Springfield Hospital partners with Dartmouth Health to support neurology, psychiatry and neonatal care through telemedicine

News release

24/7 service enhances local care and helps keep patients and families close to home

Springfield Hospital, a not-for-profit, critical access hospital located in Springfield, VT, announces a new partnership with Dartmouth Health Connected Care to provide acute care TeleNeurology and TelePsychiatry in its emergency department and inpatient rooms, and TeleICN (intensive care neonatology) services in its emergency department. Through this partnership, Dartmouth Health Connected Care can quickly bring additional board-certified neurologists, psychiatrists and neonatologists to the bedside to collaborate with the local clinical team to help achieve prompt assessment and treatment recommendations.

The TeleNeurology, TelePsychiatry and TeleICN services at Springfield Hospital launched Tuesday, April 25.

"Springfield Hospital is pleased to partner with Dartmouth Health to introduce telemedicine for neurology and behavioral health specialties in our emergency department and inpatient rooms, and for neonatology for urgent cases in our emergency department," Springfield Hospital CEO Robert Adcock, MBA, FACHE, said. "Providing access to the expertise of Dartmouth Health specialists only enhances the quality of emergency care already available at Springfield Hospital, and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining local access to high-quality emergency care for people throughout our region."

Springfield Hospital serves communities in Windsor, Windham and portions of Bennington counties in Vermont, and parts of Sullivan and Cheshire counties in New Hampshire. The hospital offers inpatient and outpatient care, 24-hour emergency care, adult day care, physical therapy and specialty care services.

With this new partnership, Dartmouth Health Connected Care physicians and staff provide critical-situation services, joining the local team at Springfield Hospital as they prioritize and guide interventions. Patients are evaluated, managed, and treated in real-time collaboration with the local attending physician or associate provider, which enhances emergency care at the local level.

"The primary goal of the Center for Telehealth is to help deliver exceptional care to patients across northern New England, regardless of location," said Kevin Curtis, MD, MS, medical director of Dartmouth Health Connected Care. "We are pleased to begin this partnership with Springfield Hospital, which serves a primarily rural population, to support their team in providing the very best care close to patients' homes."

To learn more about Springfield Hospital, visit the Springfield Hospital website. For information about Dartmouth Health Connected Care and Center for Telehealth, visit the Connected Care website.

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.

About Springfield Hospital

Springfield Hospital is a not-for-profit, critical access hospital located in Springfield, VT, serving communities in Windsor, Windham, and portions of Bennington counties, in Vermont; and parts of Sullivan and Cheshire counties in New Hampshire. The hospital offers inpatient and outpatient care, 24-hour emergency care, adult day care, physical therapy and specialty care services including cardiology, infusion, general surgery; ear, nose and throat; orthopaedics, pain management, podiatry, gynecology and urology. A comprehensive program of inpatient mental health services is offered at The Windham Center in Bellows Falls, VT. For more information, please visit our website at www.springfieldhospital.org, or follow us on Facebook.