RANDOLPH, Vt.—Gifford Medical Center is pleased to welcome Melanie Del Frari, MSN, FNP-BC, as the newest member of its hospitalist team.
Del Frari brings a unique blend of experience, perspective, and passion for community care. Before entering medicine, she earned her first degree in print journalism, but a deep-rooted calling to health care ultimately guided her toward nursing, a path influenced by her father, a physician, and her mother, a nurse practitioner.
She began her nursing career in 2007 as an ICU nurse. She later joined Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center’s nurse residency program, where she worked in the ICU and on the rapid response team. Over the years, she expanded her skills in the PACU, neurology, and vascular surgery. In 2020, she earned her degree as a Nurse Practitioner. This brought her closer to the goal she had set years earlier as a pre-med student: providing high-quality, personal care for patients.
That commitment is what ultimately drew her to Gifford. “I wanted more autonomy and the ability to practice independently, in a community where I could really get to know my patients,” she shared. “I’ve always been drawn to a smaller, rural setting where care feels more personal. I’m excited to be caring for my own neighbors.”
Her decision to join Gifford was also influenced by Michelle Wade, a hospitalist at Gifford. “I had the opportunity to hear Michelle speak at nursing conferences,” Del Frari said. “Her passion and vision for patient care really resonated with me and made me want to be part of the team at Gifford.” Now living in Sharon with her family, Del Frari enjoys camping, exploring the outdoors, and raising her children close to the community she serves.
“We are thrilled to welcome Melanie to Gifford,” said Dr. Josh White, Gifford’s Chief Medical Officer. “Her broad clinical experience, combined with her commitment to community-based care, will be a tremendous asset to our hospitalist team and to the patients we serve.”
For more information about Gifford Health Care, visit giffordhealthcare.org.
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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; daycare; an adult day program; and a 30-bed nursing home. 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. As a community health center and medical home, Gifford’s mission is to improve and manage the health of the people we serve by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care, and by promoting the health and well-being of everyone in our service area.
