Have you heard that on October 3, 2024, our own Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD), a member of Dartmouth Health, achieved Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department (GED) accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians. Situated here on our beautiful Lifecare campus, APD is the first critical access hospital in the entire United States to hold this distinction.
The GED program is a voluntary undertaking includes three levels (like a trauma centers’ designations) and provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to meet. The accreditation process includes more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care and the level of GED accreditation achieved depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department can meet. A Level 1 emergency department must incorporate many of these best practices, along with providing inter-disciplinary geriatric education and having appropriate geriatric equipment and supplies available.
Special acknowledgement goes the GED champion team: Melissa Beamer, BSN, RN, TNCC, GERO-BC; Kristie Foster, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, Emergency Department Nurse Manager and Clinical Educator; and Nichole Cassidy, MSM, Quality Improvement Specialist, and of course to the entire ED team for their commitment and work to help improve patient outcomes. This important recognition is an example of APD’s continued dedication to the health and wellbeing of our entire community.
Susan E. Mooney, MD, MS, FACOG, president and CEO of APD said, “Our ED works tirelessly to improve patient outcomes for these patients, addressing common geriatric issues and ensuring optimal transitions of care to other settings. Level 1 GED accreditation is an important example of APD’s continued dedication to the health and wellbeing of our entire community.”
Congratulations to the Emergency Department team at APD. You are one more reason that Harvest Hill and The Woodlands are two of the most sought-after senior living communities in the Upper Valley.
About Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD)
Known for highly personalized and high-quality care, APD is the community hospital of the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. Founded in 1932 and a member of Dartmouth Health since 2016, APD’s areas of clinical excellence include surgical services, primary care, geriatric care, sleep health, orthopedics, and emergency services.
