Vaccination clinics through SVHC have been held in the former Southern Vermont College athletic center, which was recently acquired by the health system. Officials from SVHC reached out to SVSU for the assistance of their resident elementary school artists.
Students from Woodford Hollow Elementary School created pictures for folks to enjoy while receiving their vaccination. Artwork featured positive messages and cheery drawings to help welcome folks into the space who may not have left their homes throughout the majority of the pandemic.
Shaftsbury Elementary School first graders created number signs to help SVHC keep track of how many vaccinations have been administered at the clinic. Emily Umphlett, Shaftsbury Elementary School art teacher, noted that she spoke with her students about what this special art project meant for the community.
“They understand that this is a project we are making for the community and they won't get that artwork back,” she said. “It gives a value to their artwork, a purpose. We wanted to give people who see these numbers just a little bit of joy.”
About SVSU:
Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU) is a public school supervisory union made up of six elementary schools, a middle school, one high school, and an early education program with two locations. Our district covers the Vermont towns of Bennington, Shaftsbury, Pownal, and Woodford Hollow. The SVSU is proud to serve over 3,000 students. For more information, please visit www.svsu.org.
About SVHC:
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.
Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index. It is a four-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Leapfrog Group.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center 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.