b'6 CONCORD HOSPITAL TRUSTTransforming Emergency Care: A Couples Journey from Fear to TrustGoing to the emergency department can be a scary, anxiety-producing time. Thats what Linnea and Mark Fraser had experienced in previous trips to seek care. Linnea was intimately familiar with the inner workings of hospitals, having spent close to four decades within and around the healthcare setting. She had even served as director of health information management at Lakes Region General Hospital in the early 1980s and held the same position at Concord Hospital Health System for 15 years. Ive been exposed to all kinds of hospitals, Fraser says, so Ive seen a lot. In 2023, the Frasers found themselves in the Emergency Department (ED) at Concord Hospital - Laconia three separate times, twice for Mark and once for Linnea, and two of those incidents required transportation by ambulance. What they saw in those three trips to the ED completely changed their perception of their local hospital. Concord [acquiring] is the best thing that ever happened to the hospital, Linnea Fraser says. The teamwork across disciplines was exceptional, and there was constant communication; whoever came in to touch us, whether it was the X-ray tech, lab tech, doctor, nurse, everybody told us what they were doing, why they were doing it, how long results would take, and what the next step would be. We were never left wondering what was going on, which is extremely important when youre so sick that you have to be in the ED. The Frasers visits also included positive health-related outcomes. Linnea was impressed that the doctor was able to determine that Marks condition did not require surgery (a conservative approach that his wife says, gratefully, did not compromise his health), and that their other conditions could be easily treated. Even more impressive, Linnea says, is that the Frasers encountered new physicians in each of their three visits, all of whom displayed an outstanding standard of care. We had a different ED doctor each time, Linnea says, but the scenario was still the same. It didnt matter who was taking care of us; the communication was just outstanding; the care was top notch; the teamwork was excellent. If I ever need to go to an ED again, [Concord Hospital - Laconia] is the first place Im going. In the years leading up to LRGH becoming Concord Hospital - Laconia, Linnea Fraser says that local residents hesitated to seek treatment at the hospital, wavering on whether they might find higher quality care elsewhere. But since she and Mark had a trio of positive experiences, she cant recommend it enough for the competence, professionalism, and compassion the couple received.If it was only one experience we had that was so positive, that wouldbe one thing, she says. But its three for three, and all involvingdifferent people. If we had to be in the ED, we could not have had abetter experience.'