Dartmouth Health

This month's Way Forward story of recovery after a stroke begins with Chris Burge. After his stroke in 1996, he thought his outlook was bleak. His family was told that they should look into nursing homes because he would never again be able to walk or talk and would likely be a vegetable for the rest of his life. With the help of his daughter Perrin and generative AI, he shares the story of how rehabilitation, speech and physical therapy at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center were instrumental in his recovery after a stroke. In June 2024, another stroke sadly took his life, but before Chris died, he was insistent on telling his story of care so that others could be inspired and learn from his life journey. Keep going, he says. Watch more of Chris's Way Forward at https://lnkd.in/eCAw8AqF

The Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees welcomed Michele Perkins, EdD, as a new community trustee this year. She began her three-year term on January 1, 2025.

Science is for everyone. Science keeps us safe, and enables us to live longer, healthier lives. Stand Up for Science is a grassroots group aiming to defend science as a public good and a pillar of social, political, and economic progress. In support of these efforts, there will be rallies in Washington, DC, and many other U.S. cities on Friday, March 7. You can find listings and additional information at their website, https://lnkd.in/gbNjRKtd In New Hampshire, you can gather at 12 noon on Friday, March 7 on the Dartmouth Green in Hanover to show your support. #StandUpForScience2025 #ScienceNotSilence #ScienceForAll #AACIStandsUp AACI (Association of American Cancer Institutes) Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Dartmouth College

We were well represented at the 2025 Carol Emmott Fellowship Network Annual Meeting in Chicago last week. At this meeting, our Dartmouth Health team celebrated Courtney Tanner, who graduated from the Fellowship program this year, and welcomed Tonya Carlton, who begins her work with The Carol Emmott Foundation. Left to right: * Elizabeth Stedina, System VP, Data Analytics * Courtney Gray Tanner, Senior Director, Government Relations * Keith Thomasset, Chief Pharmacy Officer * Maria Padin, Chief Medical Officer, Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Southern Region * Tonya Carlton PharmD., MHA, BCPS, System Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services * Patrick Jordan, Chief Operating Officer

A recent flu report from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services indicates a 10.9% increase in flu-like illness from the previous week, with 130 people testing positive for the flu. Thankfully, this year's flu vaccine is proving effective at preventing getting the flu, and avoiding serious illness if you do get it—and it's still not too late to get your shot if you haven't already. “There seems to be preliminary data that actually the vaccine is protecting people, pretty well matched for flu A in one of the strains that's circulating,” Gabriela Andujar Vazquez, MD, hospital epidemiologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics, told WMUR-TV. https://lnkd.in/eT-Kw55u

Doctors Making History | In honor of Black History Month, we spotlight our notable 19th-century medical alumni and others who have helped to shape early medicine. "This Black History Month, we honor the physicians who have broken barriers, advanced medicine and continue to fight for health equity. Their dedication, resilience, and brilliance inspire us all to build a more just and inclusive healthcare system. Health equity is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right. We must confront the systemic disparities that persist in healthcare. The fight for justice includes ensuring every person receives the care, respect, and dignity they deserve. True progress means breaking barriers, closing gaps, and uplifting every community with the healing power of medicine." - Teresa Dean Malcolm, MD, FACOG, MBA, System Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Dartmouth Health. Dartmouth Health Office of DEIB

Oh, baby! ???? Jet Lyons, born nearly four weeks before her due date on January 31, refused to wait one moment longer to fly into this world. When mom Amanda Connor came to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics Nashua for a routine pregnancy check (experiencing what she thought were Braxton Hicks contractions), OBGYN Samantha White, DO, quickly determined that Jet was ready for liftoff—immediately, with no time to get to a hospital! “Nobody was panicking, and we had good communication with the paramedics and EMTs who came and as well as with getting medications and supplies,” Dr. White, who delivered Jet in the exam room with help from other clinic staff, told the New Hampshire Union Leader. “It’s also very nice that we’re in a building with multiple specialties because we had a pediatrician able to come up and evaluate the baby right after birth as well.” Congratulations to baby girl Jet, mom Amanda, and dad Chad Lyons—not only for being a brand-new family, but for holding the unique distinction of having the first baby EVER born at the Nashua clinic! ?? https://lnkd.in/epxPmATW ?? Dave Lane/Union Leader

Senate Bill 246, also known as "MOMnibus 2.0," had a public hearing Wednesday before the New Hampshire Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Prior to the hearing, Dartmouth Health Children's maternal mental health navigator Heather Martin, along with advocates representing other organizations, press conference to implore legislators to support SB246, which would improve maternal mental health, strengthen workforce protections, expand family supports, and support mothers and their families across New Hampshire. If enacted, SB246 would require Medicaid to cover maternal depression screenings for new mothers at their when babies are brought for pediatrician appointments, the New Hampshire Bulletin reports. Martin, who implemented such screenings at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics Manchester, says they are critical—and could have saved the life of her sister, who died by suicide brought on by postpartum psychosis. “By meeting moms where they already are, we can catch maternal mental health struggles early and connect them with help they need before a crisis,” Martin said. “Moms in our state need help.” https://lnkd.in/d4-KXFEM

With the majority of critical access hospitals in New Hampshire's North Country closing their inpatient labor and delivery units in the last 20 years, we sought assistance to fill the gaps in maternal care. Now into its second year, our Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) grant has made significant strides in its mission to improve outcomes for pregnant and parenting mothers in the region. Dartmouth Health received a four-year grant from RMOMS in 2023 to fund the North Country Maternity Network, a consortium of hospitals, community-based services and state agency partners to create and support the maternal health infrastructure in northern New Hampshire. Resources made possible by the grant include a doula/community health worker program, supplementary training for obstetric nurses who work at rural critical access hospitals, and enhanced coordination between providers at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics and a consortium of local providers in the North Country, one of the most rural areas of New England. “In our first 18 months of the project, we’ve made incredible strides toward improving health outcomes for women and their children in one of the most rural parts of the state." said Daisy J. Goodman, DNP, MPH, a certified nurse-midwife at DHMC. "This is going to be a big year for us, and I’m so proud of the commitment and collaboration of NCMN and Dartmouth Health to improvement of rural health equity.”

Mental health meets gastrointestinal health in a new program at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics. Through the Gastrointestinal (GI) Behavioral Health Program, patients with chronic gastrointestinal conditions have a new suite of treatments available to them. Patients receive specialized care that leverages behavioral health tools to complement their medical care and addresses the mental health aspects of their conditions. This unique approach is serving as a model for delivering this kind of care to patients around the country. Leading the charge is clinical psychologist Jessica Salwen-Deremer, PhD, director of behavioral medicine at the Walter and Carole Young Center for Digestive Health and assistant professor of psychiatry and of medicine at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Learn more about the transformative approach and the positive impact it's having on GI patients: >> Read a feature story on the new Gastrointestinal (GI) Behavioral Health Program: https://lnkd.in/emHKD3_t >> Listen to episode 3 of the podcast series UNLEASHED by Dartmouth College's Glyn Elwyn and Chris Trimble, where Salwen-Deremer shares her innovative care model for patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: https://lnkd.in/eqsSqttB