Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

Manchester resident takes on new leadership role with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center

BENNINGTON, VT—November 5, 2024—Manchester resident Kathy Fisher has joined the Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Foundation Board of Directors, the governing body of volunteers who oversee all philanthropic efforts in support of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC). 

Fisher has been an active volunteer leader within SVMC, a member of Dartmouth Health, for nearly a decade. In September she finished her term as chair of the organization’s Board of Trustees, where she was instrumental in many crucial initiatives, including the integration of SVMC with Dartmouth Health in July 2023.

Her new role with the SVHC Foundation will specifically focus on philanthropy and fundraising activities that enhance SVMC’s patient care at the hospital and its practice sites.

“Kathy has a deep understanding of the importance of community philanthropy and will be an incredible asset to our board,” said Keith Michl, MD, Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors. “She has firsthand knowledge of the work that SVMC is doing to provide exceptional care and comfort to our community, so we couldn’t ask for a better representative and advocate for our fundraising initiatives.”

Fisher and her husband, Rocco Maggiotto, have long been supporters of the Foundation’s efforts, including, most notably, Vision 2020, A Decade of Transformation capital campaign.

“Living in a rural community and having access to the excellent and nationally-recognized care that SVMC provides is rare,” Fisher said. “That’s why it’s important for me to support the Foundation’s philanthropic work, so SVMC can continue to meet the needs of our communities and our future generations.”

In addition to local volunteer work, Fisher had a four-decade career in the financial services industry. In 2020, she retired from Alliance Bernstein as National Managing Director and Head of Wealth and Investment Strategies for Bernstein Private Wealth Management.

The SVHC Foundation Board of Directors consists of 10 members. Directors are nominated by members of the board. The SVHC Foundation’s mission is to engage in development and fundraising activities exclusively for the support of SVMC.

About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVMC includes the Dartmouth Cancer Center at SVMC, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. SVMC provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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OB/GYN Care in a New Age

I am a strong believer in preventive care. Our patients are healthiest and OB/GYN physicians are most successful when we see each other at least annually and as soon as concerns arise. While this hasn't always been possible throughout the pandemic, I am happy to report that it is slowly getting easier to provide and receive care in the ways we had been used to, with a few adjustments for added safety.

I am especially concerned about patients who may have delayed care. While some concerns can safely wait a short while, putting off care in other situations may worsen the condition or the outcome. I encourage both new and returning patients to call the office to discuss resuming regular care and discussing any concerns that may have come up.

Here's what you can expect, including some of the innovative ways we are meeting patients' needs safely.

When you call the office, the receptionists will schedule an appointment for you. An easy telehealth option is great for reviewing results, developing care plans, providing contraceptive and fertility counseling, and consulting about weight management. For these purposes, the receptionist will likely recommend a televisit. It is very easy to connect and so convenient; while we love seeing you in person, we have to wonder why we haven’t been using telehealth appointments all along! Complete information about telehealth visits can be found here.

As you might expect, OB/GYN care often requires a physical examination, so many of our patient visits—including those for patients needing annual exams, testing, and therapeutic appointments—are still happening in person and in the office. The receptionists are working to stagger visits to decrease the number of people in the office at any one time.

Those coming to the office in person will notice a check-in station at the entrance to the Medical Office Building. The attendant will ask you a few questions about any symptoms you have and lend you a cloth face covering to use, if you don't have one. Wearing the mask over both your mouth and nose for your entire visit is required. For your safety and theirs, you will notice that all staff are wearing masks, too, along with either goggles or a shield. Hopefully you can still tell that we are all smiling, even under our masks!

If an outpatient elective surgical procedure is a part of your care plan, your OB/GYN and other staff will walk you through the process. A few changes, including COVID-19 testing in advance and intensified monitoring after the procedure, increases patient safety.

For those expecting to deliver a baby at SVMC, we are focused on maintaining all of the wonderful things our patients have come to expect from their experiences on the Women's and Children’s unit. Caring medical staff and nurses, individualized attention, and compassionate support are all in abundant supply.

Like when coming to the office, growing families will notice the check-in at the hospital's main entrance and staff wearing protective equipment. Our visitor’s policy indicates only one support person. We recognize that this is so challenging, and we are working to provide all of the support we can to bring your birth experience safely in line with what you had hoped, right down to the cheering support squad provided by a family via video chat during a delivery I attended earlier this week.

In the case that a family has had any exposure to COVID-19, the Women's and Children’s Unit has its own negative-pressure room. Extensive infection-prevention policies—consistent across all of the medical professionals involved with care for growing families, including OB/GYNs, pediatricians, midwives, and nurses—keep moms, babies, families, and staff safe. In fact, SVMC recently got a perfect score on a rigorous survey specifically designed to judge our infection-prevention measures.

Our ongoing commitment—pandemic or no pandemic, no matter your OB/GYN need—is to work through your concerns and deliver safe, individualized, and effective care for you. We hope that new and returning patients will call on us to help them maintain or regain their health. We are open, ready, and safe to provide the care you need.

Kimberley Sampson, MD, is the medical director of OB/GYN at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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