LEBANON Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is discontinuing its Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) program at the end of this month, leaving some patients with questions.

The Medical Center has evaluated its REI program over the past few months and determined that they cannot offer the quality of care that the patients need and deserve without appropriate resources, said Rick Adams, Director of External Relations for Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

News of this came as a shock for at least one patient who contacted NH1 News curious as to why the public found out before the patients did. Adams did not answer specifically why the Medical Center did not contact patients first, but did say that they were in the process of notifying patients as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, although he did not say how.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock is working towards transitioning patients to appropriate programs around the region to continue their care, Adams added.

The patient, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed concerns over how the Medical Center will ensure that her embryos, along with other patients, don't die during the transfer process to different facilities. Adams did not go into specifics regarding this question.

"While the infertility program itself will be discontinued, our Embryology and Andrology laboratory will remain available to our patients and to the programs to which they transition, as part of their continuum of care," Adams stated.

The program is coming to an end effective May 31, providing three weeks for patients to find other arrangements. Adams did not specify why the Medical Center selected this date.

Dr. Edward Merrens, Dartmouth-Hitchcock's chief clinical officer, told the Valley News the decision stemmed from difficulty in finding "the right amount of staffing" to support the work, which can involve monitoring patients seven days a week. Merrens added that the program made a profit and that financial considerations did not factor into the decision to close the program.

Adams did not answer why profits from the program were not put towards more staffing to keep the program running.

"We understand the impact this difficult decision has on our infertility patients. In the end, it is clear that we cannot sustain the program, and our belief is that ending our REI program and helping our patients find a program that can support them is in those patients best interest," Adams said.

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Dartmouth-Hitchcock discontinuing infertility program leaving patients with concerns - NH1 News