Gifford holds 101st Annual Meeting
RANDOLPH 3/20/07 – Gifford Medical Center let its hair down Saturday night at the 101st Annual Corporators Meeting at Chandler Music Hall and Gallery, replacing a traditional speaker with the belly-busting humor of Randolph’s own Randy Garner.
Garner, newly elected Gifford Board of Trustees chairman, had the crowd of more than 100 laughing from the moment he stepped on stage mimicking a “Doc Gifford” version of “Mister Rogers” as he sang “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood … Won’t you be my corporator?” and donned a lab coat and surgical shoe covers in place of the TV icon’s telltale sweater and sneakers.
Welcoming Gifford chef Ed Striebe and long-time physician Dr. Milton Fowler into his on-stage “living room,” Garner joked about everything, including the hospital’s now reputable cuisine. Patients, quipped Garner, are scheduling surgery around the kitchen’s menu.
The comedy routine led into a discussion of the night’s “medical home” theme and the unveiling of a new video about Gifford. A medical home is a place where patients should always feel comfortable seeking care. Gifford proved itself to be a medical home for patients of this area and beyond through the touching video featuring some of Gifford’s outstanding doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers describing the birth to end-of-life care Gifford offers, its technological advancements and foresight, their dedication to their profession, and their love of Gifford and its patients.
In 2006, noted hospital President Joseph Woodin in addressing the crowd, Gifford experienced pretty significant growth, including the addition of new staff, a 40-slice CT scanner, filmless radiology (known as PACS), a hospitalist program and a 10-bed nursing home addition.
“It’s really quite amazing that little Gifford has a full PACS system in place,” Woodin said.
The hospitalist program has already grown to three inpatient care providers and is expected to increase to four this year. “It has changed significantly how Gifford provides inpatient care,” Woodin said of the program initiated in May of 2006.
The hospital also celebrated another year of not just financial success, but financial-stability as compared to some of its health-care siblings, Woodin noted. Gifford continues to ask for among of the lowest rate increase in the state, maintain its operating margin and avoid the layoffs that plagued other hospitals in 2006.
“We are by far the most stable (health-care) organization in the state,” Woodin said. “Usually our rate requests are lower than the average, but yet we do quite well.”
Held at Chandler for the last several years, Gifford’s Annual Meeting includes food by Gifford’s chefs, music by the Hartt Hollow Band, a photo display, the distribution of the Annual Report for the year past, a business meeting for Gifford corporators and then entertainment for anyone from the public who wishes to attend.
Corporators are a group of individuals who elect the hospital’s trustees and who have committed to supporting the hospital as an ambassador, volunteer and often as a donor.
“Thank you everyone for making the effort to come out,” outgoing board Chairwoman Judith Irving of Brookfield told Saturday’s crowd, following a Friday night snowstorm.
Corporators Saturday re-elected Susan Sytsma of Randolph Center and Karen Gillespie Korrow of Northfield as trustees. Elected to the board were Paul Kendall of Braintree, who previously served as a trustee; Ty Handy of Randolph Center; Linda Chugkowski of Northfield; and Gus Meyer of Randolph, who had been appointed by the board to fill a term. They replaced dedicated members Lincoln Clark of Bethel, Jim Kennedy of Randolph and Dr. Rebecca Foulk of South Royalton, whose terms expired after a maximum nine years on the board.
“It is indeed a distinct and very rewarding thing to be a trustee,” noted Garner.
Kennedy said he left with mixed emotions, but knew the hospital had certainly accomplished a lot in his nine years on the board.
A slate of new corporators, primarily new medical staff and their spouses, were also elected.
Gifford licensed practical nurse Tammy Ladd received the $1,000 Dr. Richard J. Barrett Health Professions Scholarship, Dr. Kevin McNamara announced. Ladd is pursuing her registered nurse degree at Vermont Technical College. And the Chelsea Family Center received the $1,000 Philip D. Levesque Community Award, Dr. Ken Borie announced. The family center will use the money to start “Family Time,” an initiative to turn TV time into active family time through the purchase of interactive games and toys to be used at weekly gatherings by families living at Hillside homes in Chelsea.
“What a night,” said Gifford Director of Development and Marketing Ashley Lincoln, following Saturday’s Annual Meeting. “The bad weather broke in time for us to have an outstanding event. So many people came out to support and celebrate all that it means to have Gifford in this community.
“Randy Garner was hilarious, the food by our outstanding chefs was delicious, and the movie we have created about Gifford really shows the hospital’s place as a medical provider and health-care leader not just in this community, but in the state and even in the nation.”
Lincoln offered a special thanks to Randolph Union High School and Sharon Academy students who volunteered at the event and also to Pepsi, ClearSource, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Vermont Butter and Cheese, which donated products.
To learn more about Gifford, including how to give, call Lincoln at 728-2380.