Dartmouth Health's Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) announced that it earned an "A" rating and garnered the distinction of "most socially responsible" in Vermont by the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan healthcare think tank. The only annual ranking to fully integrate racial inclusivity, community investment, and pay equity with traditional outcomes measures, the 2023-24 Lown Index for Social Responsibility evaluates more than 3,600 hospitals in the U.S. and uses 53 metrics to create the Index. The Index indicates the health system's dedication and commitment to healthy patients and the surrounding community.
"This is an outstanding honor for our organization," said Tom Dee, CEO and president of SVMC. "To be one of 54 hospitals across the country and the only one in Vermont to earn an 'A' grade on equity, value of care, and patient outcomes speaks to our commitment to address health disparities and inequities, as well as investing in our community to stimulate population health. Our exceptional clinicians and staff have dedicated an abundance of time and energy to developing programs that address these issues specifically. This recognition validates that those efforts are working to achieve these goals."
This is the fourth year of the Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility and the first year to include Medicare Advantage claims to calculate rankings. Additional sources used in creating the Index include Medicare claims, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' hospital cost reports, and Internal Revenue Service Form 990, among others.
About Southwestern Vermont Health Care
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.
SVHC is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence.
SVMC provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.
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 53 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.