Dartmouth Health and Geisel School of Medicine have received more than $8 million in federal funding since the beginning of the year, according to Dartmouth Health senior director of government relations Courtney Tanner.
Of the $8 million, $3.1 million was received as part of a federal government funding package organized in part by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., according to Tanner. The $3.1 million imbursement is the largest amount of congressionally directed funding that Dartmouth Health has received in its three years of petitioning, according to Tanner. She said Dartmouth Health began submitting requests for congressionally directed funding in 2021.
“We’ve had the opportunity to secure and administer several grants now at this point, and we’re really excited about some of the innovative projects that were selected this go-around,” Tanner said.
The National Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute awarded Dartmouth Health an additional $5 million in January to launch a scientist training program, according to Geisel School of Medicine oncology professor Anna Tosteson.
In an email statement to The Dartmouth, Shaheen wrote that the funding she helped obtain will be allocated to four different projects: training for social workers, technology for the physical therapy program, expanding the clinic’s diabetes treatment program and starting a childcare workforce program through the Early Care & Education Association of the Upper Valley.
“Dartmouth Health’s reach extends far beyond the Upper Valley, and I’m glad these funds will help improve their capacity to help patients in every corner of the state,” Shaheen wrote.
Tanner said the training program for social workers will “expedite” the process of licensing professionals.
“We know that we’re not able to meet the current demand for the behavioral health needs in our communities, and we’re hopeful that [the funding for the department of psychiatry] is going to have a meaningful impact,” Tanner said.
The federal funding also covers equipment “a federal grant usually would never cover,” including new X-ray machines at the Cheshire Medical Center, Tanner added. The money will also expand the diabetes management team at Dartmouth Hitchcock’s clinic in Nashua and “provide outpatient diabetes management” to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization, according to Tanner.
The NAHRQ funding will be used to create a new Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Center, which will be led by Tosteson. Tosteson said the new center will train scientists experientially and focus on helping rural communities in Vermont and New Hampshire.
“It’s not only training,” Tosteson said. “It’s actually conducting research that we hope will move the needle on improving care.”
Tosteson said she also anticipates future opportunities for collaboration between the Dartmouth LHS E-STaR Center and the 15 other E-STaR Centers around the country.
“It could be interesting to learn the nature of programs other people have stood up or are standing up and ultimately to see what comes out of each type of program,” Tosteson said. “It would provide an opportunity to share or develop some knowledge around best practices, what works and doesn’t for education and learning health system space.”
