All of our work at Dartmouth Health—from nursing to social work, physical therapy to pharmacy—is dedicated to making sure our patients with Parkinson’s disease receive exemplary care.
Melanie L. Del Frari, MSN, APRNDartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, has been designated by the Parkinson’s Foundation as a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, following an extensive review process. DHMC is one of just 47 Centers of Excellence around the world and 37 nationwide, and the only one in northern New England.
In its review, the Parkinson’s Foundation highlighted several areas where DHMC especially excelled in its care for Parkinson’s patients, including a person-centered, comprehensive and integrated approach to care, education and research; exceptional communication and collaboration with the team, external providers, patients and families; a state-of-the-art neurosurgery facility; and the Dartmouth Centers for Health & Aging’s Aging Resource Center, which provides workshops, wellness programs and advance care planning.
“We are so proud and honored to receive this designation,” said Melanie L. Del Frari, MSN, APRN, clinical coordinator for Dartmouth Health’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program. “It is truly humbling to work alongside such dedicated professionals caring for such a special patient population. All of our work at Dartmouth Health—from nursing to social work, physical therapy to pharmacy—is dedicated to making sure our patients with Parkinson’s disease receive exemplary care.”
To be designated as a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, a medical center must have a specialized team of neurologists, movement disorder specialists, physical and occupational therapists, mental health professionals and others who are up to date on the latest Parkinson’s medications, therapies and research. Each center is required to meet rigorous care, clinical research, professional training, community education and outreach criteria. Every center must reapply for designation after five years to ensure required standards of care.
To learn more, visit https://www.parkinson.org/living-with-parkinsons/finding-care/global-care-network.
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 recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes its Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, including the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the state’s only children’s hospital and clinic locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene and New London, NH, and Windsor, VT, and Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory 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.