I am very pleased to announce that, for the FOURTH year in a row, Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital has once again been named by Vermont Biz as one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont! This prestigious award would not have been possible without our incredible group of loyal, dedicated, compassionate, and hard-working employees. I am proud and fortunate to work with all our employees across every department, and I greatly appreciate all they do for our patients and our community.

The statewide survey and awards program, designed by Vermont Business Magazine, was created to identify, recognize, and honor the best places of employment in Vermont. The first part of the award qualification process consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 20% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience, which accounted for approximately 80% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. For the fourth year in a row, we are the only hospital in Vermont to receive this award.

No matter how large or small, thank you for the role that you play in Grace Cottage’s success, whether you are an employee, a patient, a volunteer, and/or a donor. Each and every one of you helps keep Grace Cottage not just surviving, but thriving.

We are delighted to welcome Paul Stanchfield, PA-C, to Grace Cottage Family Health! Paul is seeing patients in our same-day clinic, providing care for illnesses and issues that cannot wait for a wellness visit, but are not appropriate for the emergency room.

Paul comes to us from Brattleboro Internal Medicine, where he provided care since 2014. His prior experience includes patient care at The Brattleboro Retreat, Brattleboro Primary Care, and Mount Anthony Primary Care.

Same-day appointments are available for current Grace Cottage patients (seen within the last two years). To schedule, please call 802‑365‑4331.

I was proud to present nurse Michelle Kopka with the first Grace Cottage Daisy Award today. She was nominated by fellow nurse, Michelle Johnson, who said, “Michelle demonstrates compassion, and her level of caring means a great deal to individual patients. Michelle often encourages her patients with good humor and gets the tasks done. I am grateful to work with Michelle at Grace Cottage.”

If you would like to find out more about the Daisy Award or to recognize a Grace Cottage nurse for excellent care, you can find out more here.

Grace Cottage’s Community Health Team Care Coordinator Claire Bemis was recognized last week by Windham Aging, winning the 2026 Elizabeth Rowell Thompason Leadership Award. “Claire Bemis demonstrates exceptional leadership in improving the lives of older adults in Windham County through her decade of service,” they stated. “Through home visits, care coordination, education, and advocacy, she helps seniors age safely and independently at home. Claire bridges healthcare and community resources, champions advanced care planning, supports caregivers through dementia support groups, and plays a critical role in hospital discharge and emergency follow-up. Widely trusted by patients, families, and providers alike, she inspires a culture of compassionate, holistic care, and strengthens the community systems that allow older adults to live with dignity, safety, and choice.”

Our popular online auction is back! From February 13 – 24, bid to win exciting items large and small. New items are being added daily, so go ahead and register for the auction so that you can hit the ground bidding on February 13^th!

Exciting vacations, dinner out, gifts, and more will go to the highest bidder! All proceeds from this year’s Cabin Fever Auction will go toward the new primary care clinic project.

Join us at Stratton’s Nordic Center on Saturday, March 7, from 10 am to noon for the 3^rd Annual Make Tracks for Healthevent. You choose whether to snowshoe or cross-country ski on the beautiful wooded trails, then join us for treats. Equipment is available to borrow.

This family-friendly event supports our Patient Care Fund, which has an ever-growing need.

Visit our website for more information and to register.

We are so grateful to many donors who have committed early support for our new primary care clinic building to replace our current clinic. While charming, the two 1840-era houses that make up our primary care clinic are not up to the task of hosting 30,000 patient visits each year. We are planning a 23,000-square-foot building on our campus that will connect to the hospital, allowing primary care patients to easily access our lab and diagnostic imaging services. This transformational project will also make our work more efficient, helping lower healthcare costs while making our patients more comfortable.

This project started in 2021 with a generous pledge from community members Joe & Terry Pollio. It took years to complete the permitting process, and it will probably not surprise anyone to learn that the project’s cost has risen in the meantime. We’ve raised $16.8 million to date and are confident that you, our community, will help us reach our new goal of $24 million. You can stay up to date on the project and learn how to participate by visiting gracecottage.org/future or calling Charma at 802-365-9109.

Many thanks to those of you who have already committed support for this crucial project, which is integral to Grace Cottage’s future!

With your help, we exceeded our Giving Tuesday goal! Thanks to very generous support from our community, along with a grant from the Vermont Department of Homeland Security, work is underway to make essential upgrades to the security in our Emergency Department, making it safer for everyone—our patients, visitors, and the nurses and providers ready to care for the community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We are proud of our reputation at Grace Cottage for compassionate, personal care. These improvements will not change the warm and welcoming atmosphere you expect at Grace Cottage—but they will ensure greater protection for those who depend on us in their most vulnerable moments, and for the staff who dedicate their lives to helping others.

Giving Tuesday gifts totaled $27,925, exceeding our goal!  Any funds raised beyond the project costs will go directly into the Emergency Department’s other expenses, which are always needed.

Thanks to everyone who contributed! We are so grateful.