We see literacy and youth education as a critical component to community health. Even one book in the hands of a child can make a world of difference.
Johanna L. Beliveau, DNP, MBA, RNVisiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire (VNH), a member of Dartmouth Health, collected more than 110 books for young readers, from infants to teens, as well as $200 in gift cards for book purchases as part of VNH’s annual holiday gift collection.
“As a 116-year institution, VNH is proud to be an integrated part of the communities it serves,” said VNH President and CEO Johanna L. Beliveau, DNP, MBA, RN. “This year, our team chose a book drive as the annual holiday gift collection. We see literacy and youth education as a critical component to community health. Even one book in the hands of a child can make a world of difference.”
Each year, VNH’s Maternal and Child Health team sponsors a holiday gift drive asking employees to donate gifts that are then distributed to families in the program. This year, they collected books and gift cards for children of all ages.
The books were collected in the month of November at multiple VNH drop sites, and they were distributed during December and January to over 100 families in the Maternal and Child Health program.
This is the second year VNH has organized a gift collection as a way to assist families during the holiday season.
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 recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 56 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 Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the state’s only children’s hospital, and multiple clinic locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene and New London, NH, and Bennington and Windsor, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory 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.