LEBANON – Dartmouth Health will formally celebrate the creation of its Geriatric Center of Excellence (GCOE) this week with events on Thursday, September 14, and Friday, September 15. GCOE is committed to promoting vital aging for older adult patients of Dartmouth Health and delivering world-class, person-centered care to older adults across northern New England.

“Our Center of Excellence was in its infancy stage in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and was physically closed in March 2020. We are so excited to finally celebrate GCOE and share it with the public,” said Ellen Flaherty, PhD, APRN, AGSF, Vice President of the GCOE. “The virtual groups and programs we made available over the last few years were a lifeline to hundreds of older adults who were largely isolated otherwise. As we keep those virtual options available, expanding our physical, in-person presence will only strengthen this critically important asset.”

GCOE fulfills Dartmouth Health’s aims as an Age-Friendly Health System through four foundational pillars: education, research, policy and patient-centered care. These pillars work together to support, align, coordinate, and promote geriatric initiatives across Dartmouth Health, and extend through many parts of the system, particularly the Aging Resource Center and Geriatric Emergency Department.

This week’s events are open to the public. They include:

A policy discussion about issues and aging in New Hampshire with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH) chief of staff

A presentation from Audrey H. Calderwood, MD, MS, director of the Comprehensive Gastroenterology Center at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), on her study on testing for colon polyps

The Dartmouth Health Aging Resource Center’s annual open house

A Grand Rounds presentation on improving the care of patients with and at risk for delirium given by Mark A. Oldham, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center

A celebration ceremony featuring Dartmouth Health leadership

The events will be held in-person at DHMC and the Aging Resource Center, and will also all be available to join virtually. For more information on these events, visit https://bit.ly/3Ph8y42.