Services
Primary Medical Care
Call our Front Desk to make an appointment:
(508) 939-9358
Island Health Care has adopted the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care and has received recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. In a PCMH, you receive evidence-based care planned just for you with a lead provider and a care team. Your team will closely track your progress and include you in decisions about your care. Your care team will also coordinate the care you receive from other doctors.
We offer in-person and telehealth visits by phone or video, when appropriate. When you make an appointment, be sure to let our staff know the nature of your visit (sports physical, ear pain, etc.) and whether you have several questions or concerns to discuss at your visit. We want to be sure to schedule enough time to meet your needs! IHC provides the following basic primary care services:
- Annual physicals and check-ups
- Child wellness and immunizations
- Same-day visits for more urgent things like earaches, sore throats, minor wounds, and tick bites
- Treatment and clinical support for chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, substance use disorder, and heart disease
Dental & Oral Health
Call our Front Desk for more information:
(508) 939-9358
The Island Health Care Dental Center is now open!
Please visit our Dental Center page for more information about our location, services, and how to make an appointment.
Behavioral Health Counseling
To learn how these appointments can be arranged, contact our behavioral health team here:
508-939-9358, menu option 5
Our Behavioral Health team aims to provide evidence-based approaches to care that include medication, counseling, therapy, care management, patient advocacy, referral services, and social support through our mental health providers, substance use disorder access coordinator, and community health workers. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for those individuals who experience substance use disorders can be effective in helping patients sustain recovery. Medications used for MAT include:
- Buprenorphine
- Naltrexone tablet
- Vivitrol (injectable)
- Acamprosate
- Disulfiram
- Topiramate
IHC collaborates with other substance use disorder services including transition from detox and in-patient care. We are accepting new patients recently discharged from the emergency room, detox, or an in-patient hospitalization for a concern related to mental health or substance use disorder. We can provide coordinated and integrated medical and behavioral health care.
IHC offers telehealth psychiatric and counseling services by appointment.
Chronic Disease Management
To learn more, contact our nursing team here:
508-939-9358, menu option 3
As part of the hospital-initiated grant project MV Partnership for Health, health center staff are trained in the highly acclaimed Stanford teaching model for chronic disease management.
Class leaders run regular six-week classes to educate and guide patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease who wish to become active in their own health.
People learn how to develop effective, life-enhancing action plans. Patients meet others with the same chronic illness, learn from each other’s experiences and help each other make incredible strides in controlling symptoms, slowing disease progression, improving how they feel and what they can personally accomplish on a daily basis.
IHC Nurse Practitioners offer clinical support and teaching (e.g., diabetic diet and foot care) in group settings.
After Hours & Nurse Triage / Depois de Horas e Triage Nurse
Call the following number after 8:00pm / Ligue para o seguinte número após as 20:00
508-939-9358, menu option 3
Island Health Care is open into the evening until 8:00pm four days a week (Monday—Thursday). We also offer after-hours nurse triage care by phone overnight until we open the next morning at 8:00am, easily accessible through the night-time voicemail menu. You may speak directly to a nurse, who will advise or direct urgent calls to the health center provider on call.
Saúde ilha está aberto à noite até 8:00 quatro dias por semana (de segunda a quarta-feira). Nós também oferecemos after-hours enfermeira de triagem por telefone durante a noite até que abrir na manhã seguinte às 8h00, facilmente acessível através do menu de correio de voz noite. Você pode falar diretamente com uma enfermeira, que irá aconselhar ou direcionar chamadas urgentes para o provedor centro de saúde de plantão.
Laboratory & Diagnostic Services
Most laboratory test orders will require that you go to a hospital laboratory.
Prevention, Wellness & Nutrition Counseling
To learn more, contact our public health team here:
508-939-9358, menu option 8
Island Health Care staff places the highest value on prevention and wellness. We actively work with patients in two different ways—as part of routine care in nearly every patient visit and through a variety of programs that we’ve created to promote wellness. Under our Food, Movement, and Mindfulness as Medicine initiative, Island Health Care is working to create a comprehensive wellness program for all island residents that will prevent and manage chronic disease, as well as promote overall health and wellness. Through community collaboration, this package of services will provide residents with free or low-cost access to physical activity programs, nutrition initiatives, and activities for stress management.
Public Health Nursing
Our Public Health Nurses are responsible for serving all six island towns, providing home visits (newborn to elderly) and conducting Wellness Clinics.
The Public Health Nurse is also charged with following reportable diseases on the island, including monitoring test results and performing contact tracing as part of the ongoing COVID-19 testing initiative.
For more information on the free services available from the Public Health Nurse—including a schedule of monthly wellness clinics and support groups—click here.
Health Care Decision Making
Island Health Care believes in the importance of advance care planning (ACP) for our patients. It is critical that everyone take the time to have a conversation with your loved ones and your healthcare partners to discuss your wishes for serious illness/end of life care.
Click here to learn more about the various ACP forms in Massachusetts, and which may be appropriate for your situation. These forms can help get a conversation started, and make your wishes known. You can download the Health Care Proxy and MOLST forms below.
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Form: English | Portuguese
Health Care Proxy Form: English | Portuguese
Health Insurance Eligibility & Enrollment Assistance
To get things started, contact the Vineyard Health Care Access Program:
508-696-0020
If you need help getting or keeping health insurance, you can reach out to our partner, Vineyard Health Care Access Program (VHCAP) at 508-696-0020 or hca@dukescounty.org.
VHCAP can quickly provide up-to-date information, help patients choose a plan, and, best of all, help them complete online enrollment that often can mean immediate, on-the-spot, affordable coverage.
Patient Advocacy & Care Management
For Insurance Referrals / Hospital Appointments / Off-Island Specialist Appointments, contact our referrals department here:
508-939-9358, menu option 6
For Information on Transportation Costs & Logistics, contact our support team here:
508-939-9358, menu option 8
Our clinical and patient access teams are also committed to helping our patients navigate the highly complex and confusing system of care beyond the health center. Whatever you need, our entire staff is ready to help.
Billing
questions about your bill? call:
(508) 687-2317
Island Health Care partners with CPa Medical Billing for all our patients’ billing needs. If you have questions about your bill, please call (508) 687-2317.
Sliding Fee Discount Program
To learn more, please call our patient access team or ask the front desk at your next appointment!
508-939-9358, menu option 4
We offer the Sliding Fee Discount Program to all income-eligible patients based on your annual household income and family size, whether you have insurance or not. The amount you pay per visit ranges from $5 (for incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level) to $20 (at 200% of the federal poverty level).
To see if you qualify, you can find the most up-to-date sliding fee scale in our forms library. To begin the application process, download an application from our forms library, complete it, and return it to the Health Center in person or by mail. You can also pick up an application at the front desk.
No one will be denied access to services due to inability to pay.
Culturally / Linguistically Competent Care
We employ trained and certified Medical Interpreters in order to best serve our non-English-proficient patients. All patients have the right to an interpreter.
There are Brazilian Portuguese-speaking interpreters available whenever the health center is open. We can also interpret in 240 other languages by phone and video at no charge to patients. IHC patients also have the right to waive the interpreter service if they choose not to use one.
Travel Assistance Program
Tap Application (Email To hdolan@ihimv.org or print and drop off at Island Health Care):
The Travel Assistance Program (TAP) provides funding and reimbursement to help patients cover the costs of traveling to medical, dental, and behavioral health appointments both here on Martha’s Vineyard and off-island.
All Island Health Care patients are eligible to apply for TAP and individuals are encouraged to list all unique needs and expenses on their application (e.g. ferry tickets, bus tickets, car service, taxi, Medivan, hotel stay, tolls, gas, etc.).
Department of Transportation Physical Exams
IHC also contracts with several employers to perform Department of Transportation (DOT) physical exams to both patients and non-patients. Individuals may request a DOT physical exam for a fee of $175. The following forms must be completed and returned to our office, with copies of your driver’s license and your insurance card, before an appointment is scheduled: