At risk? Grace Cottage disputes state hospital report
Brattleboro Reformer
Grace Cottage Hospital's new chief executive officer is pushing back against a conclusion in a state-ordered study of Vermont's hospitals that the rural hospital in Townshend is "at risk of closing their inpatient beds ..."
"I don't feel like that's a fair characterization," said Olivia Sweetnam, who moved from New Orleans with her family to take a job at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. After an extensive search was conducted, She was hired for the job of CEO in Townshend. "A lot of what we're doing here is the right thing for our patients and community, and the recommendations that they're making around restructuring are absolutely not in the best interest of our community."
In 2022, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 167, appropriating $5 million for "investigations on how to improve health system sustainability and hospitals' financial health."
Act 167 requires the Green Mountain Care Board, an independent regulatory board with members appointed by the governor for six-year terms, to "develop and conduct a data-informed, patient-focused, community-inclusive engagement process for Vermont’s hospitals to reduce inefficiencies, lower costs, improve population health outcomes, reduce health inequities, and increase access to essential services while maintaining sufficient capacity for emergency management."