Vermont Business Magazine - by Gerianne Smart Marketing & Public Relation Manager Rutland Regional Medical Center. Rutland Regional Medical Center was established in 1896 with a handful of doctors, one nurse and a few dozen patients. Today Rutland Regional is Vermont’s largest community hospital serving over 228,000 patients a year with the expertise and exceptional caring of over 250 medical staff and 1,300 additional personnel.
Rutland Regional’s growth has always taken into consideration the needs of the community. As the health needs increased and more specialty services were required, Rutland Regional added specialty clinics to address those needs. Currently, there are 37 specialty clinics under the greater Rutland Regional umbrella of services. These clinics cover many aspects of health including diabetes, heart, joints, kidney, allergies, sleep disorders, general surgery, women’s health, cancer, addiction and recovery. The hospital also boasts an Emergency Department that is currently undergoing Phase II of a $6 million+ expansion to meet the needs of this busy and diverse community.
The focus of Rutland Regional is to help our patients get better, but we also look for ways to support people in staying healthy
“We want to be known for being more than a place where we ‘fix people once they are broken," said Tom Huebner, President and CEO of Rutland Regional. “We want to be a place that is also known for increasing the overall health and wellness of the people in our community.”
Rutland Regional’s commitment to community health shows up in many ways. All year long the hospital sponsors community events and facilitates a variety of workshops and classes for the public, all aimed at improving one’s knowledge of particular health topics. Classes and workshops are led by physicians and other practitioners, are open to the public and are almost always free and/or low cost. Topics vary and include tobacco cessation, weight loss, nutrition, heart health, asthma, dealing with chronic pain and more. The classes typically take place at the CVPS/ Leahy Community Education Center at the hospital. Additional classes and workshops take place in and around the Rutland area and as far north as Brandon and as far south as Manchester.
As a way to provide education tools for people within our community and beyond, we produce a free monthly eNewsletter called “He@lthy Together” where more than 12,000 subscribers receive health tips and wellness information as well as healthy recipes. This convenient educational tool allows us to deliver helpful information to people ‘where they live’ so they can read it at their convenience.
The hospital is open to the community 24/7 but what some people may not know is that over the years, Rutland Regional has transformed some of its 120+ acres into public spaces for exercise and outdoor enjoyment. Surrounding the main hospital are beautiful gardens, walking paths and reflection areas that provide outdoor spaces for people to enjoy and relax. There is also the popular ¼ mile walking/jogging path on the east side of the campus called “The Loop.” In the midst of the loop space is 2+ acre garden that was planted this past spring by a few hundred grade school students from the area. These same students returned this fall and picked pumpkins and played in the sunflower maze created by our partners at Carpenter and Costin Landscaping. All of this, as well as additional initiatives and outdoor events occurring year-round, is part of the 802Go! Family Fun in the Great Outdoors program, an ongoing collaborative partnership between the hospital, Carpenter and Costin Landscaping, the Come Alive Outside initiative, the College of St. Joseph’s Marble Valley Grows, Rutland Recreation and Parks Department and Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum.
Rutland Regional is also a meeting place for community members. It is not unusual to see people enjoying the delicious, nutritious and locally sourced food that is prepared every day in the hospital’s food court. It has turned into quite the gathering spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Additionally, the community enjoys shopping in the newly expanded gift shop and pharmacy for not only the convenience it offers for prescriptions, but also for the eclectic gift selection it provides.
Rutland Regional Medical Center is all this and more but you don’t have to take our word for it. You need only research some of the 17 national awards and recognitions the hospital has received in just the past two years to understand our unwavering commitment to being the best community healthcare system in New England. To us, these awards are a way to ‘test’ ourselves against the quality of care provided across the country. These recognitions also remind us, and members of our community, that taking care of the people of the Rutland Region is a privilege.
Learn more about Rutland Regional Medical Center at rrmc.org.