WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The White River Junction VA Medical Center is inviting veterans and other members of the community to a town hall from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday.
White River Junction VA leadership will be available to answer questions and receive feedback, ideas or suggestions during the free event, which will be held in the Freedom Building, located at 163 Veterans Drive in White River Junction.
Call 802-295-9363, ext. 5890 for more information.
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Eight New Hampshire health care organizations, including members of GraniteOne Health, the health care system Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is preparing to join forces with, have come together to form a new accountable care organization.
The New Hampshire Value Care ACO, which recently earned approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will qualify for “shared-savings” payments from CMS when it successfully meets certain measurements related to quality and cost, according to a news release. The ACO’s members will share the responsibility of providing care to the organization’s total patient population of about 20,000 Medicare enrollees.
“When we can communicate better between our organizations and understand what our patients need, not just in one community but across the organization, we will see better outcomes,” said NH Value Care and Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital CEO Scott Colby, in the release. “Patients should be able to get the same level of care no matter where they access services.”
The members include GraniteOne Health — Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro and Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough — and North Country Community Care Organization, which includes Ammonoosuc Community Health Services based in Littleton, Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, Littleton Regional Healthcare, Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook and Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster. Indian Stream Health Center in Colebrook is expected to join in 2020.
More information on New Hampshire Value Care is available at catholicmedicalcenter.org/nhvaluecare.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The Human Rights Campaign’s 2019 Healthcare Equality Index lists the White River Junction VA Medical Center as Vermont’s only leader in inclusive care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in health care facilities across the United States.
The VA in Manchester is New Hampshire’s only leader, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s index, which is based on a survey of four criteria: non-discrimination and staff training, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement. This year, 680 health-care facilities around the country participated.
“At the medical center and at all of our clinics, we are working diligently and tirelessly to create a safe and welcoming environment for all our veterans,” Brett Rusch, executive director of White River Junction VA Medical Center, said in a news release. “The White River Junction VA serves all who served.”
The VA Medical Center in White River Junction and the community-based outpatient clinics in Vermont and New Hampshire have staff wearing rainbow lanyards and all-gender bathrooms.
NEW LONDON — Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice’s annual summer party last month raised nearly $25,000 for staff education and training.
The 2019 FUN(d) for Excellence, held at the New London Historical Society on Aug. 27, included food and beverages donated by area chefs and restaurants, as well as a raffle and trivia.
“At the same time that our population is aging rapidly and the demand for home health and supportive services is increasing, we are also seeing a shrinking workforce,” President and CEO Jim Culhane said in a news release. “This ‘perfect storm’ makes it more important than ever to dedicate robust resources for competitive compensation and meaningful educational opportunities in order to attract the quality staff needed to care for our community.”
— Compiled by Nora Doyle-Burr