The Granite State is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest places in the country, and Nashua's health care services help define medical excellence in the state.

Having two hospitals within the city creates a dynamic relationship for health care services that benefits patients and offers a variety of choices and a rich variety of programs and specialties for residents of the area.

Founded in 1891, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, a non-profit, acute care, 188-bed licensed health care facility, currently manages three main buildings and several smaller facilities in downtown Nashua as well as a West Campus site on Northwest Boulevard.

It offers the only area outpatient services in renal dialysis and behavioral health, and strong partnerships have been developed with other non-profit organizations such as Home Health & Hospice Care, The Lahey Clinic, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and The Nashua Area Health Center that serves the under-insured of Nashua.

The emergency department is designated a Level II regional trauma center and is currently the busiest in the state with 43,000 visits last year. The Urgent Care section provides convenient access on a walk-in basis. Wait times for either department is less than 30 minutes.

The Medical Center houses the first computed CT fluoroscopy unit in the state, providing critical lifesaving advantages to trauma or accident victims. The center has the only fixed MRI in the southern part of the state, a $2.2 million short-bore system.

The Birth Place at The Medical Center recorded over 1,400 births last year and is the second busiest in the state. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has been open for a decade and is the only resource of its kind in the area, ministering to 250 babies last year alone.

The Medical Center's physician network consists of over 350 providers, by far the largest in southern New Hampshire, and, in 1998, the center became a teaching affiliate, welcoming four members of the Dartmouth Medical School Obstetrical/ Gynecology residency program.

Under the direction of Tom Wilhelmsen, president/ CEO, and John Dwyer, SNHMC board chairman, the hospital received national recognition for its efforts to lower the barriers to health insurance for children with its innovative Para Los Ninos initiative, a model program that provides health care access to young people in need.

For information on any of the Medical Center's services, call 577-CALL.

For more than 90 years, St. Joseph Hospital has provided compassionate, high-quality healthcare services to the greater Nashua community; meeting the growing health care needs of the area through clinical centers of excellence in cardiology, oncology, breast care and childbirth, and through clinical trials program with DanaFarber/ Partners Cancer Care and a partnership with The New England Heart Institute.

This year it is estimated that more than 200,000 American women will learn they have breast cancer, and approximately 45,000 women will die from this disease. An annual mammogram is the single most effective method for breast cancer screening, and the staff of St. Joseph's Breast Care Center encourage all women over the age of 40 to have an annual mammogram. For more information about The Breast Care Center or to schedule an annual mammogram, the center can be reached at 5955700.

The Cardiovascular Center is greater Nashua's first facility to provide a unique blend of both cardiac and vascular
services to treat patients in one convenient location. The center's clinical team includes cardiologists from the New England Heart Institute, radiologists and surgeons, plus experienced nurses and technicians who are passionate and committed to providing the region's best preventative care, diagnosis and treatment for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For more information about the Cardiovascular Center, free risk screenings or education outreach programs, call 595-3971.

In December 2000, St. Joseph Hospital expanded its oncology services by announcing a collaborative program with Dana-Farber/ Partners Cancer Care. This collaboration enables St. Joseph Hospital to provide patients with new oncology services and educate its medical staff through joint education programs with the specialists at Dana-Farber /Partners Cancer Care. St. Joseph Hospital's oncology program also includes an outpatient chemotherapy infusion suite at the offices of Specialty Care Associates, inpatient care on the hospital's Oncology/ Palliative Care unit and the Circle of Life Palliative Care program. For more information about the clinical trials program please call Roseann Barrett, RN, Ph.D., Research Nurse at 595-5300 ext. 66454

The personal care of nurses at St. Joseph's Childbirth Center is focused on patient's special needs and individual desires. The Childbirth Center offers a wide variety of personalized maternity services, including private rooms, certified lactation consultants, one-on-one teaching from our skilled nurses and alternative birthing options. For women who prefer a birthing experience without pain medication, the Center features a birthing tub and also hypnobirthing classes. Both options help relax laboring women and ease the pain.

To take a tour of the Childbirth Center please call 5953162, or to learn more about the birthing options at St. Joseph Hospital call 1-800-210-9000.

For more information about St. Joseph Hospital's community education programs, or to have a clinician speak at a community event, contact MedCall at 1-800-210-9000.