Celebrating summer with a pair of fairs

Reporter Harmony Birch’s article on the 67th Annual Grace Cotttage Hospital Fair Day

WINDHAM COUNTY — The stormy weather didn’t stop Windham County residents from enjoying two August traditions: Grace Cottage Fair Day and Rockingham Old Home Days. Locals from the Townshend and Rockingham areas marched their brightly colored umbrellas to the respective downtown areas, determined to have fun.

Grace Cottage Fair Day started in 1950, a year after the hospital opened, according to Andrea Seaton, director of Grace Cottage Foundation’s Office of Community Relations. The fair is used every year to raise money for Grace Cottage Hospital’s general operating budget. This year was more critical, however, because the money raised will be used to fund a new heating system to replace one that is old and “beyond repair,” said Jacki Brown, the marketing administrator at Grace Cottage. The best option the hospital could find was $542,000, she said. The money is being raised through donations, grants and the fair.

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Departing CEO sees future for small hospitals

Reporter Mike Faher interviews Grace Cottage CEO Roger Allbee upon Allbee’s announcement of his forthcoming retirement:

In early 2014, Roger Allbee set aside the issue he knew best — agriculture — to become the top administrator of Vermont’s smallest hospital. It has been, he says, “a learning experience.” Last week, as Allbee announced his retirement from Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, he said he’s become well acquainted with the regulatory and financial problems rural hospitals face. But he’s also convinced there’s still a place for a small, independent hospital that’s focused on community health care.

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Healthcare Matters: Ep 1 – Roger Allbee, CEO and Jorda Daignault, FNP

Healthcare Matters

Join Healthcare Matters host Marty Cohn for this debut episode from Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital, with CEO Roger Allbee and Nurse Practitioner Jorda Daigneault serving as the first guests.

Allbee talks about what it means to be a Critical Access Hospital and a Patient Centered Medical Home. Daignault gives advice about dealing with ticks and associated diseases like Lyme Disease.

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Tomatoes Wanted!

Attention gardeners: we need tomatoes! The “Ton of Tomatoes” project aims to bring local, nutritious food to area residents who are in need by collecting tomatoes during the growing season, […]

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Grace Cottage Hospital Ranks in Top 20 Nationally

NRHA Top 20 Seal

Grace Cottage Hospital has been named a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital (CAH) for “Best Practice – Patient Satisfaction.” The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has chosen Grace Cottage for this exclusive “Top 20” list out of all 1339 CAH facilities throughout the U.S. It is the only CAH in the Northeast to receive this designation.

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Full-time Mental Health Counselor Added To Grace Cottage Staff

Eileen Arama, MSW LICSW

Grace Cottage Family Health welcomes Mental Health Counselor Eileen Arama to its team of 12 medical providers. Arama is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, offering counseling appointments for adults as well as children ages seven and up.

Trained at the Gallaudet University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C., Arama received her Masters of Social Work degree with Honors in May 2003. She has worked locally at Brattleboro’s Austine School for the Deaf, at Sunderland Elementary School, and at the Brattleboro Retreat, in addition to other positions in Vermont, Connecticut, and Israel.

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Grace Cottage’s Louise McDevitt Publishes Book

Grace Cottage Hospital Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Louise McDevitt is the author of a new book for clinical practitioners.

Orthopedic Physical Assessment, published by Fitzgerald Health Education Associates and co-authored by McDevitt and FNP Monica Tombasco, is a reference guide to help medical students and seasoned clinicians alike with orthopedic diagnosis and treatment.
The guide is a spiral-bound book in cue-card format, making it easy to find information quickly. It provides a comprehensive compendium, with diagrams, glossary, and references for further information.

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Train for ‘Spring Into Health 5K’

Want to get started running, but not sure how to do it safely? The Grace Cottage “Couch to 5K” group is designed for you!

Grace Cottage Family Health and Hospital is hosting the “Spring Into Health 5K” in Townshend, VT, on Saturday, May 13. Grace Cottage Nurse Practitioner Jorda Daigneault will be leading a “Couch to 5K” (C25K) preparation-support group for eight weeks in March, April, and May.

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Chiropractor Doucette Joins Grace Cottage

Chiropractor Michele Doucette now offers appointments at Grace Cottage on Tuesday mornings.

Dr. Doucette also practices chiropractic medicine at her office in Wilmington three days a week. By adding appointments in Townshend, her goal is to provide easier access for some people.

“I see patients from all over southern Vermont, and some of them travel quite far for the combination of services I offer. I’m happy for this opportunity to offer a new location to existing patients and to see new patients as well,” she said. “I really appreciate Grace Cottage for their openness to provide patients with alternatives in complementary medicine and integrative care.”

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