Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced that its Director of Emergency Services, Brian Richardson, has been elected Co-Chair of the Vermont Hospital Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (VTHEPC) Committee.
Richardson joins Co-Chair Chris Lackney of Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend and Secretary John Berino from UVM Medical Center Hospital in Burlington as leaders of the VTHEPC committee, which is comprised of emergency preparedness coordinators from 14 participating Vermont hospitals and the state department of health.
VTHEPC committee meetings are held once a month in Montpelier, with the goal of strengthening the state’s Healthcare Coalition and bolstering emergency preparedness response for each facility. Richardson will also meet with other senior advisors on a quarterly basis in Burlington.
“It is a pleasure to serve in this capacity for the VTHEPC Committee,” says Richardson. “Cuts in federal funding, increased demands for compliance and time constraints on committee members make it difficult to coordinate emergency preparedness efforts. But this is Vermont. We work together and get the job done.”
An EMS professional for nearly 25 years, Richardson joined BMH in February 2013. His responsibilities include maintaining and strengthening relationships with first response services and agencies that transport patients to the hospital. He also oversees all policies, procedures and programs related to emergency preparedness at the hospital.
BMH has provided healthcare services for over one hundred years. A licensed, 61-bed, not-for-profit community hospital located in southeastern Vermont, it serves a rural population of about 55,000 people in 22 towns in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The medical staff includes 137 board-certified physicians, both primary care and many specialists, and its 572 employees enjoy the help of over 110 active volunteers.