SVMC project to double ER capacity

BENNINGTON - Loads of insulation, doors, lighting fixtures, pressure treated lumber, wooden beams, and an antique cast iron sink are among the items being harvested for reuse from The Lodge, a building on the Bennington campus of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. The building is slated for demolition to make way for a $28 million renovation and expansion to SVMC’s emergency department.
The salvage work was done by Deconstruction Works, a demolition, salvage, and recycling service based in Vermont. Pushing much of the construction waste to reuse, rather than the landfill, helps the health system meet the state’s requirements for managing solid waste, as detailed in the Act 250 permit. It also helps mitigate the emotional impact of losing a piece of the health system’s history.
The Lodge was built in 1925. It had 22 rooms for its original purpose of housing laundry and housekeeping employees. Most recently, it had been used as offices for SVHC’s finance department.
The construction project will nearly double the size of the current emergency department, which was designed to accommodate 14,000 patient visits a year but currently sees nearly 25,000 annually. The changes will further enhance patient safety, infection prevention, and patient privacy. Vertical treatment areas will allow for highly efficient treatment of low-acuity conditions. The project also includes an expansion to the emergency crisis area for those experiencing mental health distress and increased telehealth connectivity with Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
Outside the emergency department, the project includes renovations of the main entrance and café, outpatient registration area, the imaging department waiting area, and the phlebotomy and laboratory upgrades. An enclosed walkway will connect the emergency department to SVMC ExpressCare.
Regular updates on the project will appear in SVHC’s weekly e-newsletter, on social media, and at svhealthcare.org.