Thank you to Holy Apostles Greek Church, Haverhill

December 22, 2009 - A special thank you from Residents of Hannah Duston Healthcare Center to the children, teaching staff, parents and members of the Choir who gathered together on Saturday, December 19th to perform their annual Nativity Play.

Hannah Duston Healthcare Center awarded "Certificate of Excellence" from Beacon Hospice, Inc.

June 25, 2009 - Hannah Duston recently won the "certificate of excellence" award from Beacon Hospice, Inc.  It was awarded to them for their  "outstanding performance and lasting contribution in quality end-of-life care." 

Beacon services over 600 contracted facilities in their service area including Skilled Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, and Hospitals.  Hannah Duston was one of forty facilities to win the award.  This is the second time for this facility having won this same award from Beacon two years ago.  They were nominated for the award by the Beacon staff.  Nominations were accepted from Beacon staff in the 21 community based offices throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

The award was presented on Thursday June 25, 2009.  There was a formal presentation in our library followed by cake and ice cream for all staff.

Haverhill’s Last Survivor of the Armenian Genocide Honored by
the State at Hannah Duston Healthcare Center



April 8, 2009 - Hannah Duston Healthcare Center hosted a ceremony for Jennie Vartabedian, Haverhill’s only living survivor of the Armenian Genocide. Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini and State Representative Brian S. Dempsey honored Mrs. Vartabedian by presenting her with a citation. The event was organized by her son Tom and his wife Nancy in conjunction with Armenian Genocide Month throughout the Merrimack Valley.

Now 97 years old, this resident of Hannah Duston Healthcare Center witnessed the genocide as a young child. She was 3 years old at the time, living in Dikranagert, Turkey, and was around 7 years old towards the end. The genocide was committed by the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and around 1.5 million Armenians were killed and another million displaced between the years of 1915 and 1923.

Survivors Jennie and her family moved to France, and then to the United States. She was raised in Newton, Massachusetts and spent most of her life in Somerville. She and her late husband Edward operated a Somerville luncheonette for 30 years. The restaurant was sold after his death in 1975, and Jennie went to work for the Council on Aging in the 1980’s where she worked until her retirement.

At the age of 90, Jennie still kept fit, and drove herself to the gym every day! Now a resident of Hannah Duston Healthcare Center for the past three years, she enjoys fortune-telling and palm reading for the staff and residents. She has five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and proudly states that family is the “love of her life.”

Both Jennie and Tom are very grateful to the staff and management of Hannah Duston Healthcare Center, and particularly the Arcidi family, for her extended care in such a warm, pleasant environment.

Photos, clockwise from left: Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini presents Jennie with a citation from the state of Massachusetts. Jennie Vartabedian. Mayor Fiorenini with Jennie’s son Tom Vartabedian.


Hannah Duston Healthcare Center is a 116-bed skilled nursing center, providing subacute care services, rehabilitative services and long term care placement. We are centrally located on the Massachusetts border of New Hampshire to conveniently service patients throughout New England. Our team of experienced care professionals includes skilled doctors, nurses, trained technicians and therapists, who are outfitted with the industry’s most innovative, state-of-the-art programs and equipment.

We are a member of the Whittier Health Network, which has been providing comprehensive healthcare services to New England patients since 1982. We are committed to providing total patient care and comfort during the healing and rehabilitation process.

Please go to our admissions page for more information on referrals or to set up a facility tour.

Hannah Duston Healthcare Center
116-Bed Skilled Nursing Center

126 Monument Street
Haverhill, MA 01832

Phone: (978) 373-1747
Fax: (978) 373-5277

JCAHO Accredited, Medicare Certified



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