For nearly 40 years, our physical medicine and rehabilitation programs have been dedicated to excellence, and have earned the recognition and respect for setting the standard of comprehensive and compassionate care in the region.
Belinda Needham-Shropshire, director of the Rehabilitation CenterMt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) Rehabilitation Center recently achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for its outpatient services for adults, children and adolescents. The Dartmouth Health member hospital’s acute inpatient and stroke specialty rehabilitation services were already accredited and were recently renewed for three years. The accreditation for all programs will extend through June 30, 2026.
Following a formal survey, CARF grants accreditation on rehabilitation programs that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to quality improvement, a focus on patients and continual monitoring of results.
“We are proud to be recognized for the hard work and unparalleled quality of rehabilitative care we deliver at Mt. Ascutney,” said Belinda Needham-Shropshire, director of the Rehabilitation Center. “For nearly 40 years, our physical medicine and rehabilitation programs have been dedicated to excellence, and have earned the recognition and respect for setting the standard of comprehensive and compassionate care in the region. We began with accreditation in the inpatient setting, and while maintaining those high standards, took several years to prepare for this outpatient accreditation--and we are now the only facility in northern New England to be CARF-accredited for outpatient, acute inpatient and stroke specialty rehabilitation services.”
This three-year accreditation is the highest degree of recognition a medical center can achieve for its rehabilitation services. MAHHC first received CARF accreditation for its inpatient rehabilitation program at its Windsor, Vermont facility in 2014, after meeting more than 2,200 different standards as part of its review process. CARF later added its stroke specialty rehabilitation program to MAHHC’s accreditation.
MAHHC’s outpatient rehabilitation programs are available at both its Windsor and Woodstock, Vermont locations, making this the first time the Woodstock facility was included in this accreditation.
Founded in 1966, CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services in medical rehabilitation, as well as aging services, behavioral health, child and youth services, employment and community services, vision rehabilitation services and opioid treatment programs. The CARF International group of companies currently accredits more than 65,000 programs and services at over 30,000 locations. More than 13.7 million persons of all ages are served annually by 9,000-plus CARF-accredited service providers around the world.
Photo Caption: Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) Rehabilitation Center recently achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for its acute inpatient, stroke specialty and outpatient services for adults, children and adolescents at both its Windsor and Woodstock, Vermont facilities. Shown in photo (Top Row, L-R): Heidi Cruz, MD; Ellen Goodenough, RN; Sonya Roth, LNA; Sharon Laskevich, nurse manager; Gwen Johnson, referral support; Meg Lizotte, PTA; Brook Aumand, OT; Kathy Leary, PT; Lori LaPlante, outpatient referral specialist; Kayla Baker, inpatient therapy manager; Cheryl Beaulieu, CCCSLP; Katy Sawyer, outpatient OT; Susan Huizenga, chaplain; Dominic Dean, housekeeping; Janet Stryker, PPS coordinator. (Front Row, L-R): Angela Fraser, case manager; Stella Virchick, OT; Lindsey Appleton, LNA; April Jordan, rehab aide; Mike Skalla, PT; Nathan Lemieux, PT; Emily Weld, RN, referral coordinator; Joanna Flynn, outpatient PT. Not pictured, Belinda Needham-Shropshire, senior director of rehabilitation services, and other members of the MAHHC Rehabilitation Center team.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.
About Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
Founded in 1933, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) is a not-for-profit community hospital network in Vermont, including the critical access-designated Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Historic Homes of Runnemede, a senior residential care campus, in Windsor, as well as the Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock. A member of the Dartmouth Health system, MAHHC provides primary care and a comprehensive suite of specialty services, along with 25 inpatient beds, a therapeutic pool and an acclaimed, fully modernized 10-bed Acute Rehabilitation Center. Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is dedicated to improving the lives of those it serves and is at the hub of a wide network of community resources that have partnered to cover gaps in services and improve overall population health. One of the largest employers in the area, MAHHC acknowledges its employees as its greatest asset and has been recognized by the Governor's Office with an Excellence in Worksite Wellness award.
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), is a recent recipient of Best Practice recognition by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) for health care quality, and is recognized by the American Hospital Association (AHA) as one of the "Most Wired" hospitals for integration of technology to boost clinical performance. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded MAHHC with Level 3 status, the highest level of medical home designation.