This transformation of our Emergency Department, key patient areas and front lobby will have a profound impact on this community and the care we provide for many years to come.
SVMC CEO and President Thomas A. Dee, FACHEOn Thursday, August 29, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, celebrated the completion of a three-year renovation and construction project that modernized its emergency department, front entrance and other public areas in the hospital.
Part of Vision 2020, A Decade of Transformation capital campaign, the $31 million project was primarily funded through philanthropic giving. The project included expanding and renovating the emergency department to create the new Kendall Emergency Department (ED), construction of a new front entrance, including the Richard and Pamela Ader Foundation Lobby, the Jackie and Tony Marro Café and the Stout Thomson Waiting Area and Outpatient Registration, The renovated and new spaces were named in honor of major supporters of the campaign, many of whom attended the official SVMC Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Thursday, along with ED staff, local leaders and dignitaries.
“This transformation of our Emergency Department, key patient areas and front lobby will have a profound impact on this community and the care we provide for many years to come,” said SVMC CEO and President Thomas A. Dee, FACHE.
Dee thanked and recognized all of the major donors and friends who supported the Vision 2020 Campaign thus far and SVMC’s volunteer leaders, including Kathy Fisher, Chair of the Board of Trustees. He also thanked the ED physicians, providers, nurses and clinical staff, in addition to the engineering and vendor teams that brought the plan renderings into reality.
“This project was a massive team effort, made possible by many talented and resourceful people,” Dee said.
Dartmouth Health’s CEO and President Joanne M. Conroy, MD also marked this special celebration on Thursday, noting the partnership that began with SVMC in 2012, before the integration last July.
“The transformation of the SVMC ED and other key spaces on the campus will enhance the care experience for patients and continue the legacy of SVMC and Dartmouth Health responding to the needs our communities,” Conroy said. “And, this is just the start. It will be exciting to see what the future brings.”
The Kendall ED was completed recently and includes a number of modernizations to enhance care and the patient and family experience, including private rooms with hands-free wave action access doors to reduce infection control risks and negative pressure capability to help keep patients and staff safe during airborne infection outbreaks. SVMC’s ED serves about 25,000 patients a year. The ED also includes a new Emergency Crisis Area (ECA) for patients in psychiatric crisis. This is a 5-room area, fitted with de-escalation tools.
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) congratulated SVMC on the completed projects, which he said will enhance healthcare delivery in the state. He highlighted the commitment to community shown by donors, staff, community members and volunteer leaders at SVMC.
“All of you have made the impossible achievable with this extraordinary improvement of the emergency department facilities,” Sen. Welch said.
SVMC’s new Stout Thomson Waiting Area and Outpatient Registration opens to the public on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The Vision 2020 campaign is an ongoing effort that will include construction of a new cancer center on the campus. Following regulatory approvals, SVMC plans to start construction of that new facility next spring.
Photo Caption: SVMC celebrated the completion of its emergency department and front entrance renovation and construction project with donors, staff and state leaders on Thursday. Pictured from left to right are: Dartmouth Health CEO and President Joanne M. Conroy, MD, U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), SVMC President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, Don and Nancy Kendall, SVMC Board of Trustees Chair Kathy Fisher, Jackie and Tony Marro, Susan Hunter, Consie West and Cindy Thomson.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.