RANDOLPH, Vt. — Gifford welcomed community ambassadors to its campus for its traditional Annual Meeting. The last year saw continued struggles in the healthcare industry, Gifford’s new President and CEO, Michael Costa provided his vision for Gifford’s future at the medical center’s 120th Annual Meeting on March 20, 2025.
Gifford’s been providing care to the community for over 100 years flexing and changing to meet the evolving needs of the community. As Costa noted, “Gifford did not end up as a Federally Qualified Health Center, with an independent living facility, the Menig Nursing Home, a critical access hospital and a pioneer in birthing care because that was the goal 100 years ago. Gifford’s leaders kept on moving and changing to meet the community need.”
Costa continued, “In this time of healthcare crisis, leadership is taking a hard look at the services offered and what needs to continue to achieve a single purpose, remaining strong and independent into the future.”
Since October 1, 2024, when Costa took the helm at Gifford, the following changes have been made:
- The elimination of two service lines: chiropractic and urogynecology care;
- Restructuring of leadership: shrinking the administrative footprint and consolidating management; and
- Partnering with a national hospitality group to manage the day-to-day operations of Strode Independent Living.
In addition, Gifford is collaborating with their health care partners, including Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield, to ensure patients are getting the right care, at the right place, at the right time.
Costa closed the meeting sharing, “With a lot of optimism for the future, despite some significant challenges in the present, I am excited to be here doing this work on behalf of Gifford.”
Community scholarships and awards presented
Gifford awarded Brittany Clark the Dr. Richard J. Barrett Scholarship, a $1,000 award for a Gifford employee or an employee’s child pursuing education in health care. A successful graduate of Gifford’s Medical Assistant program working at the Sharon Health Center, Clark is pursuing her LPN degree with the goal of moving on to be a registered nurse.
The Barnard Fire and Rescue Department and the Orange County Parent Child Center each received the $2,000 Philip D. Levesque Memorial Community Award, given annually in memory of Levesque’s commitment to the White River Valley. The volunteer-led, Barnard Fire and Rescue Department will use the funding to enhance outreach initiatives including revamping their fire safety program to offer safety-oriented materials to the Barnard Academy students.
The Orange County Parent Child Center is slated to open their childcare facility in Randolph the end of calendar year 2025. The team has a goal of serving 62 children in phase one and up to 88 children in future phases at this state-of-the-art center.
Board Membership
Jeff Nelb, Board Vice President, expressed appreciation for the community for sharing feedback about perceptions, needs and concerns of neighbors and friends noting the value of these connections to the communities Gifford serves. Nelb went on to acknowledge the service of Gifford’s volunteer board members who share their time and expertise serving on multiple committees. Newly elected members of the board, Jamie Kinnarney, Kathleen Mason and Paul Putney join Kristin Chandler, Matt Considine, Sara Jackson, Peter Reed, Vic Ribaudo, Cindy Rosalbo, Jody White, Morgan Rilling and Dr. Emilija Florance.
For more information about the 2024 Annual Report, visit 2024 Annual Report.
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