The Littleton Regional Hospital in Littleton, NH, just south of St. Johnsbury, opens the doors of its new $30 million facility today that will offer more efficient use of space and improved outpatient services.
The expansion of the hospital focused on technology. Diagnostic imaging, surgery, oncology, maternity and intensive care are among the departments that were improved, according to Julie Ostopchuk, director of community relations.
The hospital's outpatient services, which represent more than 95 percent of the total services offered, have especially been expanded, Robert Pearson, administrator of the Littleton Regional Hospital, said.
The hospital also added two new mobile technology bays, which are used to perform services such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
"All [of the changes] are lending to better patient privacy and overall efficiency and warmth," Ostopchuk said.
Despite all these technological improvements, the new facility should not be seen as a competitor of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, as the two serve different needs of the North Country community, according to officials from both hospitals.
"I don't necessarily see us as rivals," Ostopchuk said. "Dartmouth is a medical center. We are a regional hospital. Dartmouth is also a teaching facility."
"Dartmouth is a tremendous facility that serves the whole region, including multiple states, for tertiary care. Our hospital is geared to [primarily] serve the local community, with primary and secondary services," Pearson explained.
Steve Marion, vice president of regional planning for DHMC agreed, saying that the two facilities provide complimentary health care services and do not compete for patients.
Littleton Regional and Dartmouth-Hitchcock have an extensive working relationship. Members of the DHMC staff offer services in the areas of cardiology, neurology and dermatology out of Littleton Regional's facility. DHMC is also the primary tertiary care facility for Littleton Regional, with over 90 percent of Littleton Regional's referrals going to DHMC, according to Pearson.
"Our physicians enjoy a great working relationship with their colleagues based in Lebanon," Pearson said.
Pearson characterized the staff at DHMC as "extremely helpful" to Littleton Regional as they designed and built their new facility and planned for the move to the new location.
The new Littleton facility was built to replace its former 95 year-old home, which is currently the oldest hospital in the state. The new hospital sits on land bequeathed to the hospital by the estate of former Littleton industrialist Hans Hoffmann.
Having grown from 113,000 square feet to 127, 000 square feet, the new Littleton Regional Hospital is not much larger than the old facility. The facility, however, now has a more efficient layout. All of the patient services will be on one floor and separate patient dressing rooms and private hallways were built to ensure patients' privacy.
The hospital had the support of the whole North Country community. In fact, $3 million of the $30 million project was raised in the Littleton area, representing the community's commitment to the hospital, Ostopchuk said.
"When we first set out to build a new hospital, so many people thought it was a task that was too large to tackle," she said. "For us to be able to build such a phenomenal facility is incredible. So many people in the North Country came to the rescue. We received donations all the way down to $3," she added.
In addition to the community support, the project was financed primarily through tax-exempt bond financing and the hospital's own cash, according to Scott Towle, Chief Financial Officer.
The Littleton Hospital serves several towns in the North Country, with Littleton, Lisbon and Whitefield representing almost half its patient base. The whole community has already shown much interest in the new hospital. The hospital's two open houses attracted 2, 500 visitors.
This interest did not come as a surprise to Ostopchuk, who described the new hospital as "the biggest thing that has happened to this area in 100 years."
