At the Hospitals: Mt. Ascutney Hospital to Host Mobile Nutrition Unit

Mt. Ascutney Hospital to Host Mobile Nutrition Unit

Windsor — Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center will serve as a distribution point for the Vermont Foodbank’s VeggieVanGo Mobile Nutrition Program beginning this week.

Starting Tuesday, and continuing on the second Tuesday of every month, the mobile nutrition unit will distribute free, fresh produce from 10-11 a.m. in the parking lot of the hospital, 289 County Road, Windsor. (Go in the main entrance and follow the banners.)

Future distribution dates are Aug. 8 and Sept. 12.

The program is an effort to help the one in four Vermonters who are living with hunger, the hospital said in a news release.

DHMC Stroke Program Certified

Lebanon — Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s Stroke Program has been certified by the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs nationwide.

“We were initially uncertain about going through the certification process,” Timothy G. Lukovits, medical director of Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke Program and an associate professor of Neurology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, said in a news release, “but then we learned that preparing for it was an excellent way for our team to look at what we’re doing from all angles and tighten up our program, our protocols and policies.”

The DHMC stroke team also was recently awarded the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award. This award honors hospitals that work to improve stroke care by “promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines,” according to the organization’s website.

To receive the award, DHMC demonstrated 85 percent or higher compliance with key measures for all of 2016. These include appropriate use of medications, anticoagulation therapy and smoking cessation.

Additionally, the program was named to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll, which recognizes high performance on thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke patients.

New London Hospital CEO Joins Fiscal Policy Institute Board

New London — Bruce King, of Etna, president and CEO of New London Hospital, has been elected to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute board of directors. King has more than 30 years of experience in the field of health care finance and administration in New Hampshire. He has served as president and CEO of New London Hospital since 2003. He joined Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in 1987 as vice president for fiscal services from 1987 to 1994, and as vice president for contracting and network development from 1994 to 2003. He is a member of the faculty of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College and leads New London Hospital through a management contract with DHMC. He serves as vice-chair of the Crotched Mountain Foundation and as trustee and treasurer of the state of New Hampshire Health Plan. He is a member and former chair of the Rural Health Coalition and has served on the boards of the Foundation for Healthy Communities, the New Hampshire Hospital Association.

“I look forward to working with (the Fiscal Policy Institute) to deepen public understanding of critical health needs in our communities today and to foster important public policy conversations around how to ensure New Hampshire’s health care system is strong, stable, and accessible to all,” King said in a news release.

The New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that explores, develops and promotes public policies designed to foster economic opportunity and prosperity for New Hampshire residents, with an emphasis on low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

Mt. Ascutney Hospital PA Earns Specialty Credential

Windsor — Physician assistant Maurice G. Paquette, of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, has earned a specialty credential in emergency medicine from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

To earn the credential, called a Certificate of Added Qualifications, Paquette had to meet specific education, experience and licensure requirements and pass a national exam in the specialty.

Paquette has worked in emergency medicine for nine years. A certified physician assistant, Paquette graduated from a master’s level program and passed a rigorous certification exam. He also maintains certification at the highest level through continuing medical education programs and retesting.

HCRS to Host Hot Dog Luncheons

Springfield, Vt. — In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Health Care and Rehabilitation Services, Vermont’s second-largest community mental-health agency, will host free hot dog lunches this month at its Springfield, Hartford and Brattleboro offices.

“These free lunches are an opportunity for us to give back to our communities and express our appreciation for 50 years of providing mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability services,” HCRS CEO George Karabakakis said in a news release.

The luncheons will run from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free hot dogs, chips and cookies will be served while supplies last. The first luncheon is scheduled for Friday at the agency’s headquarters, 390 River St., Springfield. The Hartford event will be held July 21, at 49 School St. The Brattleboro event is scheduled for July 20 at 51 Fairview St. For more information, visit www.hcrs.org.

— Staff Reports