Monadnock Community Hospital, a key health‑care provider for Manchester and surrounding towns in New Hampshire, announced on Tuesday that it is canceling a number of outpatient laboratory and radiology appointments. The cancellations stem from a sudden phone and network outage that has left the hospital unable to receive calls, process scheduling requests, and transmit patient information through its internal systems.
Outage Details and Immediate Impact
The hospital confirmed that the outage began early Tuesday morning and affected both its telephone lines and the digital network that supports electronic health records, appointment scheduling, and internal communications. As a result, staff are unable to confirm existing appointments or accept new ones for outpatient laboratory and radiology services. All such appointments are currently on hold until the issue is resolved.
Patient Guidance
Patients who had appointments scheduled for Tuesday are being contacted directly by the hospital’s patient‑services team as soon as the phone system is restored. The hospital urges anyone who has not heard from staff to check their email for updates, as the hospital is also using email notifications to keep patients informed. For urgent medical concerns, patients are advised to visit the nearest emergency department or call 911.
Hospital Response and Next Steps
Hospital administrators said they are working closely with their telecommunications provider and internal IT specialists to diagnose the root cause of the outage and to restore full service as quickly as possible. While the exact cause remains unclear, the hospital emphasized that patient safety remains its top priority and that no clinical care is being compromised; only non‑emergency outpatient services are affected.
“We understand the inconvenience this creates for our patients and their families,” said a hospital spokesperson. “Our staff is doing everything possible to resolve the technical issues and to reschedule appointments promptly once service is restored.”
Community Impact
Monadnock Community Hospital serves a broad region that includes Manchester, Hooksett, and surrounding rural communities. The temporary loss of laboratory and imaging services may affect patients awaiting routine blood work, diagnostic scans, and follow‑up testing. Local physicians have been notified of the situation and are advising patients to hold off on non‑urgent testing until the hospital confirms that services have resumed.
What Residents Can Do
Residents who have upcoming appointments are encouraged to monitor the hospital’s website and social‑media channels for real‑time updates. The hospital has also set up a temporary hotline using a backup phone line, and the number will be posted on its website once it becomes operational. In the meantime, patients needing urgent lab work or imaging are advised to seek services at nearby facilities such as Concord Hospital or Dartmouth‑Hitchcock Medical Center.
Looking Ahead
Hospital leadership expects to have a clearer timeline for full restoration within the next 24‑48 hours. They have pledged to keep the community informed and to prioritize the rescheduling of all canceled appointments. The outage underscores the importance of robust backup systems for critical health‑care infrastructure, a point that hospital officials say will be addressed in future planning.
For the latest information, patients should visit monadnockhospital.org or follow the hospital’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Original reporting: WMUR (Hearst) – local news — read the source article.
