President and CEO Don Caruso, MD, MPH, and Cheshire Medical Center, a member of Dartmouth Health, were named as finalists for the American Hospital Association (AHA) Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award. The award recognizes small or rural hospital leaders who guide their hospital and community through change and innovation. Other finalists include Lesley Ogden, MD, CEO of Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital and Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Oregon, for leading their rural hospitals through change and innovation. Top honors went to Bolivar General Hospital and CEO Ruby Kirby, RN, in Bolivar, Tenn.
Under Caruso’s leadership, the hospital launched The Doorway at Cheshire Medical Center to facilitate treatment and make referrals for substance use disorder. Improving access to care included expansion of the Behavioral Health Consult Team in primary care, leading a new partnership among behavioral health treatment providers in the community to reduce barriers to mental healthcare, and integrating hospital and local public health efforts to prevent drug overdose deaths.
“I am honored AHA selected Cheshire as a finalist and extremely proud of the incredible work we’ve accomplished with The Doorway to improve access to both mental healthcare and services for people with substance use disorders,” said Caruso. “The Doorway program has expanded treatment services resulting in a significant reduction in overdose deaths in the Monadnock Region.”
Cheshire Medical Center is a non-profit rural community hospital serving more than 75,000 patients in southwestern New Hampshire and the only designated Medicare Dependent Hospital in the state. For over three decades, Caruso has dedicated himself to the care and well-being of Cheshire’s staff, patients, and the greater Monadnock Region’s community. During his tenure, Caruso has served in various roles at Cheshire, including chair of Family Medicine, associate medical director, then chief medical officer, and president and CEO for the past seven years. He will be retiring in May 2023.
“Under Dr. Caruso’s leadership, Cheshire Medical Center has grown into a critically important hub for healthcare in a largely rural area of New Hampshire,” said Joanne M. Conroy, MD, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health. “The Rural Hospital Leadership Team finalists and award winner were chosen for their outstanding leadership, responsiveness to their community’s health needs and a collaborative process that has led to measurable outcomes. Don and his team at Cheshire have done just that – demonstrated a commitment to our system-wide exceptional, high-qualty care for patients and the community.”
To contact The Doorway, call 211 anytime or visit 24 Railroad Street in Keene, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. For more information about The Doorway at Cheshire Medical Center, visit The Doorway web page.
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