New London Hospital (NLH) is proud to serve as the Lake Sunapee Region’s community hospital. A nonprofit, 25-bed Critical Access Hospital and member of Dartmouth Health, NLH delivers personalized healthcare to its neighbors in 15 local towns.
Its services include:
- 24-hour emergency care
- Ambulance and emergency services
- Diagnostic imaging
- Express Care
- Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation
- Laboratory, acute and critical care
- Primary care for the entire family
- Surgical services, including orthopaedics
- Wellness and prevention programs, including CPR and first aid.
Lauren Geddes Wirth, MD, NLH CEO and president and Jeff Hollinger, chair, NLH Board of Trustees have gathered the following details for our communities to review.
New Leadership
by Jeff Hollinger
In April 2024, former NLH CEO and President Tom Manion departed the hospital after four years in the role to become chief operating officer of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Lauren Geddes Wirth, MD, was named interim CEO and president, having served as NLH’s chief medical officer since September 2023.
She was formally appointed as CEO and president in October and was recently named one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s 90 critical access hospital CEOs to know for 2024.
Dr. Geddes Wirth’s experience and achievements include:
- Leadership positions in the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Community Physician Organization
- Owner of Mill Brook Pediatrics, an MGB health system independent affiliate
- Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics
- Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Attended medical school at the former Brown-Dartmouth Medical Program
- Completed pediatric residency at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island and selected to serve an additional year as chief resident in pediatrics.
I hope you will have the opportunity to meet her in person in the months ahead.
Exceptional Employee Engagement and Retention
NLH and Newport Health Center are working to become the region’s employer of choice. The following benchmarks were met in 2024:
- 164 open positions filled
- More than 60 of these positions were internal transfers or promotions
- Employee engagement scores, measuring staff satisfaction and commitment to the organization, rank in the 77th percentile, surpassing the national healthcare industry average
- Turnover rates are well below the industry standard for critical access hospitals and among the lowest in NH.
NLH leadership believes these successes stem from the hospital’s investments in its employees, its greatest asset. In the coming year, NLH will continue to align employee benefits with those offered by the Dartmouth Health System.
Strong Financial Health
NLH is experiencing a positive financial trajectory that began in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. These excellent operating results are projected to continue, as evidenced by the FY25 financials to date.
This success has allowed NLH to invest in its staff and in capital improvements in 2024, as follows:
- Significant market adjustments to salaries
- Annual cost-of-living increases
- Employer 403(b) contributions aligned with the Dartmouth Health System
- Upgrades to operating room air handlers
- Operating room updates
- New ambulance
- New CT scanner
The support of the hospital’s generous community has been influential in these positive outcomes. They have helped NLH elevate its ability to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the region.
Expanded Patient Care Access
The Express Care service launched in 2021 has proven a valuable and trusted community asset. With no appointment requirements and short wait times, patients can be treated for non-life-threatening conditions.
From January 1 through November 30, 2024:
- 7,921 patients were seen
- Of these patients, 22% were pediatric and 32% were geriatric, so more than 50% were patients often requiring specialized care
- Only 5% were transferred to the Emergency Department, demonstrating that Express Care handles the majority of patient needs.
During the spring of 2024, NLH and Newport Health Center resumed accepting new primary care patients, including pediatric ones, with seven primary care physicians and four mid-level providers. They report:
- 8,626 patients treated
- 18,874 appointments, of which 793 were new patient appointments
- 81% of new patients seen within 14 days of registration.
NLH has also incorporated a team model into its primary care clinics to improve provider-patient relationships, continuity of care and expanded patient access to appointments.
Successful Breast Health Fundraising Initiatives
NLH’s largest fundraisers of the year, Hospital Days and the Annual Benefit, raised approximately $400,000 combined in direct support for improved breast cancer screening, diagnosis and surgical intervention technology.
Gifts made to NLH during Hospital Days were matched dollar-for-dollar by The Burkehaven Family Foundation, which provided a $100,000 gift.
Funds raised supported these purchases:
- Equipment to provide vacuum-assisted and stereotactic breast biopsies on-site, speeding the diagnosis process for patients and providers
- A radiography system that provides quality images in real time during breast-conserving surgeries and stereotactic breast biopsies.
This new technology will improve patient outcomes, advance breast health and help patients receive high quality care close to home.
In Gratitude
On behalf of NLH and Newport Health Center, we offer our heartfelt thanks for the trust our community places in our care. Our highest priority is the delivery of excellent healthcare, and we are honored to partner with you and your loved ones.
We look forward to expanding our positive impact in 2025.
Lauren Geddes Wirth, MD
CEO and President, NLH
Jeff Hollinger
Chair, NLH Board of Trustees
About New London Hospital
As a member of Dartmouth Health, New London Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital serving 15 communities in the Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee region in central New Hampshire, providing primary care and specialized clinical services in a patient and family centered environment. In addition to services at the main campus in New London, primary and some secondary care is offered at the organization's Newport Health Center, a rural health center in Newport, NH. For more information, visit the New London Hospital website.