New London Hospital (NLH), a member of Dartmouth Health, marked an important milestone in the construction of its new Surgical Care Center with a ceremonial groundbreaking on September 15, bringing together community stakeholders, hospital leaders, employees, project partners, and supporters.
While construction is already underway, the ceremony provided an opportunity to recognize the years of planning and collaboration behind the project and look ahead to the future of surgical care at NLH.
“This is a very special moment in the life of New London Hospital,” said Lauren G. Wirth, MD, president and CEO of NLH. “Our current surgical facilities have served us well for more than 30 years, but medicine has changed, our community has grown, and the demand for surgical care has increased. This groundbreaking signifies our commitment to building stronger surgical services and a stronger future for healthcare in our region.”
With NLH’s current operating rooms routinely at or near 85% capacity, the new space will increase flexibility for emergency and add-on cases, in addition to allowing for an expansion of surgical services. The approximately 40,000 square foot Surgical Care Center will span two levels and include four operating rooms, a 22-bed post-anesthesia care unit and expanded central sterile processing. The hospital’s two existing operating rooms will be converted into surgical procedure rooms.
The project also includes a dedicated Surgical Care Center entrance, improved patient and family waiting areas and updated spaces designed to support privacy, navigation, and the overall patient experience.
“What makes me especially proud is that the people who provide this care every day have had a meaningful voice in shaping this project,” said Karen L. Beinhaur, MSN/Ed, MBA, RN, chief nursing officer at NLH. “Our frontline teams have been part of the planning process from the very beginning, bringing their firsthand experience and helping ensure these spaces are designed to work for the patients and clinicians who will use them every day. This new center will provide our teams with an environment that reflects the exceptional care they deliver to our patients every day and will allow us to continue providing that care well into the future.”
The project is intended to expand the surgical care that can be provided close to home while supporting Dartmouth Health’s broader regional care network.
“By expanding the surgical care that can appropriately be delivered here in our community, we strengthen Dartmouth Health as a whole,” Wirth said during the ceremony. “We allow more patients to receive care close to home while helping Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center focus its resources on the most complex cases.”
Construction is managed in coordination with current hospital operations. Surgical and endoscopy services are expected to continue throughout construction without interruption to patient care.
The Surgical Care Center is expected to open in the fall of 2028.
About New London Hospital
The New London Hospital Association (NLHA) is a proud member of Dartmouth Health. It consists of New London Hospital (NLH), located in New London, NH, and Newport Health Center (NHC), located in Newport, NH. NLH is a critical access hospital, and has been serving 15 communities within the Greater Lake Sunapee region in central New Hampshire for more than 100 years. NLH provides a broad range of services in a patient and family-centered environment, from primary care to specialized clinical services. NHC is a rural health clinic that offers primary care and numerous specialty clinical services. Patients of NLH and NHC have ready access to the full breadth of Dartmouth Health services. NLH and NHC are dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care and improving the health and well-being of the communities they serve. For more information, visit newlondonhospital.org.