The Main Entrance of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital re-opened to the public on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, and the new ambulatory entrance for the Emergency Department opened the following day. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is expanding and renovating the hospital’s Emergency Department.
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and U.S. Congressional Representative Peter Welch were at the hospital on Monday to help cut the ribbon on the new Hospital and Emergency Department Entrances. Both praised BMH for its leadership and efforts to advance access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in the community.
“This celebration is really all about the emergency room, the entrance, the new look, the new access,” said Governor Shumlin, who was born at BMH. “This is a huge development and really important to the future and strength of the hospital.”
With the completion of the front entrance and the addition of 2,500 square feet of new space the project moves on to the next phase of the construction. The second portion of the project will focus on the renovation of 8,500 square feet of existing Emergency Department space. A temporary ambulance entrance has been created and will remain in operation while the next phase of construction is underway. The completion date for the entire project is spring of 2014.
In his opening remarks, BMH President and CEO, Steven R. Gordon, shared a story about Governor Shumlin meeting with BMH leadership and medical staff shortly after Gordon came to Brattleboro in 2011. At that time the staff was told by the Governor that BMH had to change to remain viable in the rapidly changing healthcare environment. Gordon then listed a number of ways the hospital has evolved, including:
- A closer affiliation with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
- Collaboration of several clinical services such as Emergency Medicine with Cheshire Medical Center
- Initiated affiliation discussions with Grace Cottage Hospital
- Opened Vermont’s only Center for Wound Healing equipped with two Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chambers
- Upgraded the MRI and CT capabilities
- Opened a new Cardiovascular Center
- Opened new Primary Care Offices in both Brattleboro and Putney
“It’s been quite a very busy two years, governor, since you last visited,” said Gordon. “I think you will agree that we are a stronger, more vibrant hospital, focused on the expanding healthcare needs of our community.”
More information about the BMH Emergency Department renovation and expansion project, including a blog with regular progress reports, can be found at www.bmhed.org.
Photo caption: Art Magnaghi, Gov. Peter Shumlin, Carl Lynde, Cong.
Peter Welch and BMH President and CEO, Steven R. Gordon
