BENNINGTON, Vt. — There was one theme that stood out on Thursday as the ribbon was cut on Southwestern Vermont Medical Center's new $31 million Emergency Department: Community. 

 

A community that came together to raise funds, to provide critical input, and to continue to serve patients during three years of construction.

 

"This project is all you, I mean, this was all the community," said U.S. Sen. Peter Welch to the gathering outside the new entrance. "It takes an incredible commitment to serving the health-care needs of the citizens, because the process that you have to go through is very, very tough. And I just want to acknowledge that to the health-care leaders and to the board, that this is really, really tough." 

 

Health-care officials and funders had lined up three years ago on another hot and sunny August day to break ground on the Kendall Emergency Department, the first phase of a $40 million plan to also double the size of the cancer center on campus in a strategic plan to modernize and update facilities throughout the campus.  

 

"On behalf of the entire SVMC family, I want to express our sincere appreciation, certainly to Don and Nancy Kendall, but all the rest of you who are here today who've been incredibly supportive and generous on this critical project," said Thomas Dee, SVMC's president and CEO. 

 

"A case can be made that emergency services is probably the most important services for a community hospital. All of us use our emergency service. We see about 25,000 patients a year here, and the transformation of our emergency room, our patient registration, our main entryway and lobby space, will really have an impact in our community for years to come." 

 

Dee and Kathleen Fisher, chair of the board of trustees, ceremonially buried a time capsule outside the entrance with materials from the hospital's centennial year in 2018 — a bit late because of the planned construction. Donald Kendall, CEO of Mack Group and a major donor of the project, then used a large pair of golden scissors to cut the ribbon.