WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — White River Junction VA Medical Center has appointed Dr. Bert Fichman as program chief of the Pain Management Team.
Dr. Brett Rusch, executive director of the medical center, said in a news release that the hospital welcomes Fichman, who is board-certified in anesthesiology, pain management and palliative care.
“His expertise, which includes neuromodulation techniques to treat pain, further expands the interventional pain treatment options available to veterans being seen at the White River Junction VA,” Rusch said.
Fichman received his medical degree from Albany Medical School and completed his medical residency training in New York City. He has a strong interest in palliative care and will partner with the palliative care service in the advanced management of end-of-life pain. Fichman is an assistant professor of anesthesiology and orthopedics at Geisel School of Medicine.
LEBANON — Dartmouth psychiatrist William C. Torrey was named the 2019 Exemplary Psychiatrist by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and recognized during a ceremony June 13 in Newcastle, N.H.
Torrey, a professor of psychiatry at Geisel School of Medicine and vice chairman for clinical services for the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, has worked to improve care for adults with severe mental illness and to integrate psychiatric care into primary care.
“Will has a national reputation for his innovative and person-centered approaches to psychiatry,” NAMI N.H. Executive Director Ken Norton, who nominated Torrey and presented the award, said in a news release. “He is very careful to be inclusive about the voice of people with lived experience in the work he does, and strongly believes in the importance of educating and empowering family members and people with mental illness. He has made a lasting impact on the individuals and families he has worked with, on the medical students he has taught and supervised and on his colleagues.”
Torrey has been involved with NAMI since he was completing his residency.
This summer Torrey and colleagues will begin working on an initiative to provide proactive, evidence-based care to people experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Early intervention at that stage can have lifelong impact for people with serious mental illness, he noted.
LEBANON — Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health CEO and President Joanne M. Conroy has been named one of the 50 “Most Influential Clinical Executives” by Modern Healthcare magazine. She was recognized for improving health system finances, advocating for women in leadership and expanding the network’s operations.
“Delivering compassionate, high-quality care to the patients and communities we serve along with strengthening (Dartmouth Hitchcock) as an employer of choice is what we strive for every day and I’m humbled to lead this organization,” Conroy said in a news release.
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The Springfield Hospital Laboratory has been awarded accreditation by the College of American Pathologists. Laboratory Medical Director Carrie Cocklin said in a news release the accreditation is indicative of the quality lab and the work that staff puts in to ensure patient safety.
“Recognition such as this helps demonstrate the high quality care available close to home in our local community,” Michael Halstead, interim CEO of Springfield Hospital, said in a news release.
The federal government recognizes the College of American Pathologist Laboratory Accreditation Program, as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program. During the accreditation process, inspectors examine the laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. Inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and record, and overall management.
HANOVER — Hanover Terrace was recently awarded the Gold Award by the New England Quality Innovation Network. The award, based on 13 quality measures, places Hanover Terrace in the top 10% of nursing facilities in the nation.
Hanover Terrace was the only New Hampshire facility to receive the award.
— Compiled by Kelly Burch