Shaheen Receives COVID-19 Briefing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Shaheen participates in a discussion with Dartmouth-Hitchcock staff on the challenges the facility and other health care providers in the state have faced during COVID-19. 

(Manchester, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, where she received a briefing on the facility’s efforts on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. As New Hampshire’s only academic medical center and a leading provider of health care in northern New England, Dartmouth-Hitchcock has been at the forefront of scientific and medical research into the causes and treatment of COVID-19 and has helped flatten the curve of COVID-19 in the state. During the briefing, Shaheen met with the facility’s leadership and senior medical team and heard more on how the hospital has adapted to COVID-19 to safely provide care to Granite State patients, the challenges Dartmouth-Hitchcock and other health care providers face amid the pandemic and highlighted her efforts to include additional assistance for New Hampshire health care providers in COVID-19 relief legislation. Shaheen also received a demonstration on the hospital’s Telehealth Hub Space, which is part of the new technological and medical advancements the facility has made in the fight against the pandemic.

Senator Shaheen has fought tirelessly for resources to help New Hampshire’s health care providers as they treat COVID-19 patients while experiencing substantial revenue loss. Shaheen is also leading efforts in the Senate to reform Medicare’s loan program for health care providers so that it can provide more relief during these challenging times. She has worked to ensure that child care grants can be used to help health care workers afford child care while they continue their vital work on the frontlines of the pandemic.

“I want to thank the dedicated health care professionals and staff at Dartmouth-Hitchcock for their tremendous efforts over the past few months in helping to combat this public health emergency. As today’s visit highlighted, health care providers like Dartmouth-Hitchcock have been crucial in ramping up COVID-19 testing in the state, providing lifesaving care to patients and making important scientific and technological discoveries that will give us an edge in the fight against COVID-19. However, they continue to bear overwhelming health and financial challenges created by this crisis and need all the help they can get,” said Shaheen. “I’ve worked to expand access to telehealth to ensure providers can continue to safely provide health care to patients. Congress must also include additional relief for our health care providers in any COVID-19 relief package and I’ll be sharing the feedback I received today from Dartmouth-Hitchcock staff with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to push for this assistance.”