LEBANON, N.H. —

Representative Annie Kuster (D-NH-2) visited visited Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center on Monday as part of her district-wide health care listening tour.

One major part of providing rural health care is Dartmouth Hitchcock's Advanced Response Team (DHART), which is celebrating its 25th year serving Vermont and New Hampshire.

"Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center is unique for the whole country for being a tertiary hospital, the highest level possible of care in a rural community," said Rep. Kuster. "The Connecticut River is a state line, but in terms of community it's irrelevant," she said, emphasizing DHART's importance to both Vermonters and Granite Staters.

The DHART facility operates a fleet of helicopters and is staffed 24/7. Pilots, paramedics, and nurses often respond multiple times a day to evacuate patients or assist with transport between hospitals. Just minutes before Kuster arrived Monday, the helicopter returned from a call in northern New Hampshire.

Though many places in the North Country take hours to reach by car, DHART helicopters are able to reach much of the region within 45 minutes, drastically improving emergency response times.

In honor of DHART's 25th anniversary, Rep. Kuster presented the team with a statement of congratulations entered into the Congressional Record of the 116th Congress.

"We want to make sure that they're here for the next 25 years," said Kuster, with a smile.