News

Caring for Your Heart

| Graceful Health

By Dr. Maurice Geurts, Grace Cottage Family Health

February is the month of Valentine’s Day, when we focus on emotions of the heart. February is also American Heart Month, a time when we are encouraged to consider the mechanics of this important organ.

Fortunately, most of the time, our hearts do their work silently and reliably, without any effort on our part. We shouldn’t take them for granted, though. Our hearts do need our attention, as certain lifestyle behaviors do often lead to malfunction.

The most common disease of the heart is the one over which we have the most control.

Read More...

Train for ‘Spring Into Health 5K’

| News

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.

Read More...

Challenge Yourself: Get Ready for the 5K

| Graceful Health

By Jorda Daigneault, Grace Cottage Family Health Nurse Practitioner

Think you can’t run a 5K? You’re not alone. And yet, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise.

Take, for example, this story from the home page of the “Couch to 5K” website:

“With the help of the Couch to 5K program, in less than seven months, I went from a 47-year-old, 104kg, 30 cigarettes a day sort of guy, to an 82kg, 0 cigarettes, running 45 to 50 kilometers a week sort of guy. Ten months after finishing C25K I completed my first marathon. Since then I have run another 5 marathons, as well as 9 ultra-marathons including three over 100km.”

Maybe you think this is all hype, some marketer’s made-up story to sell the program. I know otherwise—because I’m a success story too.

Read More...

“Spring into Health” 5K is set for May 13th

| News

Enjoy a morning of good, healthy fun in the great outdoors at the 8th Annual Grace Cottage Hospital “Spring into Health” 5K this Mother’s Day Weekend, on Saturday, May 13th. The family-friendly 5K starts at 8:30 am on the Townshend Common. The race will be timed for competitors, but is open to all, whether you run, walk, roll, or stroll. The course is 3.1 miles of mainly flat, paved road along Grafton Road (Route 35).

After the race, there will be awards, raffles, and general merriment. There is also a free Fun Run for kids 8 and under on the Common at 9:15. The event, held rain or shine, wraps up around 10:30.

Register online for an early bird rate of $12/adults, $5/kids at www.gracecottage.org/events.

Read More...

Careers in Nursing

| Graceful Health
Lisa May

By Lisa May, RN, Grace Cottage Clinical Nurse Educator

Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare team, and this is a career with many opportunities, both in terms of jobs available, and of the many specialties within the field.

As the population ages, our need for nurses is growing, but surprisingly, enrollment in nursing schools is down. I want to encourage those considering this field by providing helpful information and by sharing some of my own story.

Career opportunities for nurses exist in hospitals, clinics, schools, long-term care facilities, and in community health. Emergency, trauma, cardiac, pediatrics, mental health, and oncology—these are just a few of the healthcare areas that need nurses.

Read More...

Annual Online Auction is ON Feb. 1 – 28

| News

Need a massage? A trip to Mexico or South Africa? An evening at the theater, or some new artwork for your walls?

From Wednesday, February 1, until Tuesday, February 28, 8:00 pm, you can bid on these items and many more through the Grace Cottage’s annual Cabin Fever Auction.

An awesome array of more than 70 items has been donated by generous businesses and individuals, with all proceeds benefitting the Grace Cottage Patient Care Fund.

Read More...

Secret Life of the Clinical Lab

| Graceful Health

By Erin Lamson, Grace Cottage Lab Technician

Have you ever visited a lab for blood tests and wondered what happens to your specimen? If you have, you’re not alone. Lab testing happens behind closed doors for obvious safety reasons, leaving the clinical laboratory nearly invisible to the public eye. As a result, clinical lab professionals have one of the least understood roles in health care, even though a recent estimate suggests there are roughly 300,000 laboratory professionals in the United States.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) claim over 7 billion clinical lab tests are performed annually in the U.S. Tests range from relatively simple ones like finger-stick glucose tests, to highly complex ones requiring special expertise, such as molecular diagnostics. Most tests are considered moderately complex, including common tests like cholesterol levels. Regardless of complexity, test results provide helpful, sometimes critical information to healthcare providers and their patients.

Read More...

Grace Cottage adds safe room to its emergency department

| News

The Grace Cottage Hospital Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The staff sees approximately 3,000 patient visits each year. Mirroring statewide and national trends, at an increasing rate, patients with mental health or addiction issues seek help at the Emergency Department. These patients are at times a danger to themselves or to others.

Read More...

2017 Offers a Variety of Wellness Classes and Groups

| News

If you are one of the many who has pledged to take better care of yourself in the New Year, and you can get yourself to Townshend, then you are in luck. There are a variety of free to low-cost classes and programs available at the Grace Cottage Community Wellness Center. Perhaps there is one that is right for you or someone you care about.

CLASSES:

Yoga: Tuesdays, 4:30-6:00. Fridays, 3:30 – 5:00. $5/class. A gentle yet invigorating class that focuses on breath work and poses. Prior to first class, call 365-3649.

Read More...

Diabetes and the Holidays? Be Sure You Have a Plan

| Graceful Health

By Deborah Brown, Grace Cottage Diabetes Educator

It’s true that the holiday season presents extra challenges for diabetics and others with food restrictions, but it’s possible to enjoy the special foods you love and keep your sugar in balance, if you go into it with a plan.

Perhaps it was easier for some people in years past, when there were clear boundaries regarding “naughty” foods a diabetic shouldn’t eat. Now, healthy eating is all about making good choices. This is an important part of taking care of diabetes.

Read More...
©2025 Grace Cottage Hospital / Site by MuseArts