RANDOLPH, Vt.—Gifford raised $420,000 during its Women’s Health Campaign to support a new OB-GYN and Midwifery Clinic, exceeding campaign goals by $20,000 and solidifying community support for the new space.
The new OB-GYN and Midwifery Clinic opened in late January.
The clinic, with an estimated total cost of $1.89 million, opened in late January, about one year after South Burlington-based Neagley & Chase Construction Company commenced work on the project. Originally slated to open in September 2020, the project faced delays due to COVID-19 restrictions. A celebratory, grand-reopening reception was also postponed until Gifford is again able to welcome visitors, but officials encourage community members to view the new clinic virtually, in a video posted online.
“Thank you to the many supporters in our community who, amid a global pandemic, have once again stepped up and shown their support for Gifford with gifts in support of our Women’s Health Campaign,” said Gifford Director of Development Ashley Lincoln, who recently announced the fundraising total and the close of the campaign. “While we had to hit pause on the project and campaign during the pandemic, our friends and neighbors continued to respond to our requests for financial support. Thankfully they said yes, and we are deeply grateful.”
Located adjacent to the Visitors Entrance and Gifford’s renowned Birthing Center, the new clinic places OB-GYN team members and patients closer to other Gifford services and providers, easing patient access and improving upon continuity of care. The clinic is 5,700 square feet—1,240 square feet larger than the previous OB-GYN and Midwifery space—and includes a designated Procedure Room, Ultrasound Room, Phlebotomy Room and Lab in addition to provider offices and midwife on-call space. The clinic also includes meeting space for nursing education as well as patient education and access to resources, like social services, to improve overall health and quality of life. There is designated space for private counseling with a Gifford social worker, for example, to address issues like housing and food insecurity, and for special programs such as prenatal and parenting classes.
“The foundation of trust we have built with Vermont women starts with our Birthing Center,” said Gifford President and CEO Dan Bennett. “Because of that trust, women come back to Gifford for subsequent care and procedures, for themselves and their families. Relocating the OB-GYN and Midwifery Clinic enables us to build upon that trust and further lead in patient care.”
Dr. Elisabeth Nigrini leads the OB-GYN and Midwifery Clinic at Gifford. She and her team care for adolescents and women who range in age from 13 to 99, helping them address a variety of issues and conditions, from period management to pregnancy to endometrial cancer. For more information about OB-GYN services at Gifford, visit giffordhealthcare.org/service/obstetrics-gynecology.
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Reminder during COVID-19: All Gifford clinics are open. We encourage patients to schedule and keep their medical appointments. It is vital that we continue to provide care and treat members of our community so that medical conditions do not escalate. If a patient does not have a mask upon arrival for an appointment, Gifford will provide one. For more information about COVID-19 and answers to frequently asked questions, visit giffordhealthcare.org/coronavirus-covid-19, cdc.gov or healthvermont.gov.
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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; a day care; two adult day programs; and 30-bed Menig Nursing Home, which was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best 39 nursing homes in the country in 2012. The Birthing Center, established in 1977, was the first in Vermont to offer an alternative to traditional hospital-based deliveries, and continues to be a leader in midwifery and family-centered care. The hospital’s mission is to improve individuals’ and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
