Newport
A ribbon-cutting will be held Nov. at 4 p.m. at the center, on the corner of Routes 11 and 103 and Elm Street. Tours and refreshments will follow the brief ceremony.
The $9 million project replaces the building next door that housed the health center throughout its 25-year history, the hospital said in a news release.
The former center will be torn down to make room for covered drop-off space outside the new facility and for expanded parking.
“In 2009, we completed a renovation and expansion at our main campus in New London. Following that much needed accomplishment, it is now a second dream come true to provide this vastly improved and expanded modern medical space for our Newport Health Center patients and families,” said Bruce King, the hospital’s president and CEO.
“We appreciate all those businesses, foundations, organizations, individuals that have financially supported this project, along with our staff and others whose work has made this possible.”
The hospital established the health center in 1991, following the 1989 closure of Newport Hospital.
The new center, 75 percent larger than the original, will allow for enhancement and addition of services, such as 3D mammography, diagnostic ultrasound and stress testing, the release said.
The building, which is “intended to promote wellness and help strengthen community connections.”
A community room in the building will be used for free educational programs offered by the center, and will also be available to various outside groups.
Hartford Woman Is Dental Program Coordinator
Lebanon
Courtemanche will serve as the dental assistant in schools, coordinate care for children who need restorative treatment in a dental office, and manage the administrative functions of the program.
Now in its 10th year, Upper Valley Smiles serves children enrolled in elementary schools in Lebanon, Enfield, Canaan, Cornish, Hartford and Hartland, and in Richards Elementary School in Newport. The program’s dental team visits the schools once a year, providing classroom education, dental screenings, fluoride varnish, temporary restorations and sealant applications, at little or no cost to parents, according to a news release from APD.
Courtemanche recently completed an associate degree through Community College of Vermont and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health care administration at Franklin Pierce University.
“I am very pleased that Rebecca has joined our team,” said Nancy DuMont, director of community health at APD.
“Her pediatric dental office experience and her education will undoubtedly support the continued success and growth of Upper Valley Smiles.”
New London
Herfort will see patients at Newport Health Center, where he will also serve as director of quality and patient experience.
Herfort received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. He completed his internal medicine residency and an infectious disease fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
His clinical interests include working with the elderly who are at high risk of complex chronic diseases, diabetes, heart and lung disease, preventive care, healthy living, and nutrition.
Advance Directives Topic
In West Lebanon
A free workshop about advance health care directives and retirement planning is scheduled for Nov. 3 from 6-8 p.m. at Kilton Public Library.
The event is sponsored by Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Honoring Care Decisions Program and financial planner Evan Leary, of Family Financial Strategies in Lebanon.
Facilitators from Dartmouth-Hitchcock will be available to walk attendees through these important conversations and provide an opportunity to complete an advance directive, organizers said in a news release.
It will also include a retirement preparedness test and related workshops.
Participants are asked to bring a nonperishable food item for donation to the Haven. To register, call 1-800-730-7577.
— Compiled by Aimee Caruso