MANCHESTER, NH – Catholic Medical Center (CMC) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have announced a clinical affiliation that will increase access to certain highly specialized services and innovative treatments for New Hampshire residents.
“Mass General is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, and it’s less than an hour from Manchester,” said Dr. Joseph Pepe, CMC President and CEO. “This collaboration will add to the expertise CMC provides its patients, in a setting close to home. This is an exciting opportunity for both our patients and the clinical team here at CMC.”
“This is a transformative time for healthcare and for hospitals in particular,” said Dr. Peter Slavin, President of Mass General. “Working together keeps us ahead of the curve. We each continue to do what we do best, with our patients and providers benefiting from sharing our experiences and expertise.
The two hospitals intend to work together in several areas, including:
- Substance use disorder prevention and treatment: By working with high-risk communities and populations, Mass General has come up with innovative ways to improve access to treatment, smooth transition among care levels, and reduce relapse. CMC will explore ways to adapt MGH’s successful programs to attack the opioid crisis in New Hampshire.
- Home Base Program: This collaboration between the Red Sox Foundation and the MGH recognizes the need for and offers clinical and support services to veterans in New England who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Home Base is a resource for those vets, regardless of discharge status or ability to pay, who suffer from combat- and deployment-related stress as well as traumatic brain injury as well as their families.
- Heart and Vascular: CMC’s New England Heart and Vascular Institute is nationally known for its high-acuity cardiac and vascular care, being the first facility in the region to offer many ground breaking treatments. Mass General offers world-class cardiothoracic surgery and transplant programs. If a cardiac patient is considered for a procedure not performed at CMC, such as evaluation for a potential heart transplant or a left ventricular assist device, the doctors at both hospitals will work together to coordinate care, maximize pre-and post-operative care, and create a seamless patient experience. The same protocols could potentially benefit other types of prospective transplant patients.
- Neuroscience: CMC’s stroke care is recognized for excellence, treating patients quickly and with a high degree of expertise. For cases where even higher care is needed, the endovascular providers at Mass General are available to coordinate on advanced stroke intervention, care, and recovery.
“Every year, we see a handful of patients who present an uncommon or exceptionally complex condition,” said Dr. Louis Fink, Executive Medical Director of the New England Heart & Vascular Institute at CMC. “It will be very rewarding and exciting to collaborate with the renowned physicians at MGH to treat these patients.”
CMC has numerous existing relationships with other hospitals to provide comprehensive and exceptional patient care throughout New Hampshire. While this clinical affiliation will allow CMC and Mass General to work more closely and efficiently together in these areas, it will not financially or structurally tie the organizations together. “We have already been working together on some of our most complex patients,” said Dr. Pepe. “It makes sense to continue building on that relationship to include areas where Mass General’s experience can best serve the residents of Manchester area.”
