Katja Evans
RANDOLPH, Vt.—Gifford recently named Katja Evans its new community relations coordinator and program manager for RiseVT Orange County.
Evans, who previously served on Gifford’s Community Health Team as a care coordinator, is passionate about lifestyle disease prevention and empowering others to make healthy choices. She also brings to her new role a deep commitment to the local area and the people who live here.
“I feel a real connection to the community, and want to help engage our community in health and wellness,” said Evans, a Braintree resident, on why she chose Gifford. That engagement includes working with “people to make small but powerful changes in their lives” and creating opportunities for physical activity and health education.
Evans describes the reward in witnessing “aha moments of health,” when people realize they can make small changes that have a meaningful impact. She cites her experience as a volunteer at Braintree Elementary School, where she helped establish a Farm to School Program, as delivering such moments.
By creating a garden, “students get excited about the process of growing, harvesting, cooking, and finally tasting these vegetables,” she said. “They become engaged in their own health journey and love to share their experience with others.”
In addition to continuing to collaborate with schools and promoting food security and nutrition, Evans plans to shape future outreach around making health accessible for everyone in the community, at all stages of life. To help inform goals and what future outreach might look like, Evans said Gifford is conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The survey, available online, is conducted every three years.
In her dual role Evans also serves as a program manager for RiseVT. The statewide movement works within communities to help Vermonters embrace healthier lifestyles, improve quality of life, and lower health-care costs. Gifford announced its partnership with RiseVT in April 2019.
Evans’ previous professional experience includes several years as a veterinary technician and receptionist at Randolph Regional Veterinary Hospital. She is currently wrapping up a national certification in health coaching through Wellcoaches, and has a master’s degree in health and wellness from American College of Healthcare Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. She is a justice of the peace in Braintree and serves on the boards of Orange Southwest School District and Kimball Public Library. Her committee work includes service with Randolph Area Mutual Aid Network (RAMAN) and Randolph Executive Community Council (RECC). When not at work or volunteering, Evans enjoys spending time with her husband and children on their Braintree farm, taking care of their animals, gardening, knitting, and exploring nature.
For more information about community relations at Gifford, email or call 802-728-2377.
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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 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, Rochester, and White River Junction; 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.
