March 13th may have brought a nor’easter to New Hampshire, but that didn’t stop Jane Armstrong and Deb Cantlin RN, MS from promoting awareness of pulmonary hypertension at a Staff Safety and Quality event held at a large teaching hospital.  The Dartmouth-Hitchcock (NH) PH Support Group created a large and very detailed poster which was vetted and accepted for display. The goal was to educate medical providers from every discipline, especially those who don’t encounter PH often.

The poster detailed PH statistics, described potential barriers to safe and effective treatment, and listed resources for providers to learn more about PH by using the PHA website.  It also informed providers about the DHMC PH Support group, which is in its third year and meets monthly at the hospital.  Jane and Deb distributed PHA medical brochures with the audience, which included many physicians and nurses. Jane reports that people were “surprisingly interested”, and eager to understand the basics of PH.

The group has also begun an effort to design customized care plans for PH patients, to assure quality care that is specific to PH and related conditions. Support Group leader Laura Hooley notes that the group has “tremendous energy in its mission to make sure all providers are well acquainted with the needs of PH patients.”