One hundred years ago, Putnam Memorial Hospital, now Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), opened its doors in Bennington. While the facility, practices, and technology have changed dramatically throughout the century, the commitment to delivering exceptional healthcare to the community has remained constant.
In honor of its Centennial year and in partnership with Southern Vermont College’s Laumeister Art Center, SVHC is proud to present artifacts, stories, and images from its 100-year history. A Century of Caring, an exhibition, opens Saturday, January 5 and will remain open to the public during the Center’s hours, 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, February 24. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, veterans, and AAA members, and free for children and students. The Center is located at 44 Gypsy Lane in Bennington.
This retrospective exhibit offers a glimpse of the evolution of care alongside a history of the hospital. It showcases the advancements in care practices that have elevated a humble hospital on the hill to an award-winning healthcare system operating in partnership with Dartmouth-Hitchcock and serving 75,000 residents in the surrounding communities of Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts.
The exhibit opened at the Bennington Museum on February 1 until May 6 and at the Manchester Community Library from May 14 to June 17. It traveled to HAYC3 in Hoosick Falls over the summer and to Historic Memorial Hall in Wilmington this past fall. The Laumeister Art Center is the last opportunity to see the exhibit on display.