Northfield Savings Bank is donating $100,000 to support construction of the Robert E. and Holly D. Miller Building at the University of Vermont Medical Center, which will contain 128 new single-patient rooms.  Completion of the building is expected in the Fall of 2019.

To honor the gifts, the UVM Medical Center will name two rooms for Northfield Savings Bank, both of which will directly support patient-and family-centered care.

"Northfield Savings Bank has made this gift to honor and support the physicians, nurses and other caregivers who take care of our neighbors, friends and family," said UVM Medical Center president and UVM Health Network chief executive officer John Brumsted.  "We are particularly grateful for the deep connection they have with Central Vermont Medical Center, and now with the entire UVM Health Network."

On the 6th Floor, where Orthopedics will be located, a Team Room will be named for the Bank.  In the Team Room, members of the care team can convene to discuss rounds in a private, centrally located space with access to the latest technology.  Team members using this room may include physicians, residents, nurses and medical and nursing students.  The Team Room will also provide providers a work space in the unit.  Because there is currently no dedicated meeting space for these vital team discussions, the Team Rooms will directly enhance the care patients receive.  There will be one Team Room on each floor of the Miller Building.

On the 3rd Floor, which will be home to Cardiothoracic Surgery, a conference room will be named for Northfield Savings Bank in honor of their support for the building.  There will be one conference room on each floor of the Miller Building, each with telemedicine capability and audio/visual equipment.  Each conference room will provide invaluable space for morning and afternoon "huddles" among nurses, didactic sessions among physicians, mid-level students, and other health care providers, nurse education, and medical education lectures.

"By naming these Team Rooms to recognize the generous donation from Northfield Savings Bank, we highlight the direct impact that philanthropy has on patients and families," said Eileen Whalen, MHA, RN, president and chief operating officer at the UVM Medical Center.  "These rooms will help our wonderful staff provide the highest quality care for patients receiving care in the Miller Building."

Patients in the Miller Building will experience enhanced quality of care due to the privacy, space for families, and healing environment single-bed rooms provide.  The Team Rooms and conference rooms will support the health care team in caring for patients in this space.  Studies show that facilities designed with the needs of patients and families in mind result in better outcomes and a better experience overall.

"Vermont is blessed with one of the finest medical centers in the country," said Thomas Leavitt, chief executive officer at Northfield Savings Bank.  "My grandfather graduated from the medical college and served the nation with distinction in World War II.  It is the clinician that makes this place special.  In that spirit, Northfield Savings Bank is proud to dedicate our gift to the Team Rooms that are literally at the heart of it all."

This donation will help the UVM Medical Center reach its goal of raising $30 million from the community for the Miller Building.  For information on the project or to donate, visit www.uvmhealth.org/medcenter/miller or call the UVM Academic Health Sciences development office at 802-656-2887.