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Heartfelt Stories – Care on Wheels: Mobile Integrated Healthcare is Changing Lives: Fontaine’s Story

Fontaine Melus stands smiling between two members of the Mobile Integrated Healthcare team from Monadnock Community Hospital. On the left is Dr. Lucas Shippee in a green shirt, and on the right is paramedic Joshua Patrick in green scrubs.
Heartfelt Stories - Care on Wheels: Mobile Integrated Healthcare is Changing Lives: Fontaine's Story
Heartfelt Stories – Care on Wheels: Mobile Integrated Healthcare is Changing Lives: Fontaine’s Story

Heartfelt Stories

At Monadnock Community Hospital, we are proud to share our Heartfelt Stories featuring inspiring testimonials from our patients, employees, volunteers, donors, and community members. Each story reflects the exceptional care, support, and compassion that define our commitment to our community. Join us in celebrating these remarkable journeys and the difference compassionate care can make.

Fontaine Melus of Jaffrey once thrived in her busy lifestyle. “I was always focusing on getting 150,000 things done,” she recalls. Then came the back injury that changed everything. “Just like that, I went to doing nothing,” she says. “It was very depressing. I had never been in that kind of debilitating pain before.”

While surgery eventually eased her physical pain, the limitations and depression persisted. “I couldn’t sit down comfortably to pay my bills, which would send me into a panic,” she explains.

Recognizing that Fontaine was struggling beyond what traditional office visits could address, her care team at Monadnock Internal Medicine connected her with an innovative solution: Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH).

Dr. Lucas Shippee, who serves as Medical Director for the program, referred Fontaine for home support. “We designed MIH to fill critical gaps in our healthcare system,” explains Dr. Shippee. “By bringing emergency medical service providers directly to patients’ homes, we can deliver both clinical care and support services where they’re most needed.”

The results for Fontaine were transformative. The MIH team helped her access financial assistance for utilities through Community Health Integration Services and transportation through NH Easy.

Perhaps most valuable is the regular home visits from paramedic Joshua Patrick, MPSLA, CP-C. “Josh is very intelligent,” Fontaine says warmly, “he’s calm, helps me organize information, and explains how he can support me.” During these visits, Josh conducts physical assessments, collects medical specimens when needed, and provides crucial health education—all without Fontaine needing to leave her home.

“Getting visits from someone like Josh who pays attention, asks questions, and helps me accomplish health-related tasks that might otherwise go undone is very helpful and quite encouraging.”

As Mobile Integrated Healthcare continues to expand throughout the Monadnock Region, patients like Fontaine demonstrate how bridging the gap between clinical care and home support can make all the difference in helping community members reclaim their independence and well-being.

Fontaine Melus stands between two smiling Monadnock Community Hospital staff members in a bright room with framed artwork on the wall.

Group photo of the Mobile Integrated Health team at Monadnock Community Hospital, standing outdoors with a lush, green forest background. Team members are dressed in professional attire, smiling warmly to the camera, creating a welcoming and approachable impression

 

Five Monadnock Community Hospital staff members stand together smiling as they cut a ceremonial red ribbon inside a bright hospital corridor. A skylight and the Monadnock Community Hospital logo are visible above them. The caption below reads, “Progress with Purpose – 2025 Report to Our Community.”

MCH 2025 Annual Report