b'5Its an action that can lift up an individual or an entire community. Anembracecan be felt through grand gestures or in smaller interactions. With philanthropic support from our Trust, Concord Hospital embracesthe patients and communities it serves in a variety of ways. In this issue of Your Trust, we explore some of the programs most impacted by the hospitals commitment to providing care that embraces patients at every level. We also introduce people who have made these gestures possible through their generosity of time and spirit and through a selfl ess commitment to thoughtful stewardship of resources. Its all done to make sure the mission of the hospitalmeeting the health needs of those within the communityalways remains at the forefront of decision-making.In the following pages, patients speak about the ways they have felt embraced by the devoted counselors at the Recovery Clinics that serve Laconia and Franklin, and of the life-altering concern providers have shown for their wellbeing. Organizers describe how the outpouring of support for those with mental health and substance use disorders was on full display at the 2023 Bridge to Recovery Walk, a large-scale embodiment of embracing those in need.We also highlight patients who have received low-cost treatment at the Concord Hospital Family Health Center Dental Clinic and at the Dental Center in Laconia; care subsidized by the Trusts Community Service Fund. With a warm embrace from the doctors and staffat these clinics, patients share how they have found their smilesand confi denceagain.We also highlight people who give their time, expertise, and philanthropic spirits to ensure that the hospital and our Trust have the resources to fully embrace patient needs. This includes members of the Womens Giving Circle, who off er fi nancial assistance and devote their time to deciding how the funds will be distributed. It also includes the stewards of the Navigating Forward Fund, established to address social needs or barriers outside of the health system that otherwise would be an obstacle to individuals receiving necessary care. You will also learn about the selfl ess eff orts of members of our Board of Trustees and of our Benefactors Circle, who thoughtfully give back to their community through monetary donations and physical presence, as well as the story of a grateful patient who is riding across the country to raise money for the Payson Center for Cancer Care, so it can embrace others like it did her. Finally, this issue of Your Trust introduces an innovative partnership between Concord Hospital and New England College that not only off ers a Bachelor of Science in nursing to admitted students in only three years, but addresses a nursing shortage by paying aspiring RNs to work as LNAs while they earn their degrees. The partnership is supplemented by funding from generous donations to our Trust, which covers operational expenses and supports the employment of LNAs and training for preceptors.The commitment to producing educated, competent nurses is a prime example of the way in which Concord Hospital and our Trust are simultaneously embracing excellence in patient care and quality training for the next generation of healthcare professionals.'