RANDOLPH, Vt.—Certified Nurse Midwife Lydia Corriveau has joined the Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Midwifery team at Gifford.
Corriveau brings to the role a wide variety of experience, including volunteering on a hospital ship in West Africa and at a free clinic in Phoenix, Ariz., nursing acutely ill people as a critical care nurse in Vermont and Arizona, and volunteering to transfer to an intensive care unit during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her philosophy of care is rooted in a desire to bring comfort and empowerment to patients in what can be uncomfortable or frightening personal circumstances.
“Nurses and midwives are present with people in circumstances that are often vulnerable and uncertain,” Corriveau said. “This is our chosen, everyday work and it is not intimidating to us, it’s normal and meaningful. Messiness and challenge do not deter us. I really love that about midwifery.”
In Africa, in the port city of Conakry, Guinea, Corriveau provided nursing care to women after they had undergone surgical repair of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), a serious medical condition in which there is an injury causing an abnormal opening between the bladder and wall of the vagina, resulting in leakage of urine. VVF, which often results in women being marginalized by their families and society, can be caused by obstructed labor during birth, common in developing countries when there is not access to cesarean birth and women instead labor unsuccessfully for days. For Corriveau, a native Vermonter, the experience inspired her to pursue a career in midwifery—and highlighted and reinforced the importance of women’s health, health promotion, and early intervention to support individuals and communities.
She chose Gifford to continue her focus on promoting wellness and preventing illness while working with a midwifery team recognized for its strength and compassion.
“I have studied and lived in different parts of the country and the world,” she said. “But I really love Vermont and Vermonters, and knew I wanted to be a part of rural medicine—part of the movement to keep a place like Gifford open for Vermonters.”
Corriveau previously worked as a labor and delivery nurse at University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vt.; as an oncology/critical care nurse at Honor Health in Scottsdale, Ariz.; as a free clinic volunteer nurse at Phoenix Allies for Community Health in Phoenix, Ariz.; as a critical care nurse in the surgical ICU at University of Vermont Medical Center; as a volunteer nurse with Team Heart in Kigali, Rwanda; as a volunteer ward nurse with Mercy Ships in Conakry, Guinea; and as a med/surg nurse at University of Vermont Medical Center.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from University of Vermont College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Burlington, Vt.; completed interdisciplinary studies at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.; and completed the Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program remotely through Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, Ky. Her clinical rotations were at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H.; at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz.; and at Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Ariz.
Away from work, Corriveau enjoys time with friends and family, outdoor adventuring, cooking and eating good food, and DIY projects. She enjoys the challenge of learning in various ways—including by listening to podcasts, rock climbing, and hopefully learning to play the banjo. She is a proud auntie to 10 nieces and nephews.
For more information about Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Midwifery at Gifford, visit giffordhealthcare.org.
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CONTACT: Maryellen Apelquist, Communications Manager,
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Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, and Rochester, and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; an adult day program; 49-unit independent living facility, and a nursing home. The hospital’s mission is to improve individual and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
