[Steven's] expertise and proven track record of mission-driven leadership and patient-centered outcomes will accelerate NLH’s strategic goals, ensuring we can continue our mission of providing high-quality healthcare to the communities we serve.
Lauren A.G. Wirth, MDSteven J. Finnegan, MHA, the current chief operating officer (COO) of Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility, has been named COO of New London Hospital (NLH). Hampstead and NLH are both members of Dartmouth Health.
As COO, Finnegan will provide operational leadership and executive oversight to the organization and to New London Medical Group, Newport Health Center, radiology, rehabilitation, and support services.
Finnegan joined Hampstead in July 2022, overseeing the daily operations for the 82-bed pediatric and adolescent psychiatric hospital. In this role, Finnegan increased staffing levels, reduced patient admission time, and partnered with the executive management team on strategic initiatives, growth planning, and operational improvements.
“We are thrilled to welcome Steven as the next COO of NLH,” said Lauren A.G. Wirth, MD, president and CEO of NLH. “His expertise and proven track record of mission-driven leadership and patient-centered outcomes will accelerate NLH’s strategic goals, ensuring we can continue our mission of providing high-quality healthcare to the communities we serve.”
Previously, Finnegan held two director of operations roles at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Massachusetts, as well as roles at Wentworth-Douglas Hospital in Dover and Boston Children’s Hospital. Finnegan is a graduate of Anna Maria College in Massachusetts with a bachelor of arts in public policy and a master of science in emergency management. He also received his master of healthcare administration degree from Southern New Hampshire University and is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Finnegan succeeds Lori Underwood, who retired as COO in January. He will begin his new role at the end of April 2026.
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.
About New London Hospital
The New London Hospital Association (NLHA) is a proud member of Dartmouth Health. It consists of New London Hospital (NLH), located in New London, NH, and Newport Health Center (NHC), located in Newport, NH. NLH is a critical access hospital, and has been serving 15 communities within the Greater Lake Sunapee region in central New Hampshire for more than 100 years. NLH provides a broad range of services in a patient and family-centered environment, from primary care to specialized clinical services. NHC is a rural health clinic that offers primary care and numerous specialty clinical services. Patients of NLH and NHC have ready access to the full breadth of Dartmouth Health services. NLH and NHC are dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care and improving the health and well-being of the communities they serve. For more information, visit newlondonhospital.org.