Robert Tarnas, MD, Elected Chair of Family Medicine

BENNINGTON, VT—January 18, 2019—Robert Tarnas, MD, a physician at SVMC Pownal Campus, a part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), has been elected as SVMC’s chair of the Family Medicine Department. Tarnas has worked at the practice since 2015 and has been a member of the SVMC medical staff since 1985.

Tarnas worked at the SVMC Deerfield Valley Campus in Wilmington starting in 1997 and was the leader of the medical team at SVMC ExpressCare when it opened in February 2015. He received his education at Oakland University and his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine, both in Michigan. He completed his residency in family practice at Oakwood Hospital in Michigan and is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Members of the department of family medicine are primary care providers who offer medical care to entire families. They care for men and women, children as well as the elderly with a focus on preventive medicine and the management of chronic diseases. Family medicine providers also treat acute problems in the office. Working with a primary care family physician has been shown to help patients stay healthy and avoid hospital admissions.

SVMC Pownal Campus is recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. That means that the practice provides a number of preventive health services—including a diabetes educator, registered dietician, mental health counselor, a nurse case manager, and other specialized staff—all in one place. In addition to these services, the practice offers blood draw and X-ray on site. 

SVMC Pownal Campus is located less than 1 mile north of the Vermont-Massachusetts border. The practice is accepting new patients. For information about becoming a patient of SVMC Pownal Campus, call 802-681-2780 or visit the Patient Portal at www.myhealth.svhealthcare.org.

About:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) 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. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices. For more information, visit svhealthcare.org.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.