December 29—Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to welcome Suzanne Bissonnette of Sunapee, N.H. as Practice Manager of the Occupational and Employee Health departments.  Suzanne has extensive experience with business management, medical marketing, and organizational development, most recently as a Director in Global Brand and International Marketing for Bristol-Meyers Squibb Medical Imaging in Billerica, Ma. She has a BS in Kinanthropology (Exercise Physiology) from Ottawa University and a Certificate in Health and Work Safety from the Polytechnic School of Montreal University.

Brenda Blair, Director of Human Resources and Administrative Director of Occupational & Employee Health, says “Suzanne’s vast experience in operations and business management will be extremely beneficial to Occupational Health Services as we work to increase our business and improve our processes.”

Occupational Health Services at APD provides a wide range of on-site and off-site services to businesses, industries, and municipalities in the Upper Valley. The program's goal is to provide cost-effective, comprehensive services that promote the health and well-being of workers and to assist businesses with containment of worker's compensation and healthcare costs. Occupational Health Services has offices in Lebanon and Newport, N.H. and can be reached at (603) 448-7459.

December 17—Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to welcome Virginia H. McDougall, M.D., FACS of Louisiana to the staff of Alice Peck Day General Surgery. Dr. McDougall is accepting new patients.

Dr. McDougall is a Board Certified General Surgeon, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She earned her BSN, MSN, and MD degrees at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, La., and served her residency in General Surgery at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans. She has practiced privately in Louisiana, Maine, and Texas. She is skilled in all aspects of general surgery including laparoscopy, colonoscopy, and breast surgery, and focuses on giving each patient the personal care and attention they deserve.

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Virginia to the office and community,” says Dr. David Kroner of APD General Surgery. “She is a valued new member of the APD family.”

Alice Peck Day General Surgery, formerly known as the Kroner Clinic, provides a variety of general surgical services and has served the community since 1985.

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.

December 11- Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital will be holding a free adult H1N1 flu clinic on Saturday, December 19 at the Dwinell Room at Harvest Hill on the APD campus, co-presented in partnership with Upper Valley AHHR Region 2.

Free H1N1 vaccinations will be available by appointment for anyone between 18 – 64 with the following medical conditions:

• Asthma and other chronic lung diseases
• Heart disease (other than hypertension)
• Renal disease
• Liver disease
• Hematologic disease
• Neuromuscular disease
• Metabolic disorders including diabetes
• Immunosuppresion, including that caused by medications or by HIV.  
  

Anyone who qualifies and would like a flu shot should pre-register for the 12/19 clinic by calling (603) 443-9535 at these days/times:

• Mon 12/14: 2:30 – 5 p.m.
• Tues 12/15: 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. or 3:30 – 6 p.m.

December 3--Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to welcome Robert R. Blais-Carter, RN, of Croydon, N.H. as Director of Surgical Services. He will be managing the day-to-day operations of the hospital’s busy Operating Room and Same Day Surgery services.

Blais-Carter served most recently as a Staff Nurse in the Operating Room, Recovery Room and Same Day Surgery at New London Hospital, in New London, N.H. He also served as Director of Nursing/Assistant Hospital Administrator at Inland Valley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar, Ca. and has had extensive experience in clinical care and hospital leadership. He has been published in national nursing publications (JCAHO and AORN).
 
“We’re very pleased to have someone with Robert’s strong background in staff training, quality improvement, and service development joining our staff,” said Ann Marchewka, RN, Ph.D., Vice-President of Patient Care Services.

November 24—The Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital Auxiliary will kick off its annual “Celebration of Lights” with a lighting ceremony and celebration on Tuesday, December 8, from 4:00–5:30 pm in the hospital lobby at 125 Mascoma Street. The public is invited to join the Auxiliary for live music by the West Lebanon Congregational and refreshments as APD ‘lights up’ for the holidays.

For 12 years, the Auxiliary has raised money for the hospital and its scholarship programs by inviting the community to honor friends, loved ones and family members by purchasing a star for the hospital’s annual holiday decorations. “The Celebration of Lights has been an important fundraiser for the Auxiliary for many years,” Claudia Gibson, President of the APD Auxiliary said. “We invite the community to join us as we light the lights and welcome the season.”

Members of the public may purchase a star to honor a loved one by contacting Jane Darby at (603) 448-7456.

November 25-- Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Mammography  as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-reviewed evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and experts in the Radiology field who assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment. The surveyors report their findings to the ACR’s Committee on Accrediatation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.
APD recently installed new, more accurate, digital equipment in its Mammography suite. Mammography is the single most effective method of screening and early detection of breast cancer; early diagnosis increases survival rates and gives women significantly more options for treatment. New Hampshire and Vermont are among the seven states in the U.S. with the highest rates of breast cancer.

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.

Thanks to increased demands for both midwifery and OB-GYN services at the Women’s Care Center, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital’s midwifery services will move in November to a new location at 57 Mechanic Street, Suite G1-1 in the Rivermill complex in Lebanon. Midwifery Services will house APD’s three Certified Nurse Midwives: Kelly Brogan, Laurie Foster, and Ellen McAndrew.

“We’re looking forward to using our bigger and more efficient space,” Foster says. “There will be less waiting time for our patients, and it will be easier for them to get an appointment. And we now have space for more programs and patient education.”

While the midwives will operate independently, they will remain connected with the OB-GYN services of The Women’s Care Center at APD, ensuring that if a woman needs specialist care, she will get a quick and easy referral. “We know this move will not change the good cooperation between our OB and midwifery teams,” Foster says. “That’s a vital part of our practice.”

Nurse-midwives undergo specialized training and education that grants them a special ability to understand the unique physical, social, and spiritual needs of women, while delivering safe and personalized health care — not just for childbirth, but at all stages of a woman’s life. Nurse-midwives focus on wellness and each patient’s choice, encouraging women to make informed decisions about their health care. “We trust our patients to make the right decisions for themselves and their families,” says McAndrew. “Our job is to give them the tools and information to make those decisions.”

APD has a long history of offering midwifery services; at the Birthing Center, midwives attend over 60% of births. With only three Certified Nurse Midwives providing care, women can develop a strong relationship with all three providers. “It’s very important to us that a woman gets to know the person who will deliver her baby,” says Deb Dworak, Manager of the Women’s Care Center and Midwifery Services at APD, “We’ve always kept the Women’s Care Center to a small number of OB-GYNs for the same reason — so our patients can have an intimate, positive experience with their provider.”

Women wanting to know more about Midwifery Services or make an appointment, should call (603) 442-5677. The Women’s Care Center will continue providing OB-GYN care with at their 141 Mascoma Street location; for an appointment with one of the three Board Certified OB-GYNs on staff, call (603) 448-3996.

You can download a PDF copy of our latest newsletter, APD Today, here.

On October 1, 2009, Alice Peck Day Health Systems formally became a member of the New England Alliance for Health (NEAH).

NEAH, a group of community hospitals, behavioral health centers, and home healthcare agencies that came together in a shared commitment to improve the quality, efficiency, and availability of health care in New Hampshire, Vermont, and western Massachusetts, is comprised of 11 hospitals and health networks. NEAH provides support for quality improvement, financial planning and benchmarking, materials management and pharmacy services, education and development for professional staff and trustees, collaborative regional health planning, and access to property and casualty insurance. “Our alliance with the NEAH will strengthen our fiscal stability and relationships with our health care partners, while still allowing us to retain our independence as an institution,” said APD president and CEO Harry G. Dorman, III, FACHE.

"We are very pleased that Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital has decided to join NEAH and we think that it offers benefits for both the organization and the patients it serves," said Steve LeBlanc, NEAH's Executive Director."All NEAH members have a common goal of providing the highest quality care to our patients, in the best setting for their individual needs, and  improving the overall health of the communities we serve. We believe that working together through NEAH aids our ability to advance these goals more cost effectively."

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., is pleased to welcome Robin L. Shaffer of Brownsville, Vt. as Practice Manager of the Robert A. Mesropian Center for Community Care (RAMCCC). Shaffer will be managing the day-to-day operations of the busy primary care clinic.

She served most recently as Director of Development at Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vt., and was Associate Director of Systems and Operations at the Tuck School of Business in Hanover. She received an Associate of Arts in Business Management at New Hampshire College/Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.

“We’re delighted to have Robin as part of our management team,” said Harry G. Dorman, III, FAHCE, President and CEO of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital. “As we add four primary care providers to our practice this fall, it will be vital to have someone with Robin’s excellent organizational skills and teambuilding experience.”

The Robert A. Mesropian Center for Community Care houses a team of physicians and nurse practitioners who are accepting new patients in Family Practice, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. The RAMCCC is located at 123 Mascoma Street in Lebanon; (603) 448-3122.

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.