Advanced trauma level hospitals in rural America are rare. Dartmouth Health’s commitment to maintaining this world-class level of care in the Upper Valley and throughout northern New England is a vital part of our mission to improve rural healthcare.
Joanne M. Conroy, MDDartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and the Children’s Hospital at DHMC (CHaD) recently underwent verification of their trauma programs by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). DHMC and CHaD have the highest level of adult and pediatric trauma center verification in New Hampshire, at Levels I and II, respectively.
Trauma centers are hospitals equipped and staffed to care for patients suffering from traumatic injuries, caused by incidents like vehicle crashes, ski, snowboard, snowmobile and ATV accidents, gunshot wounds, and serious falls. DHMC and CHaD’s trauma programs are verified by the ACS Verification, Review, and Consultation (VRC) Committee every three years. A peer review team, experienced in the field of trauma care, conducts a comprehensive review of the hospital and assesses commitment, readiness, resources, policies, patient care, performance improvement, and other relevant features of the program.
“By having the ACS review and verify our trauma level, we’re being measured at the highest standards,” said Eric D. Martin, MD, medical director of DHMC’s trauma program. “We are the only Level I trauma center in the state, and we’re providing this high-quality care in a very remote region. DHMC takes tremendous pride in providing our friends and neighbors in northern New England the expertise of a Level I trauma center during what may be the scariest, most vulnerable moments of their lives. Being prepared to provide the same level of trauma care as a hospital in Boston or other urban environments takes commitment from the hospital and the entire trauma team, as well as many others who often go unnoticed. Because of their hard work, we are able to function as effectively as we do to provide proven quality care.”
Because of DHMC’s location near the border of New Hampshire and Vermont—both states with strong outdoor tourism industries—a high percentage of its trauma patients are people visiting from other states who are injured camping, hiking, and taking part in winter sports. Eileen M. Duggan, MD, MPH, who leads CHaD’s trauma program, said that approximately 65% of patients admitted last winter who were injured while skiing or snowboarding, lived outside of the Twin States.
“By having our trauma level certified by an independent body, we affirm our capability to provide the best care to critically injured children,” Duggan said, adding that Level I and II trauma centers are equivalent in terms of access to anesthesia, trauma surgeons, and operating room availability. “In the Northeast, CHaD has the highest-level pediatric trauma program north of Boston. This is a vitally important asset not just to local families, but the many families who travel to our beautiful region. There is no better assurance for frightened parents, when their child is seriously hurt, than the knowledge that they are receiving the highest quality medical care possible.”
“Advanced trauma level hospitals in rural America are rare. Dartmouth Health’s commitment to maintaining this world-class level of care in the Upper Valley and throughout northern New England is a vital part of our mission to improve rural healthcare,” said Joanne M. Conroy, MD, Dartmouth Health’s CEO and president. “I extend my congratulations and gratitude to Dr. Duggan, Dr. Martin, trauma program managers Leslie Burke and Dalton Rose, and their teams for their successful program re-verifications, made possible through their hard work, compassion, and unwavering commitment to our patients.”
To learn more about ACS’ Verification, Review, and Consultation Program, visit bit.ly/4iluJ6R.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.
About Dartmouth Health Children's
Dartmouth Health Children's is the only comprehensive pediatric healthcare system in the region. Fully integrated in Dartmouth Health and anchored for more than 30 years by Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD)—in Lebanon, NH—Dartmouth Health Children's promotes health, advances knowledge, and delivers the best patient and family-centered care for infants, children, and adolescents across New Hampshire and Vermont. Dartmouth Health Children's conducts groundbreaking research and educates the next generations of health professionals as the primary pediatric partner of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Highly skilled and collaborative child health professionals provide care in multiple settings across the region. Outpatient specialty visits and same-day surgery services are available at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Manchester. Primary care appointments in general pediatrics are available at Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics in Bedford, Concord, Lebanon, Manchester and Nashua, NH and Bennington, VT; as well as at Dartmouth Health members: Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Cheshire Medical Center, New London Hospital and Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center.