Earlier in July 2025, Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and its affiliated clinics became the first institution in northern New England to secure the American Heart Association’s (AHA) prestigious Comprehensive Hypertension Certification. This milestone designation underscores an institutional commitment to treating complex hypertension and enhancing community-based cardiovascular care—particularly for vulnerable populations.
The AHA awards Comprehensive Hypertension Certification to programs demonstrating excellence in diagnosing, evaluating, and treating difficult-to-manage and secondary hypertension. Institutions must undergo a stringent review of protocols, staffing, equipment, and patient outcomes—ensuring they follow the most current evidence-based guidelines. DHMC’s success followed several years of strategic collaboration among its hypertension/nephrology section, general internal medicine, and Heart & Vascular Center.
This certification positions DHMC as a regional leader and resource hub. According to Dr. Charles W. Hopley, MPH, medical director of DHMC’s Advanced Hypertension Clinic, it “opens the door to shared protocols, data collaboration, and research that can directly benefit the population we serve.” The designation will facilitate referrals, improve treatment standardization, and integrate DHMC into a broader network of AHA-certified centers.
A comprehensive center under the AHA’s model must meet rigorous standards not only in treatment practices but also in diagnostics and therapeutic capabilities. DHMC now offers services such as 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, echocardiography, carotid and renal imaging, sleep studies, and procedures like renal angioplasty and adrenalectomy. This ensures patients with complex or resistant hypertension receive thorough and timely care—well beyond what’s available in typical primary care settings.
The certification also ties into DHMC’s growing role in cardiovascular maternal care. With hypertension being a leading cause of maternal complications, DHMC’s cardio-obstetrics team uses the expanded resources to better monitor and treat high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Kerrilynn Hennessy, co-director of this team, emphasized the critical nature of early intervention to prevent life-threatening outcomes such as preeclampsia. The improved infrastructure will directly support safer pregnancies and better outcomes for families across the region.
Community engagement is another important dimension of the certification’s impact. The AHA’s national initiative on self-measured blood pressure programs has already improved hypertension control among underserved populations. In New Hampshire, local AHA chapters collaborate with schools, neighborhoods, and health organizations to provide blood pressure screenings, CPR training, and healthy-living education. With DHMC’s presence in cities like Nashua, Manchester, Concord, Keene, and Lebanon, these community programs can be further expanded and integrated with clinical services.
Telehealth and at-home monitoring are also part of DHMC’s strategy to extend care across rural New England. These technologies enable patients to track their blood pressure between visits, ensuring quicker interventions and reducing long-term risks. This model of care is especially valuable in a region where distance and access barriers can delay diagnosis or treatment.
As New Hampshire’s only academic health system, DHMC’s new designation also holds educational and research implications. The institution trains hundreds of medical residents and students through partnerships with the Geisel School of Medicine and the Dartmouth Institute. With this certification, future clinicians will gain hands-on experience with advanced hypertension protocols, imaging techniques, and research methods that are typically available only in top-tier cardiovascular centers.
From a national standpoint, the AHA’s certification program is helping patients identify trusted hypertension specialists. Certified programs appear on the AHA’s quality care finder and are marked with the “Heart-Check” symbol, offering reassurance to patients seeking credible treatment. For New Hampshire residents, DHMC’s recognition means they no longer need to travel out of state to access top-tier hypertension care.
The achievement is a significant step for public health in the region. With cardiovascular disease remaining the leading cause of death in the U.S., initiatives like this one reinforce the importance of high-quality, accessible care. Dartmouth–Hitchcock’s new status not only raises the standard for hypertension treatment but also builds a stronger, more connected network for heart health throughout New England.
