Dartmouth Health Connected Care is partnering with Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital, an independent, nonprofit critical access hospital and family health clinic in Townshend, Vermont, to provide acute care TeleNeurology services to Grace Cottage patients. Through this partnership, Dartmouth Health TeleNeurology can quickly bring a neurologist to the patient’s bedside to assist the local clinical team with prompt assessment and treatment recommendations via telemedicine. The service began on Monday, April 11, 2022.
“Using the latest technology to bring TeleNeurology services to Grace Cottage will ensure the very best care for our patients who experience neurological issues,” said Douglas DiVello, president and CEO of Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital. “This partnership allows us to provide world-class care from one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers to our patients and allows our medical staff to consult with Dartmouth Health neurology specialists, right here in rural southern Vermont.”
Dartmouth Health’s TeleNeurology provides a board-certified neurologist 24 hours a day, seven days per week, to confer with the local bedside team. Through telemedicine, the local healthcare team can quickly connect with the Dartmouth Health’s TeleNeurology team to collaborate and assist with patient evaluation and treatment.
“It is important to us that the Center for Telehealth helps to deliver exceptional care to patients across northern New England, regardless of location,” said Kevin M. Curtis, MD, MS, medical director of Connected Care. “We are pleased to join the healthcare team at Grace Cottage to offer the TeleNeurology services 24/7 and allow patients to get even more care close to home.”
Studies show that early and effective stroke treatment can save lives and prevent long-term disability. The American Heart Association recognizes a telemedicine consultation by a neurologist as a standard of care in bringing the expertise of a stroke center to a patient’s bedside, thus improving outcomes, shortening hospital stays, and lowering costs with a prompt and accurate diagnosis.
Dartmouth Health’s TeleNeurology offerings also contribute to reduced patient transfers by keeping patients closer to home and their loved ones.
To learn more about Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital, visit www.gracecottage.org. For information about Dartmouth Health Connected Care and Center for Telehealth, visit www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/connected-care.
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 its Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, including the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the state’s only children’s hospital and clinic locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene and New London, NH, and Windsor, VT, and 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.