RANDOLPH, Vt.—Leaders from Gifford Health Care invite community members to a forum to discuss the future of Gifford and access to rural health care in the White River Valley of central Vermont. The community forum will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Judd Hall Gym on the Randolph Center campus of Vermont State University (formerly Vermont Technical College).
Patients and community members are encouraged to attend the forum to share their experiences with Gifford and voice their concerns following a recently released report by consultant Oliver Wyman. The report, ordered under Act 167 by the Green Mountain Care Board, the state’s health care regulator, recommends closing or repurposing Gifford’s hospital inpatient unit, renowned Birthing Center, and Emergency Department, among other suggestions. Hospitals throughout the state have disputed the recommendations and the data used to support them.
“Our team will always be open, honest, and direct about the challenges we face,” said Gifford President and CEO Michael Costa, referring to points the report raises concerning health care affordability, Vermont’s demographic crisis, and the need for investments in housing and transportation to strengthen our communities and health care system. “The real risk isn’t the report—it’s losing the trust and commitment of our patients, team, and community. We ask you to stand by us, just as we stand by ready to care for you.”
At the state level, the Vermont Agency of Human Services is expected to assess the feasibility of the report’s recommendations. Gifford is already working closely with state officials. It is crucial that state officials and local legislators hear the voice of community members, patients, and health care workers.
“We will be part of the conversation about the future of health care in Vermont, and we will take the opportunity to explain our region’s needs and the value of our work,” said Costa.
Judd Hall Gym is located at 124 Admin Drive, Randolph Center. For more information about the community forum, call 802-728-2380.
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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.
