Grantham Community Nurses - A Division of Lebanon Mobile Integrated Health

Community Nurses

Right person, right care, right place, right time

At the 2023 Town Meeting, voters appropriated funds to contract with the Lebanon Fire Department Community Nurses. Coverage for the Town of Grantham begins on January 1, 2024. Below is additional information about the program and a brief explanation of services available to eligible Grantham residents.
 
The Community Nurses are a part of Lebanon's Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Program, which provides public health services in rural areas through community paramedicine. The National Rural Health Association defines community paramedicine as “an organized system of services, based on local need, which are provided by emergency medical technicians and paramedics integrated into the local or regional healthcare system and overseen by emergency and primary care physicians.”
 
Lebanon's Community Nurses are "evolving as partners in the larger healthcare ecosystem, linking traditional healthcare providers with community-based organizations in a coordinated system of care." The Community Nurses operate with the goals of preventing unnecessary emergency medical transports, emergency room visits, prevention of hospital admission/readmission, following up after hospital discharge, and improving the overall health of patients in the community. 

 

Community Nurse Program Goals

    • Improved patient experience
    • Better health outcomes
    • Lower cost of care
    • Improved medical staff experience

 

Eligible Patients Served

    • Complex adults 
    • Ongoing support for vulnerable adults
    • New Referrals
    • 911 follow up
 
The focus for all eligible patients will be resource education, and the support to connect with those resources, coordination with community service providers and a focus on preventing any additional and/or unnecessary medical calls. Please note that Community Nurses are not intended to replace regular clinic visits. 

Patient Requirements

    • Age 18+ years who reside in the Town of Grantham
    • Referral made with an identified medical need*
    • Able to participate in their own care (excludes dementia, severe persistent mental health), OR patient has a caregiver who can be present during visits
    • Not actively receiving similar services from another organization (visiting nurse and hospice)

* Referrals accepted from the following sources - PCPs, hospitals, home care, community-based, and/or governmental agencies, clergy, neighbors, family, friends OR follow up from frequent 911 utilization. 

 

Links to additional information:

Lebanon, NH Community Nurses

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Lebanon Mobile Integrated Health