New Hospital Emergency Department in New Hampshire Will Focus on Older Adults

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire is in the process of opening a geriatric emergency department, joining about 100 other hospitals in the United States that have set up specialized acute care for older adults, reports the Portland Press Herald . Dartmouth-Hitchcock is working with the West Health nonprofit coalition to serve northern New England's rural population, where New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont have the oldest median U.S. populaces. The hospital will develop specialized areas within its emergency department in Lebanon, then expand to four other sites around the region via telehealth. The effort is expected to take three years. West Health is allocating $3 million to the effort, while Dartmouth-Hitchcock will provide $1.5 million.