Vermont Business MagazineSevere weather pummeled downtown Barre on July 8, 2017, with wind gusts that tore back a portion of the roof of a Main Street building that housed Gifford’s Project Independence (PI). The adult day program (which provides services to seniors with cognitive and physical disabilities) and four second-floor apartments were opened toSaturdayafternoon’s torrential rain and there was significant structural and subsequent water damage. The tenants of the four apartments shared that with the help of the American Red Cross and family they were placed into temporary housing, and contractors were on site by evening to secure and close-in the building. Gifford has been working with City of Barre officials and the State Fire Marshall to assess the damage and make repairs so tenants and PI participants can return as soon as possible.
“Gifford recognizes that many families depend on PI to care for their loved ones. The Barre Senior Center has generously offered to house our senior program temporarily so we can be up and offering services again onMonday, July 17,” said Gifford’s Director of Development & Public Relations Ashley Lincoln. “Gifford’s team immediately began to work with members of various community response teams to deal with this unfortunate weather event and we continue to do so. We are very grateful to all who have rallied so quickly to help.”
Dorothy Neve, the Barre Senior Center president, shared, “We are happy we can help.” She also noted that the Senior Center’s programs will be suspended until August 4th.
Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Rochester, and White River Junction; and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department; inpatient and rehabilitation units; many surgical services; accredited cancer program; a day care; two adult day programs; and the 30-bed Menig Nursing Home, which was named byU.S. News and World Reportas one of the best 39 nursing homes in the country in 2012. The Birthing Center, established in 1977, was the first in Vermont to offer an alternative to the traditional hospital-based deliveries, and continues to be a leader in midwifery and family-centered care. The cancer program is accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.Thehospital’s mission is to improve individuals’ and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.