Lebanon, NH – Nearly two years after breaking ground on a state-of-the-art Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) celebrated the opening of the addition at the 100 Hitchcock Way Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H) Manchester, NH, clinic on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.
“This expansion of our D-H Manchester facility allows us to provide patients in our community with high-quality, affordable care which they deserve to be able to access here in southern New Hampshire. And, it is all with the added benefit of being part of a wide-spread network of medical experts and facilities,” said D-HH President and CEO, Joanne M. Conroy, MD.
The new surgery center is a 91,000-square-foot expansion of the existing facility, and features nine operating rooms: six state-of-the-art operating rooms, and three minor procedure rooms for endoscopy, colonoscopy and gastroenterology procedures. This expansion is the first ASC in southern NH that is connected to an academic health system.
“This ribbon-cutting celebrates our long imagined goal: caring for the people of our community in a location that allows us to deliver sophisticated medical expertise in a collaborative way,” said Chief Medical Officer of the Southern D-H Region/Community Group Practice, Maria Padin, MD. “This expansion provides growth in the existing building for primary and specialty services as well as the introduction of state-of-the-art services and technologies, such as our fixed MRI. Our commitment to caring for our patients – our neighbors right here in our community – means easier access for them to advanced medical care along with expanded primary care and urgent care visits.”
The ASC will provide patients a centralized location to access the infusion of state-of the art, high-level medical care with D-H medical experts and staff; and will enable the combination of orthopedics, podiatry, spine, pain management and rheumatology specialists into one comfortable location, making it easier for patients to access comprehensive musculoskeletal care.
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Mike Skelton, Executive Director of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, joined D-HH leadership for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has been, and continues to be, a valued partner that we rely on to be innovative and proactive as the health needs of our residents evolve,” said Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig. “I am grateful for the investment they have made in our community to ensure families have access to high-quality health care.”
The celebration also marked the expansion of the facility’s medical office space and a groundbreaking for a new Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) playground, funded by CHaD Kid Elliot Perry’s 121 Club initiative.
Elliot Perry, 9, and his parents, Carrie and BJ Perry, of Bedford, NH, were moved to raise money to build Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant playgrounds at CHaD facilities following the lifesaving care Elliot received at the state’s only children’s hospital, CHaD. After 121 days in the Intensive Care Nursery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, Elliot was released from the hospital and able to go home to his family. Elliot and his family exceeded their fundraising goal after appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February.
“I’ve never met a kid who doesn’t love a playground, and that’s why I created the 121 Club,” Elliot said. “Together, with my family, friends, donors and community, we have met and exceeded our goal of raising $121,000 to build two accessible playgrounds for all the kids at CHaD to enjoy. I love CHaD, and I am thankful for all the medical care I receive and look forward to playing on the playgrounds.
For a video tour of the ASC, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2PtQ7Qpe4E.