistance
Youth Health Initiatives
Health Information
Emergency Preparedness
Improving Access to Medical Care
Portsmouth Regional Hospital has been working hard to recruit and hire needed primary care physicians and specialists. When the hospital first opened in the 1980s there were fewer than 100 doctors. Now there are well over 200 in a variety of specialties, including: neurosurgeons, laparoscopic surgeons, infectious disease specialists, hospitalists, cardiac surgeons, endocrinologists, and more.
For area residents without healthcare insurance, the hospital supports organizations like Families First Health & Support Center and Sea Care in their respective missions to provide primary care and dental services to area residents in need. Portsmouth Regional Hospital continues to be a main supporter of the Portsmouth Regional Prescription Assistance Program. Run by Infolink, a free information and referral program located at the Community Campus, the program has accessed $2,416,911 in free prescriptions for income eligible residents who are suffering from long-term, chronic conditions. Infolink provides significant in-kind support for the program, including staff and office space. Call 603-422-8220 for more information about the Portsmouth Regional Prescription Assistance Program.
Charitable Donations
In 2010, the hospital donated more than $300,000 to Seacoast non-profit organizations, including:
- Families First Health & Support Center
- United Way of the Greater Seacoast
- Portsmouth Regional Prescription Assistance Program
- American Cancer Society
- A Safe Place
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- The Music Hall
- Pro Portsmouth, Inc.
- Prescott Park Arts Festival
- Crossroads House
- Breastcancerstories.org
- Boy Scouts
- Children's Museum of New Hampshire
- Community Child Care
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Elliot Festival Day
- Extreme Air of NH
- Friends of UNH Hockey
- Great Bay Services
- Greater Bay Chapter of Red Cross
- Hampton AED Fund
- Hugs Not Drugs
- Krempels Brain Injury
- Lamprey Health
- Little Harbor Charitable Foundation
- Mark Wentworth Home
- Moffatt-Ladd House
- NAMI New Hampshire
- New Generation\
- New Hampshire SPCA
- New Heights
- Newfields 5K Road Rce
- NH Medical Society
- NHYC
- Northeast Passage
- Portsmouth High Celebration Graduation
- Piscataqua Maritime Commission
- The Jimmy Fund
- Portsmouth Criterium
- Portsmouth Historical Society
- Portsmouth Little League
- Portsmouth Medical Society
- Portsmouth Rotary
- Rockingham County Community Action
- Rye By the Sea
- Salvation Army of Portsmouth
- Seacoast African Cultural Museum
- Seacoast Fire Chief Association
- Seacoast Family YMCA
- Seacoast Hospice
- Seacoast Mental Health
- Seacoast Science Ccenter
- Seacoast Visiting Nurses
- Sexual Assault Support Services
- Share Our Strength
- Special Olympics
- Womenaid of Greater Portsmouth
- Working Dog Foundation
Health Information
To help consumers access the healthcare resources they need, the hospital runs a toll-free Consult-A-Nurse 24/7 Physician Referral and Health Information Line. When you need health information, you want it to be reliable and immediate. That’s why Portsmouth Regional Hospital offers a free healthcare hotline enabling you to talk with a registered nurse any time of the day or night and any day of the week. Consult-A-Nurse provides prompt answers to your health related questions. While our nurses don’t diagnose medical conditions, they are on call to offer support, consultation and valuable health information. Whether you’re looking for a doctor by specialty, office location, or gender or have questions about acceptance of most major insurance plans, Consult-A-Nurse can help. The number to call is 1-888-421-1080.
The hospital publishes a free quarterly health education magazine “Regional Currents” featuring new physicians, and the latest in services available at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
Each spring and fall the hospital presents 12 or more health lectures each year through the Women’s Care Lecture Series. The series is the oldest and longest running community lecture series in the area. The registration fee of $5 per person supports women’s organizations of the Seacoast.
Free surgical weight loss informational sessions are held regularly in both Portsmouth and Derry. Session presenters: Drs. John Gens, Kevin Looser, and Cynthia Paciulli, are specialty-trained laparoscopic surgeons who are Fellows of the American College of Surgeons and affiliates of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
The hospital also offers Rehab Community Programs at 155 Borthwick Avenue in Portsmouth, Community Events, Flu Clinics in the fall, and an extensive Speakers Bureau. For more information on any of these programs, please feel free to contact the Marketing and Public Affairs Office at 603-433-4054.
Youth Health Initiatives
Childhood obesity is a serious national and local health issue. Over the years, the Hospital has invested in a variety of efforts to promote healthy, after school activities for youth and families. On Saturday, October 1, 2011 the hospital is partnering with the Foundation for Seacoast Health to provide a community wellness event that will showcase dozens of Seacoast non-profit health services..
Emergency Preparedness
Portsmouth Regional Hospital is an integral partner in the community's efforts to prepare for potential emergencies. We work closely with area government and civic organizations, including the Greater Portsmouth Public Health Network, the Portsmouth Area Emergency Response Team and the State of New Hampshire, to plan a coordinated and effective response to possible weather emergencies, major accidents, disease threats or terrorist attack.
Community Links
Beyond Portsmouth Regional Hospital's services and medical staff, the Seacoast is served by many nonprofit health and human service resources. To help you find the additional services you need, we encourage you to visit the Community Links page of this Web site.
The Foundation for Seacoast Health
In 1985, the Trustees of Portsmouth Hospital determined that the community's health would be better served by the hospital becoming part of a sophisticated, national healthcare system. The Hospital was sold to HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) and the proceeds of that sale became the assets of a new private community foundation, The Foundation for Seacoast Health. The sale of the old Portsmouth Hospital to HCA was a win-win for the community, creating both a top-flight new medical facility and a charitable foundation that invests millions of dollars each year in initiatives to improve the health and well being of Seacoast families and children.
The Foundation for Seacoast Health is one of the largest private charitable foundations in New Hampshire. Its Community Campus, located off of Route 1 South next to Water Country in Portsmouth, is home to ten nonprofit organizations that address local health needs, including Families First Health & Support Center, New Heights Adventures for Teens, Community Child Care Center, Child Advocacy Center, Bonnie CLAC, Head Start, InfoLink, Portsmouth Early Education Program, Seacoast Outright and Steppingstones. The Mission of the Community Campus is to serve the health needs and well-being of the most underserved and vulnerable individuals residing within the Foundation communities through a seamless continuum of health and human services. Please visit the Community Campus Web site to learn more: www.communitycampus.org
In addition to operating the Community Campus and supporting its tenant organizations, The Foundation for Seacoast Health awards scholarships to students pursuing health related careers. Since its founding, the Foundation has awarded over $2 million in scholarships to 289 Seacoast residents. Please visit the Foundation's Web site to learn more: www.ffsh.org