Wells River Providers

“Dr. Simone” came to Little Rivers after completing medical school at SUNY Downstate and her residency at Providence Milwaukie Hospital in Portland, OR, where she was chief resident. Providing full spectrum care for everyone in the community is what draws Dr Simone to family practice. Keeping care in the community and working to remove barriers to care that the systems we must work within create is integral to supporting the health of patients and our community. She values the creativity of Little Rivers that recognizes these needs, creating the MAT program, continued Obstetric care, integrated Behavioral Healthcare, Psychiatric care, and soon, Dental care. The work of the care coordinators supports her as a physician and each patient with their non-medical needs. Meeting a patient where they are and working with them to achieve optimal health is her goal. 

The continuity of caring for a patient from birth through adulthood is one of the hallmarks of family medicine that drew Genereaux, Vermont’s 2018 Family Physician of the Year, to the specialty. He’s been working at this community clinic for 25 years, a job that’s granted him “front row seats to the highs and lows in people’s lives.”

As an undergraduate, Genereaux glimpsed two contrasting views of healthcare through summer internships: first, he shadowed an orthopedist at a large hospital in New York City; later, he worked with Brewster Martin, MD, a family physician with a solo practice in rural Chelsea, Vermont. “Brewster was a classic country doctor,” Genereaux says. “Seeing the breadth and variety in his practice, and the way he fit into the community, spurred my interest in family medicine.”

That interest grew during his time at Dartmouth Medical School, especially after a third-year family medicine rotation in Augusta, Maine. Following residency, Genereaux spent four years at a public health center in Bethel, Alaska. Then he stumbled on the opportunity to work at Little Rivers.

Little Rivers is a Federally Qualified Health Center, providing primary care to all residents in the region, regardless of ability to pay. In addition to physicians and nurses, its staff includes behavioral health clinicians and care coordinators who help patients maintain their health and well-being. The clinic also welcomes first- and second-year Geisel students completing their On Doctoring course, as well as third- and fourth-year students on their family medicine rotations. “Watching us do what we do and our role in the community—that’s something you don’t usually get taught in med school,” says Genereaux.

It’s their role in the community that inspired Genereaux and his colleagues to begin the MAT program. “Three years ago we had three overdose deaths among local residents,” he says. “People have realized that the recovering population is us—our cousins, our aunts, our nephews.”

Living and working among underserved, rural neighbors, Genereaux is committed to eliminating barriers to care. Along with Geisel students, he visits seasonal agricultural workers at their farms. In the future, he wants to explore more ways to take healthcare services out of the clinic and into the community, like doing blood-pressure checks at the town dump.

“Family physicians aren’t just doctors,” Genereaux says. “We have to be leaders and role models.” He stresses that the caregivers at Little Rivers are “accessible, approachable, available, and accountable”

Dr. Fay Homan has been with Wells River Clinic since 1993. She enjoys the full scope of family medicine, from obstetric care to geriatrics. Teaching the next generation of family doctors is an important part of her practice, and you’ll often meet medical students from UVM and Dartmouth with her in Wells River. She also enjoys international medicine, and has travelled to Honduras, Kosovo and Malawi. She serves on the board of the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians and the Primary Care Advisory Group for the Green Mountain Care Board. She got her medical degree from the University of Vermont and did her Family Medicine residency in Tacoma, Washington. She has been honored as the Vermont Family Physician of the Year and as Family Medicine Teacher of the Year.

Barbara graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with her MD and completed Family Medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. After seven remarkable years with the Indian Health Service in Shiprock, NM, Barbara and Joel (and their two sons, now in their mid twenties) relocated to Vermont in 2003. Since then her work has been focused on frail elders wherever they call Home. Barbara has a particular interest in optimizing care for people living with Dementia and their families.

Michael has been working in the behavioral health and substance use treatment fields since 2007. He started providing group and individual therapy in 2011 under the licenses of his supervisors at Valley Vista’s Residential treatment program. In December of 2018, he completed his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Southern New Hampshire University. His goal is to be dually licensed as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and Alcohol and Substance Use Counselor (LADC). Michael is a member of the New Hampshire Disaster Behavioral Response Team and the Granite State Critical Incident Debriefing Team and is an advocate for first responders’ mental health. He assists adolescents aged 16 through adults, who have been assessed with a behavioral health or substance use diagnosis.

Michael utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Narrative and Art Therapy in his treatment. He has a history of providing Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and Auricular Acupuncture during individual and group sessions, enhancing his ability to utilize mindfulness in his practices.

Mark received his Master in Social Work (MSW) degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2021. He held internships working with a variety of populations during his schooling. He provided case management and individual/group support to adults with severe and persistent mental health diagnoses in a community-based program during his foundational year. His clinical year placement was in an adult inpatient treatment center serving those with co-occurring diagnoses, with a focus on treating trauma. To better serve these clients, he was trained in EMDR. His employment during grad-school was based in group homes, building relationships with adults with developmental and learning disabilities. Post-grad, Mark spent a year working as a Primary Therapist in the adult men's residential treatment program at Valley Vista.

In his therapeutic approach, Mark draws heavily from the Strengths Based Perspective and Cognitive Behavioral Theory. He strives for a collaborative relationship with his clients and utilizes CBT, Solution Focused, Motivational Interviewing, and Gestalt techniques during his sessions. Mark has a special interest in mindfulness skills and is actively increasing his knowledge of ACT and DBT to use in practice. Mark obtained licensure as a Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in 2023. He is also motivated to become an EMDR Certified Therapist through EMDRIA.

Tracy completed her Masters of Social Work degree in 2005 at the University of Central Florida and became a Licensed Independent Clinical Social worker in 2009. Tracy has worked with individuals, families and groups from ages 3 through 89 in a variety of settings. Her experience includes working with individuals who experience symptoms of Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Trauma and other mental health and substance use diagnoses.

Tracy utilizes a strengths perspective while incorporating multiple modalities into her sessions, including but not limited to: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Play Therapy, and Narrative approaches, as well as Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Tracy became a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor in 2018 and is currently training and working towards her EMDR certification.

Tiffany is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) in the State of Vermont. She completed her master’s degree at the University of Vermont in Transformative Social Work. Her focus during her master’s program was centered on individuals who have experienced trauma. Her post graduate employment as a therapist, included treating individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders at the residential program Valley Vista. At Little Rivers Health Care, Tiffany currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Medication Assisted Treatment program in addition to treating individuals in the Behavioral Health Program. 

Tiffany’s therapeutic approach is heavily based upon Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Other modalities of her practice include, but are not limited to, Solution Focused Treatment (SFT), Mindfulness based treatment, Family Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Tiffany was recently trained in Acudetox and is now offering this in both group and individual settings. She specializes in patients of all ages, but has more experience with those who are 18 and older.