• Normal infant feeding patterns and what to expect
• Latch and positioning
• Breastfeeding challenges
• Navigating the return to work or school

• Supports Connection and Bonding: Breastfeeding can provide opportunities for closeness and helps support the emotional bond between parents and baby.
• Supports Infant Health: Breastfeeding provides antibodies and other components that support an infant’s developing immune system and is associated with lower rates of asthma, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and many other chronic health issues.
• Supports Brain Health and Development: Research links breastfeeding with healthy brain development.
• Accessibility and Convenience: Breastfeeding parents can skip the extra cost and labor of buying, mixing, and storing formulas, breast milk is the ultimate portable meal and healthy nutrition, all in one.

Joelle has been dedicated to the nursing profession since 2012 with a wide variety of experience from Behavioral Health,  Intensive Care, Emergency Room, Home Care and Palliative care prior to Family Practice. She is board certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She joined East Jordan Family Health Center in June of 2017. She is dedicated to serving our community providing team based, equitable quality care.

Daniel M. Mann, MD is a board-certified family medicine physician. Dr. Mann received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Duluth through the University of Minesota. Dr. Mann has over 20 years of experience in primary care, urgent and emergency care in Charlevoix, as well as serving the Beaver Island Rural Health Center. He is passionate about providing comprehensive and compassionate care to patients of all ages. Dr. Mann and his family love northern Michigan life and being outdoors. Outside of medicine, he enjoys traveling, cycling, winter sports, sailing, cooking and the health benefits of hot sauna!

Accepting New Patients

Dr. North received her B.S. degree at Eastern Michigan University and her Medical Degree at Michigan State University. Her residency was in Family Medicine at St Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, NY. After residency training, she served as an active duty physician in the U.S. Air Force staffing stateside hospitals as well as deploying overseas on two occasions from 2000-2004. Since the Air Force, her practice locations have included Olympia, WA and most recently Jackson WY.

She returned home to Michigan in 2017 to settle closer to family and expand her nonprofit animal sanctuary. When she is not busy seeing patients, you will find her tending to the 80+ residents of her rescue, enjoying the outdoors of Northern Michigan, or a good game of Yahtzee.4

Her interests in medicine include full spectrum primary care, and promoting wellness and good lifestyle choices.

John received his Master Degree of Physician Assistant Studies from Central Michigan University, where he also received his undergraduate in Biomedical Science. John is a licensed Physician Assistant, Board Certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). He is also certified to treat substance use disorders and perform Department of Transportation employment physicals.

He joined the East Jordan Family Health Center team in 2022, bringing with him over 6 years of family practice experience, as well as hospitalist experience. Dave’s passion as a family practice physician is to get to know and treat his patients in both diagnostic and preventative medicine on a long term basis, as this is something that is often lacking in today’s medical partnerships.

John typically goes by the name Dave, as the first name of John is a family tradition.

Accepting New Patients

A native to northern Michigan, Molly Zubal graduated from the University of Michigan as a nurse practitioner in 2020 after working several years as a RN in northern Michigan. Molly has 9 years’ experience working bedside in an Intensive Care Unit. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, getting outdoors and music. She is looking forward to working at the health center to build lasting relationships with and serve the community that she lives in.

Accepting New Patients

Big Feelings, Small Voices

Children do not always have the words to explain what they are feeling. Sometimes worry, sadness, anger, grief, trauma, family stress, or school challenges show up as behavior, meltdowns, withdrawal, or difficulty connecting with others. Play therapy gives children a safe and supportive way to express emotions, explore their inner world, and build healthy coping skills through play, creativity, and connection. For children, play is more than fun. It is one of the ways they communicate, process experiences, and make sense of the world around them. In play therapy, the therapist uses play to join the child in their world and support emotional wellness, communication skills, personal strengths, and social relationships.

Play therapy may help children who are experiencing:

• Anxiety or worry
• Sadness or grief
• Anger or emotional outbursts
• Family changes or divorce
• Trauma or stressful experiences
• School or peer challenges
• Difficulty talking about feelings
• Behavioral concerns at home or school
• Trouble with emotional regulation

What to Expect

At the first appointment, the parent or caregiver and child will meet with the therapist together. Paperwork will be completed and the therapist will begin gathering information about the child’s needs, strengths, and concerns. If there is information a parent or caregiver would like to share outside of the child’s presence, a follow-up phone contact may be scheduled. A parent or caregiver will also need to participate in the treatment plan development session and treatment plan reviews. Ongoing parent involvement may vary based on the child’s needs and treatment goals.

How to Get Started

Concerned about your child’s emotions, behavior, coping skills, or connection with others? Talk with your child’s primary care provider about a behavioral health referral. Support is available for children from birth and up. For children ages birth to 3, care focuses on parent support and strengthening attachment between the child and caregiver. For children ages 4 and up, therapy is based on the child’s individual needs and treatment goals.

Meet Maegan Chamberlain, LLMSW

Maegan is a behavioral health therapist specializing in play therapy. She is currently working toward Registered Play Therapist credentialing through the Association for Play Therapy. Her approach uses play, relationship-building, attachment, and interpersonal neurobiology to support emotional regulation, connection, and healthy development. Through play therapy, children can begin to express what they may not yet have the words to explain.

Community-voted awards recognize Emerald Harring, LMSW and Sam Dyste, PA-C

Bellaire and East Jordan Family Health Centers are proud to celebrate two providers who have been named 2026 Red Hot Best winners by Traverse Magazine/MyNorth.

Sam Dyste, PA-C was recognized as Red Hot Best Primary Care Provider, and Emerald Harring, LMSW was recognized as Red Hot Best Therapist, Counselor in the Charlevoix & The Chain of Lakes region.

The Red Hot Best awards are voted on by readers and highlight the people, places, and businesses that help make Northern Michigan such a special place to live and work. This recognition is especially meaningful because it comes from the community our health centers are honored to serve.

Sam Dyste, PA-C is part of the Bellaire Family Health Center Primary Care team, providing primary care to patients through preventive visits, ongoing care, and support for long-term health needs. Primary care is often the first step in helping patients stay well, manage chronic conditions, and connect with the right care at the right time.

Emerald Harring, LMSW is part of the Bellaire Family Health Center Behavioral Health team. Through integrated behavioral health services, Emerald helps support patients’ emotional and mental well-being as part of whole-person care.

“At Bellaire and East Jordan Family Health Centers, we know that strong relationships are at the heart of good care. We are proud to see Emerald and Sam recognized by the community for the compassion, dedication, and professionalism they bring to their work every day.”

The health centers extend a heartfelt congratulations to Emerald and Sam and thank the community for recognizing the important role local providers play in supporting the health and well-being of Northern Michigan.

Partnerships That Strengthened Community Health

From the very beginning, the Bellaire and East Jordan Family Health Centers were built through community collaboration.

That same spirit continues today through partnerships that extend care far beyond traditional medical visits.

For decades, the Health Centers have worked alongside schools, nonprofits, hospitals, service organizations, and local community leaders to address the broader factors that influence health and well-being throughout Northern Michigan.

These partnerships recognize an important reality:

Healthcare is not only about appointments and prescriptions. It is also about access to food, transportation, education, emotional support, prevention, and connection.

Over the years, community partnerships have helped support:

• Cancer prevention and patient assistance programs
• Diabetes education and access to monitoring technology
• Preventive screenings and wellness events
• Behavioral health outreach and education
• Community resource navigation and emergency assistance
• Student engagement and healthcare career exploration

Programs like Colors of Cancer and the Antrim County High Tea for Breast Cancer Prevention brought together healthcare providers, volunteers, donors, and community advocates to support patients and promote early detection.

Organizations such as Helping Hearts of East Jordan helped extend support to families facing financial hardship, transportation barriers, and medical challenges.

Partnerships with area Lions Clubs improved access to diabetic continuous glucose monitors, helping reduce barriers for uninsured and underinsured patients managing chronic disease.

The Health Centers have also collaborated with local schools and community organizations to promote healthcare careers, wellness education, and preventive care initiatives for future generations.

These efforts reflect a larger philosophy that has guided the organization for 50 years:

Strong communities create healthier communities.

As healthcare continues to evolve, partnerships remain essential to addressing rural health challenges and improving quality of life throughout the region.

The Bellaire and East Jordan Family Health Centers remain committed to strengthening those relationships and continuing the shared work of building healthier communities together.