Alice Peck Day Health Systems in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to name Keith Leblanc of Hartland, Vt. as Laboratory Manager. Leblanc has worked as a medical technologist at APD since 2007, and has previously served as a technologist and Laboratory General Manager at Rutland Regional Medical Center in Rutland, Vt.

Leblanc received his B.S. in Biology from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and his degree in Medical Technology from Nova Scotia Institute of Technology.

“Keith’s technical skills and management experience give him a very strong background,” says Vice-President of Patient Care Services Ann Marchewka, R.N., Ph.D. “I am very pleased to have him as manager of our Laboratory.”

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital is an integrated health care system whose mission is to provide patient-focused health care services that are responsive to community needs, promote wellness, and continually improve the quality of health care

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to welcome Mircea Silviu Tamasdan, M.D., M.Ph., and Jerald A. Ward, M.D., to its medical staff. Drs. Ward and Tamasdan are serving as the hospital’s first dedicated hospitalists.

Hospitalists are responsible for a patient’s day-to-day medical care while they are staying in the hospital; they coordinate with specialists and the patient’s regular primary care provider. “APD has been providing hospitalist care through its primary care clinic, The Robert A. Mesropian Center for Community Care, since 2007, but our desire has always been for a dedicated hospitalist service that will allow us to best serve our primary care patients and those who stay in the hospital,” explains Harry G. Dorman, III, FACHE, President and CEO of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital. “With Drs. Tamasdan and Ward on our staff, we have two very qualified providers leading the hospitalist service, and have freed up our primary care providers to take on more patients, and better serve the community.”

Dr. Tamasdan attended medical school and served his general medical residency in Romania; he later earned a Masters degree in Public Health from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He served a residency in Internal Medicine at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Ct. He has published and researched extensively in immunology and is fluent in English and French.

Dr. Ward received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He served his residency in Internal Medicine at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, and practiced as a primary care provider at Gifford Medical Center for many years, serving as President of the Medical Staff and Chief of Service of the Department of Medicine. He has worked since 2005 as a hospitalist at Exeter Hospital in Exeter, N.H., and played a vital role in developing the hospitalist service there.

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital is an integrated health care system whose mission is to provide patient-focused health care services that are responsive to community needs, promote wellness, and continually improve the quality of health care services in the Upper Valley community of New Hampshire and Vermont. Its Medical-Surgical unit, one area where the hospitalists will be serving, has recently added a greater level of patient monitoring, so the unit can support a greater variety of patient needs. The hospitalists will also care for patients in the Extended Care Facility, APD’s skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility.

On Tuesday, May 5, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD) announced that it would transition its Immediate Care Center (ICC) — an emergency and clinic service — to a dedicated emergency department on June 1. Patients coming to APD’s Emergency Department will be seen by the same experienced team of healthcare professionals, and will be welcome at any time, for all medical needs.

“In recent years, APD has seen a growing demand for emergency care,” says Ann Marchewka, Vice President for Patient Care and Director of Nursing, “and more patients are presenting with a much higher acuity, including complications of chronic illness.  Focusing resources on emergency care will allow APD to better serve our patients.”

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital is an integrated health care system whose mission is to provide patient-focused health care services that are responsive to community needs, promote wellness, and continually improve the quality of health care services in the Upper Valley community of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Health officials across the United States are actively investigating multiple outbreaks of swine flu.

Our hospital is part of a statewide effort to coordinate its response with the NH Department of Health and Human Services and the New Hampshire Hospital Association as developments unfold. This includes ongoing monitoring of bed capacity, surveillance of patients presenting with possible swine flu virus, and assessing what supplies and medications are available.

To help prevent the spread of illness, hospital medical staff is prepared to use proper personal protection equipment, including gowns, gloves and masks. As always, doctors, nurses and other staff are washing their hands. We are keeping up to date on the latest recommendations from NH DHHS.

As a result of intense planning over the past few years, New Hampshire’s hospitals are better prepared than ever to respond to the swine flu outbreak. Preparedness is always a work in progress, but hospitals throughout the state have been planning and preparing for a pandemic for several years.  Our hope is this flu virus does not spread, but we have processes in place to be ready to support our communities should the outbreak reach New Hampshire.

What is swine flu?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by influenza viruses. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections have been known to happen. The current swine flu virus can be spread from person-to-person. It is spread through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. It is also spread by touching something with the virus on it and then touching your nose or mouth. A person cannot get swine flu by eating pork.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are fever, tiredness, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, call your physician first.  We urge you to avoid going to the hospital emergency room unless you are experiencing severe signs of illness. Please ask your doctor for advice before you come to the hospital.  He or she will determine if influenza testing or treatment is necessary. Patients who do not have a primary care provider can call the NH DHHS swine flu hotline: 1-888-330-6764. The hotline is open every day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you are sick, stay home from work, school or public events. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your arm when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it away. Hand washing is the first and best way to prevent the spread of any infection. Clean your hands every time you cough or sneeze. Please do not visit patients you know in the hospital if you have any flu-like symptoms.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children, those warning signs are:
•    Fast breathing or trouble breathing
•    Bluish skin color
•    Not drinking enough fluids
•    Not waking up or not interacting
•    Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
•    Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
•    Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
•    Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
•    Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
•    Sudden dizziness
•    Confusion
•    Severe or persistent vomiting

After a good "run" of 20 years in support of APD's Extended Care Facility (ECF), the Bill McCaffrey Road Race has been discontinued.
Last fall, APD began to transition its Extended Care Facility, which was the beneficiary of the road race's proceeds, into a smaller skilled nursing unit. After thoughtful discussions with the McCaffrey family, we have concluded that this is natural time to end the race.  We very much appreciate the generous support of our runners, walkers, sponsors and > dedicated volunteers and know that the Bill McCaffrey Road Race will long be remembered as a wonderful community event that centered on health.

While the race will no longer be held, APD still appreciates the interest and support of the many volunteers and runners who participated in the race.

If you wish to make a donation to APD in Bill McCaffrey's memory, please visit our Donations page.

“Sick” of the recession?
The cure might be a career in health care!

Thanks to everyone who attended our Job Fair on Tuesday, March 17!

Applications are still being accepted for open positions. Click here to learn more about careers at APD, or call (603) 448-7484 for more information.

The Winter issue of APD Today, APD's quarterly newsletter, is here! Click here to download a PDF file of the newsletter.

What’s the best thing you can do to keep you and your family and friends safe from the flu, colds and stomach ailments this winter? Wash your hands!

“All experts agree that handwashing is the best way of preventing flu and other infectious diseases,” says Dr. Phill Collins, physician at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital’s Occupational Health Services. “Despite this, studies show that one in five people don’t wash their hands even after they use the bathroom. This means that you never know who’s going to be carrying around germs. You have to be vigilant about washing your own hands, so that you’re not picking up an infectious disease from someone else and possibly passing it on. In my practice, I wash my hands before I meet a patient, and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after shaking hands with them. In fact, my wife and family all carry hand sanitizer, and we use it regularly.”

Dr. Collins has the following suggestions for keeping yourself and your family healthy.

Wash your hands:
• Before you eat, and before and after preparing and serving food. This will reduce your risk of catching or spreading the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
• After going to the bathroom, changing diapers, being outside, or playing with pets.
• After shaking hands.
• After coughing, sneezing or using a tissue or handkerchief.

If soap and water is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers with 60 – 90% alcohol are a good substitute. If you work with the public — especially in a position such as a cashier or greeter, where contact with people is very frequent — keeping a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket or near your register will help you stay healthy and keep you from spreading germs on to others. (If you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it is important to keep your bottle out of the reach of small children, as it can be very harmful if swallowed or eaten.)

When you do have soap and water at hand:
• Make sure you wash your hands in warm, soapy water for around twenty seconds — about the amount of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
• Don’t forget to scrub the backs of your hands and under your nails.
• If you dry your hands with a paper towel, use the paper towel to cover your hand as you shut off the water at the sink.

Handwashing did not become part of standard Western medical practice until the late1800s, when it was championed by groundbreaking physicians like Dr. Louis Pasteur. Now, “handwashing is one of the most important tools in hospital infection control,” according to APD’s Infection Control Officer, Diana Colt, RN. “As part of our ongoing efforts to encourage handwashing, APD includes information about handwashing in our annual training and as part of our employee orientation program. We are participants in the New Hampshire Commission on Healthcare Quality Assurance’s High 5 program, which aims at a 100% compliance rate for handwashing throughout the state.”

For more information on handwashing, educational materials, and more, visit the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/.

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to report the success of their October coat drive for the Upper Valley Haven. The drive, spearheaded by APD’s Department of Radiology, collected more than 300 coats, hats, and other winter wear items for use by the individuals and families the Haven supports.

“We are very proud of the initiative our employees took in organizing this drive,” said Director of Development Melanie Moore. “Improving the health and well-being of our community is a vital part of our mission, and we’re happy to help support the Haven, especially during these difficult economic times.”

APD has announced its fall flu clinic schedule.  Flu shots are free to all adults (18+).

Saturday, October 25
9 a.m. – noon
Dwinell Room at Harvest Hill
125 Mascoma Street, Lebanon

Thursday, November 6
4 – 6:30 p.m.
Dwinell Room at Harvest Hill
125 Mascoma Street, Lebanon

Thursday, November 20
4 – 7 p.m.
Newport Women’s Care Center (shots are for men and women!)
10 Main Street, Newport, NH

For more information, contact Nancy DuMont at (603) 443-9548.

<a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2204818/">Read this Slate article</a> on the importance of getting a flu shot!