Featured Member: Littleton Regional Healthcare
Our featured member, Littleton Regional Healthcare, has cared for the North Country for well over a century, growing from a small community hospital into the region’s leading center for compassionate, accessible medical care. Known locally as LRH, this independent, nonprofit, 25-bed Critical Access Hospital serves communities throughout northern New Hampshire and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
A Hospital Born of Community Effort
The story began on April 3, 1906, when 62 incorporators gathered at Thayer’s Hotel in Littleton to found the Littleton Hospital Association. Although the town had several practicing physicians, there was no organized hospital in the area at the time. The hospital opened its doors to patients the following year, in 1907.
From those modest beginnings, the institution grew alongside the community it served. In 1990 it adopted the name Littleton Regional Hospital to reflect its expanding service area, and later became Littleton Regional Healthcare. In 1999, construction began on a new facility at 600 St. Johnsbury Road. The 88,000-square-foot hospital and its adjoining 25,000-square-foot medical office building opened on January 23, 2001, and remain the organization’s home today.
A Leader in Emergency and Trauma Care
LRH has long been a regional pioneer in emergency medicine. A 1975 addition to the earlier Cottage Street campus added new Emergency and Radiology Departments, paving the way for the hospital to become a regional center for emergency care. That upgraded capacity was a major reason Littleton was selected to pilot the federal Emergency Medical Services program, which the North Country began in 1976. Local figures such as Tom Ross, who trained EMTs across northern New Hampshire and helped develop the region’s Fast Squad system, helped build a culture of emergency preparedness that continues to define the hospital.
That legacy carries into the present. LRH has been recognized by the State of New Hampshire as the region’s only Level III Trauma Certified Center, an important distinction for a rural area where the nearest larger facilities can be a considerable distance away.
Comprehensive Care Close to Home
Today LRH employs more than 500 clinical and non-clinical staff and cares for roughly 60,000 patients each year. The hospital offers a full spectrum of services, including primary care, emergency and trauma care, surgery, orthopedics through The Alpine Clinic, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services, obstetrics, oncology, cardiology, and a range of outpatient specialty clinics. Home care and community health programs extend that reach beyond the hospital walls.
The organization’s mission is straightforward: to provide quality, compassionate, and accessible healthcare in a manner that brings value to all. For a rural region where keeping care close to home can make a real difference in outcomes, that mission matters. The hospital has also been recognized for the quality of its nursing, partnering with The DAISY Foundation to honor extraordinary nurses on staff.
Preparing for the Future with Dartmouth Health
After two years of evaluating various affiliation models, LRH announced in September 2025 that its Board of Trustees had chosen Dartmouth Health as its preferred partner, and the two organizations signed a letter of intent. Both boards have since approved an integration agreement, the next step toward LRH becoming a member of the Dartmouth Health system. The affiliation remains subject to regulatory review, including clearance by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
Leadership has emphasized that the goal is to maintain the quality, compassion, and personal touch patients expect from LRH while expanding access to specialty services and ensuring the organization is positioned to serve the region for generations. Dartmouth Health is New Hampshire’s only academic health system and its largest private employer, with more than 2,000 providers across northern New England, which would give North Country patients broader access to specialized care while keeping everyday services local.
A Cornerstone of the North Country
More than 115 years after those first incorporators met at Thayer’s Hotel, Littleton Regional Healthcare remains a cornerstone of the community, blending the personal care of a local hospital with a forward-looking commitment to growth and sustainability.
Littleton Regional Healthcare is located at 600 St. Johnsbury Road in Littleton. Visit littletonhealthcare.org or call 603-444-9000 to learn more.
