Dartmouth Health, among the nation’s most rural healthcare systems, has received two landmark philanthropic gifts totaling $8 million supporting the development of a stronger, more comprehensive, and more resilient healthcare workforce.
The first $4 million gift, given anonymously, will provide transformational support to the recently re-established Department of Social Work at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). It will enable social work expertise to be more deeply embedded in patient care, ensuring that healthcare specialists can meet the full range of patient and family needs. A second $4 million gift, also given anonymously, will fuel a sweeping expansion of the Dartmouth Health Career Institute, directing significant new resources to programs that grow and sustain Dartmouth Health’s workforce across its entire system.
“Building, nurturing and sustaining a skilled, compassionate workforce is among our top priorities,” said Joanne M. Conroy, MD, president and CEO of Dartmouth Health. “The generosity behind these gifts ensures that our patients, families, and expanding communities continue receiving the services they need for years to come.”
These gifts come at a critical time. Personnel shortages are straining health systems across the nation, especially in the most rural areas, and Dartmouth Health is no exception. The need for highly trained social workers is particularly acute, as they provide essential support in a variety of clinical settings, from mental health to pediatrics. An investment at this scale in DHMC’s recently launched Department of Social Work means that the department has the necessary resources to become more fully embedded into the fabric of patient care across northern New England.
“Navigating a medical and health crisis can be overwhelming, and our social workers are there to guide patients and their families through some of their most vulnerable moments,” said Teri B. LaRock, LICSW, interim director of the Dartmouth Health Department of Social Work. “This department will provide our social workers with a professional home, and the necessary career development and resources to continue providing high level psychosocial and mental health support to our patients and families. As an academic medical center, this new department will also serve as a premier training ground for the next generation of social workers.”
“This gift is about putting the care back in healthcare, and social workers are central to that,” said the donor who gave anonymously to the Department of Social Work. “They bring a deeper understanding of the social and financial circumstances that affect health and recovery—insight that is invaluable to treatment and discharge planning—while also filling in the emotional gaps that medicine alone cannot. They are there to listen and advocate for anyone navigating a complex health crisis. I’m proud to support the rebuilding of something essential, and to help Dartmouth Health become the kind of place where no patient or family ever has to navigate their hardest moments alone.”
The second anonymous gift of $4 million to the Dartmouth Health Career Institute will expand training opportunities for key allied health technicians and nursing roles. The Office of Advanced Practice providers will also be able to expand access to clinical training of nurse practitioners and physician associates, support new graduates to successfully transition to independent practice and build professional development opportunities to retain highly skilled talent. These efforts, in addition to the funding of both career advancement and endowed scholarships, will cultivate a pipeline of highly trained, well-rounded healthcare professionals equipped to serve the varied communities across northern New England—from the mill cities and rural towns of southern New Hampshire to the farthest reaches of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
“Investing in people is the most powerful thing any of us can do," said the donor of the gift to the Dartmouth Health Career Institute. “I believe deeply in what Dartmouth Health is building, and hope this gift plays a small part in ensuring that the region has the skilled, compassionate professionals it needs in the years ahead.”
Philanthropy often serves as a catalyst for bold, innovative approaches to health and healthcare. By directing unparalleled resources to workforce development, scholarship, and whole-person patient care, the generosity exhibited by these donors lays the groundwork for a workforce that is better able to adapt to our region’s evolving healthcare needs being delivered in a rural part of the country while also serving as a national model for how an institution’s expansive investments in its people can be the key driver of better care delivery.
“Building on our donor’s belief in investing in people, this gift allows us to lead and care for our future of workforce with real impact," said Aimee M. Claiborne, DA, MBA, Dartmouth Health’s chief human resources officer. “It will create life-changing opportunities for individuals to pursue education, build new skills, and advance their careers while strengthening the workforce our communities depend on. We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift, which will help us expand innovative workforce development programs, support the growth and success of our employees, and ultimately enhance the care we provide to patients and families across our region.”
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.