A message from Cynthia K. McGuire, FACHE, President and CEO

At Monadnock Community Hospital, our first concern remains taking care of our community. Our Incident Command Emergency Preparedness team is meeting around the clock to plan, prepare, and coordinate our efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our clinical leaders continue to be in daily contact with the NH Department of Public Health, the NH Hospital Association as well as area hospitals and healthcare providers. And we are using the most current precautions and information to care for our patients, staff and visitors.

Nonessential appointment, procedures and elective surgeries postponed:

In addition to the changes that were in Tuesday’s press release (please see our website), we have made additional temporary changes at MCH to protect our patients and employees from the spread of, and potential exposure to, coronavirus (COVID-19). All nonessential appointments, procedures, and elective surgeries are postponed until further notice. This applies to all offices on the Monadnock Community Hospital campus and satellite offices. This decision was made under the advice of the American College of Surgeons and the US Surgeon General, and in conjunction with MCH’s medical staff. Our focus is to protect patients and employees as well as to conserve critical supplies. Hospitals throughout the state and country are taking similar action.

MCH staff is reaching out to patients who have nonessential appointments to advise them on next steps. Those procedures which are immediately medically necessary will continue. MCH continues to provide regular emergency and urgent care. Anyone with questions about an upcoming appointment or procedure should call their provider. We continue to evaluate the situation and will adjust accordingly.

Symptoms and Access to Care:

We are not routinely providing screening tests for COVID-19. The COVID-19 test kits are limited and needed for patients who have symptoms and have been evaluated by their clinician. If you develop the following symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, please call your primary care clinician before going to their office or to the Emergency Department. A clinician order is needed for all tests and MCH has the ability to test for COVID-19. If you have traveled to/from countries with a COVID-19 Travel Advisory and develop symptoms of a fever or respiratory illness within 14 days of your travel, contact your primary care provider for evaluation. If you do not have a primary care provider call Monadnock Internal Medicine at 603-924-4671, Jaffrey Family Medicine at 603-532-8775, or Antrim Medical Group at 603-588-4200. If you have general questions or concerns, please call 2-1-1, a hot-line staffed by the NH Division of Public Health Services.

We have heard from many community businesses and organizations that have offered resources such as facilities and equipment, we are grateful for all of the outreach. Thank you to our community dentists and their staff for their contribution of masks and supplies. We appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation during this time. This is an amazing community and together we will get through this.

We have an amazing team of people at MCH who are working very hard together every day, around the clock. Taking care of all of our patients during this time is our top priority. I want to recognize our clinicians, our staff, and our entire team. People are stepping up every minute and are working in positions that they may not normally work in. Our team has kicked into action proactively preparing our contingency plans for a potential surge of COVID-19 patients. We are hearing words of gratitude and thanks every day from our patients and supporters in the community. Your words and support mean so much to us and I thank you.

We will share changes and information as it becomes available. You can find more information and resources about COVID-19 at www.nh.gov/covid19 and www.cdc.gov as well as our website.

You can download a copy of this release here.

View COVID-19 Main Page