PETERBOROUGH – Monadnock Community Hospital has partnered with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Connected Care and Center for telehealth to offer intensive care neonatology and emergency psychiatry services to its patients via telemedicine. MCH is one of 31 rural hospitals in New England currently partnering with D-H Connected Care to provide patients with prompt access to specialty care which may not be available locally.

MCH recognizes that the the birth of a baby is a complex process and adjusting to life outside the mother’s body can sometimes require a higher level of care. TeleICN provides 24/7 real time assessment and treatment recommendations for babies born at MCH.

TeleICN has been shown to reduce transfers, helping to keep patients and their families closer to home.

D-H’s TelePsychiatry service provides MCH patients and clinicians access to board-certified psychiatrists. The service will support and assist local clinicians with assessing and treating patients in the emergency department or those admitted to the hospital who are experiencing psychiatric symptoms. Patients are evaluated, managed and treated in real-time collaboration with the local providers via telemedicine, allowing treatment to begin faster.

“Here in the Monadnock Region, the addition of TelePsychiatry services will be a tremendously valuable resource, given the complex needs and limited options available for patients in need of behavioral health care,” PMCH President and CEO Cyndee McGuire said. “These are very difficult times and our collaboration with the D-H Connected Care program is adding vital service offerings to the patients we serve throughout our community.”

Hospitals and health systems across the country are facing increased pressures – from lack of beds and overcrowding, to changing reimbursement models and declining numbers of specialists. In rural communities, the shortage is especially acute. Telehealth services can help hospitals increase access to evidence-based care by providing their clinical teams with specialty support.

With nearly two million people residing in rural communities across northern New England, telehealth will play an increasingly vital role in providing patients with access to the care they need within their own communities.

Historically, in 1919, Robert M. Parmelee donated his summer home in Peterborough for use as a community hospital, and in 1923 “The Peterborough Hospital” opened its doors. Parmelee hoped that his contribution would create a local hospital that the residents of the area would consider their own and would continue to support in the coming years. Mr. Parmelee’s dream of a community-supported hospital has become a reality. MCH is an integral part of the healthcare community in the Monadnock Region.

MCH, a not-for-profit hospital, owns a primary care network of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. This network provides a wide range of primary and behavioral health care services for individuals and families with offices in Peterborough, Rindge, Jaffrey, Antrim and New Ipswich.