Dartmouth Health Announces Launch of Upper Valley Community Partner Pilot

Dartmouth Health Partners with NH DHHS and Unite Us to Coordinate Care and Support Residents’ Health and Community Needs

Lebanon, New Hampshire – March 18, 2026 – Dartmouth Health and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) today announced the recent launch of the Dartmouth Health Upper Valley Community Partner Pilot, a regional initiative of New Hampshire Care Connections. New Hampshire Care Connections strengthens coordination between healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and state partners to better support the health and well-being of Granite Staters.

The Dartmouth Health Upper Valley Community Partner Pilot was established with DHHS and Unite Us, the state’s technology partner for integrating health and community-based care. In collaboration with the Granite United Way, the Pilot is creating a regional network of health care and social service providers working together to improve how individuals and families access essential health and social services by creating a coordinated, secure referral system.

“Partnerships like the Dartmouth Health Upper Valley Community Partner Pilot are critical programs for us at Dartmouth Health in our ongoing work to improve health outcomes in the communities we serve,” said Joanne M. Conroy, MD, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health. “Gaps in communication between health and social service providers impact health and this can be improved by creating a system that links these entities together. I am proud that Dartmouth Health will play a role in the creation of such a system in the Upper Valley.”

New Hampshire Care Connections enables participating healthcare and community organizations to securely send and receive electronic referrals, track outcomes, and better understand community needs related to non-medical drivers of health, including housing stability, food access, transportation, and other critical supports. 

“We are proud to partner with Dartmouth Health and Unite Us on this innovative project to connect healthcare providers, community organizations and other stakeholders on the issues that matter most to the people of the Upper Valley,” said DHHS Commissioner Lori Weaver. “The launch of the Upper Valley Community Partner Pilot marks a major milestone in our work to establish New Hampshire Care Connections. We are excited to learn from this first phase as we build regional networks throughout New Hampshire to create a statewide coordinated referral system that will help everyone in New Hampshire access the services they need to thrive.”

The Pilot will serve as a real-world demonstration of how coordinated referrals between healthcare and community-based organizations – supported by shared technology, aligned workflows, and strong community partnerships – can improve care delivery and patient outcomes.

“At the heart of this effort is a strong collaboration with Dartmouth Health, the NH DHHS, and community organizations across the Upper Valley,” said Taylor Justice, co-founder and CEO of Unite Us. “This work is driven by the community itself and by a shared commitment to ensuring that when someone needs help, local partners are connected and ready to respond in a coordinated and meaningful way. This approach helps individuals and families across New Hampshire live healthier, more stable lives.”

The Pilot is already underway, with community engagement activities beginning in January 2026 and a phased roll out of the New Hampshire Care Connections platform in spring 2026. Lessons learned during the pilot will inform continued rollout of the platform in other regions across New Hampshire.

“The Upper Valley has a collaborative network of service providers that is envied by other regions of New Hampshire,” said Lynne Goodwin, MSW, Human Services Director for the City of Lebanon. “The effectiveness of that network is directly related to getting key providers at the table, strengthening our community connections, and developing successful methods of communication and coordination.

I’m optimistic that with the support of NH DHHS, and leadership from Dartmouth Health as an anchor organization, we can successfully implement a closed loop referral system that improves people’s experience with health care systems in the Upper Valley and leads to better health outcomes.”

New Hampshire Care Connections is a statewide network of healthcare providers, human services agencies, and community-based organizations working together to support individuals and families by connecting them to needed services in real time. The network streamlines referrals, protects individual privacy and consent, and supports effective follow-up to improve experiences navigating the healthcare system and advance better health outcomes.

To learn more about the New Hampshire Care Connections project, or join the network, visit https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/nh-care-connections.