Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) has again been named by U.S. News & World Report as a 2024-2025 Best Hospital. In addition to our overall #1 hospital in New Hampshire ranking, DHMC was named a Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access, which recognizes success in caring for patients in historically underserved communities. We were also designated "high-performing" in 11 common adult procedures and conditions. The recognition is wide-ranging across a number of clinical specialties—from cancer surgery to hip replacement and kidney failure to heart attack, heart failure and bypass surgery. "I extend my sincere congratulations to all our teams throughout Dartmouth Health that make us one of America’s best rural health systems." - Joanne M. Conroy, MD The expertise, dedication and heart our employees bring to their work every day is unmatched. The commitment to our patients and our mission is what makes us the best hospital in our region. https://lnkd.in/eP3NDfcq

The most important factors to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are also among the top recommendations for overall good health and well-being. In other words, what’s good for the brain is good for the heart and good for the body. That includes making sure you're getting quality sleep every night. “Sleep is an important part of maintaining a healthy brain," DHMC chief neurology resident Brahyan Galindo-Mendez, MD, MPH, told Everyday Health. "Memory consolidation and removal of waste proteins in the brain happens during sleep. Therefore, sleep disturbances, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea are associated with an increased risk of dementia.” https://bit.ly/3XXcmNY

"Cryptic pregnancy" describes when someone is pregnant but doesn't know it, despite telltale symptoms like body changes, weight gain, missed periods and fetal movement setting in. They are rare—only one in 475 births. "I have been an OBGYN for 12 years, and I can only count on one hand the number of patients who I would categorize in this group," DHMC's Emily Donelan, MD, told PopSugar, Inc. To avoid cryptic pregnancy, Dr. Donelan advises to use birth control as directed if pregnancy is not desired, even if you have fertility issues, and to pay attention to your menstrual cycle. Otherwise, you and your baby may be at risk for missing important prenatal care. "Pregnancy is a time that many women improve their overall health for the wellbeing of their future child, and this is a missed opportunity for some women," she said. https://bit.ly/45R53Jv

Not surprisingly, the favorite movie of DHMC Locksmith Tyler Charbono is The Italian Job. “I just love locks. Even as a young child, I was fascinated by padlocks,” says Charbono. Charbono is in charge of the key system for the entire hospital. He works a 6:00 am to 2:30 am shift, dividing his time between general work, repairs, and renovation projects. There are some 5,500 different keys in the hospital. Charbona makes sure each one works. He is a perfectionist and focuses on every detail. “Second best is never okay,” he says. Charbono has been a certified locksmith for 13 years. He used to work in a lock shop before becoming a hospital employee. “I was taking anything apart as soon as I could hold a screwdriver. I don’t want to do anything else.” You can play a vital role in the health and wellbeing of our patients and community as a non-medical professional, like Tyler. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e95Rg-fr

How does a behavioral health researcher look at precision cancer prevention? Behavioral health researcher Lisa Marsch, PhD, is developing new digital platforms to target these behaviors, ultimately preventing the risk of these cancers in the future. Learn more about this innovative work in digital health, including short videos with Marsch, at https://lnkd.in/eu6D-kNY

About two years ago, Jamie Karch, then a registered nurse at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and second-year medical student at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, discovered a resource that would prove invaluable in her efforts to promote skin cancer prevention and UV safety education at Dartmouth and surrounding communities. Dartmouth College recently earned national recognition as a Skin Smart Campus from the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, thanks to her efforts and many collaborators across Dartmouth and the broader Upper Valley community, including our dermatology team. Having earned her MD degree in May from Geisel, Karch will be heading to Boston to complete a one-year transitional internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Afterward, she will return to Dartmouth Health to complete her dermatology residency. “With continued support from the dedicated members of Geisel's Dermatology Interest Group, our Department of Dermatology—notably Drs. Alicia Dagrosa and M. Shane Chapman, and Brittany Stark, and our many other collaborators, I’m confident we can reach our goals of reducing barriers to sunscreen application and instilling healthy habits in students and community members.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/etsDH5Wu

✨ We only do this survey once every three years, so make your voice count! ✨ If you live in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont: we want to know what you believe are the most pressing community health needs in our community. Hearing from you will help us prioritize those needs, and we will work to address them over the next several years. You can find the link to the Community Health Needs Assessment survey here: https://lnkd.in/gqtmgdNB or in Spanish: https://lnkd.in/gDB27thB

Our Graduate Medical Education Office has been busy this month. Here are some scenes from GME Orientation Week! Did you know that we support 51 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency and fellowship programs at DHMC? Can't wait to see all the great things our trainees will accomplish. The journey starts now, welcome to the Dartmouth Health team!

It's LNA Week! We're so fortunate to have compassionate, dedicated LNAs as part of our care teams, supporting every clinical area across Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics. Their work is essential and their impact is significant. Our thanks to all LNAs. We're pleased to share some photos from the LNA of the Year Awards held yesterday: ❇️ Periop & Procedural LNA of the Year: Elizabeth Wheeler, Same Day Program, Lebanon ❇️ DHMC Ambulatory LNA of the Year: Tammy Furman, Neurosurgery, Lebanon ❇️ Inpatient LNA of the Year: Lori Pond, ICU Medical – 3 North, Lebanon ❇️ CGP Ambulatory LNA of the Year: Madison Boisvert, General Internal Medicine, Manchester Congratulations to all of this year's nominees and award winners! We'll be sharing their nominations on DHMC and DHC Facebook pages this week. 🎉

"Level 2 is the heart and lifeblood of this hospital," says Director of Clinical Specialty Services, Scott Slogic, who works from this floor beneath the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center’s main entry level. “I like to say we have significant patient impact and no patient contact,” says Sarah Tarleton, a supervisor at Central Sterile Reprocessing which cleans, inspects, verifies and sterilizes some 8,000 instruments a day for surgery. Tarleton and Slogic are among the many employees who contributed to our recent article about some of the people who work from Level 2 and whose work may appeal to those who may not be nurses or doctors but who want to be involved in healthcare. These Level 2 offices include: The Milk Lab, The Key/Lock Shop, The Mail Center, Environmental/Waste Management Services, Engineering, Central Sterile Reprocessing, The Boiler Room, Nutrition Services, Clinical Engineering, Pharmacy, Inventory and Logistics, Vascular Access Service, Wound Care, Blood Bank, Informatics Systems and Connected Care. And although the people who work here may be classified as Non-Medical Professionals, they care deeply about meeting the needs of the patients they serve. Executive Chef William Jones, who goes by David, tells new hires in Nutrition Servies to put their heart into each meal because this meal could be a patient’s last. When he cleans rooms in oncology and hematology, Tech Cert David Bouchier in Environmental Services makes it a point to put patients at ease. “I never tell them I know what you’re going through. Whatever you’re going through, these people are going through worse. You gotta go in with a good attitude,” Bouchier says. “I always look out for the patients,” remarks Patient Transporter Stuart Lander, who transports vital supplies and patients where and when needed, and is a a lead trainer for new hires in his department. But make no mistake. Work on this floor can be demanding and high-pressure. Many here spend much of the day on their feet. Some start their days early. Some work in shifts. Training requirements vary and can be extensive. And yet, all here seem to share a common purpose to support the health system’s mission to provide care woven into the fabric of their community. When asked about his work, Director of Engineering, Chris O’Hara, a father of four who also works on Level 2, says that he may not be in clinical work but he, too, is driven by patient care, like his wife who is a nurse and his elder daughter who wants to go into medicine. “This is the heart down here, pumping away, where all things happen. It is the engine,” says Bruce Spencer, Energy Plant Supervisor, Engineering, If you think being a non-medical professional at DHMC might appeal to you, you can learn and search for jobs here: https://lnkd.in/eZd5xcTv