Man leaves $6.7 million to air medical service that saved his life multiple times

By Ray Brewer

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    MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A man who credited the Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team, or DHART, with saving his life several times is saying thank you in a major way after his death.

The estate of Les Haynes, who used to live in the Lakes Region, has left DHART $6.7 million.

Officials said the money will be used to expand access to health care, especially in rural areas.

Mike Mulhern, the director of DHART, said he had no idea that the money was coming and couldn’t believe how much it was at first.

“It’s going to change the way that we’re delivering health care on the road and in the air,” Mulhern said. “It’s going to allow us to touch the lives of 2,500-plus more people a year that need health care.”

Part of the $6.7 million will be used to increase DHART’s ability to transport patients at all levels. Money will be set aside to purchase two new ambulances, and funds will also go toward upgrading the dispatch capability and increasing the workforce.

Dartmouth Health said patients are increasingly being transported further away because of a lack of available beds. Instead of a call taking hours, it can take half a day or more. That puts a strain on existing resources, especially when it comes to dealing with patients in rural areas.

Dartmouth Health said it’s also in the early stages of creating a workforce development program to help meet the needs for access to health care in the future.

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