Elizabethtown, NY - University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital (ECH) Director of Human Resources Michelle Meachum says supporting the NorthernForest Center’s (the Center) Hale House and Law Library project is a good investment in the future of the hospital and the community.

ECH has invested a total $300,000 through the Center’s Northern Forest Fund and recently donated another $300,000 directly to support the Center’s project to redevelop Elizabethtown’s historic Hale House and Law Library into middle-market housing. According to Adam Bailey, the Center’s Adirondack program manager, design work is underway and the renovations are likely to begin in the spring to create four 2- and 3-bedroom apartments in the Hale House and a single-family, 2-bedroom home in the Library.

The connection between access to quality health care and housing is simple, according to Meachum. “We need quality housing to successfully recruit and retain employees.” She calls the innovative partnership between ECH and the Center a step in the right direction for the entire region. “It will have a significant impact on recruitment efforts for us and other employers in the region.”

“Caring for our community requires a dedicated team of employees and providers. In a rural area like ours, recruitment can be difficult, and housing plays a role in that challenge. To preserve access to care and to enhance it where we can, we are doing what we can to make it easier for people to live and work here,” said ECH and Porter Medical Center President Bob Ortmyer.

This is one of several projects the University of Vermont Health system has sponsored to address the regional housing shortages that contribute to the challenges of recruiting and retaining a stable workforce. Limited housing availability can make recruitment difficult, especially in rural communities like Elizabethtown. Those who accept positions often face extended commutes which can lead to high turnover.

In 2024, the UVMH system celebrated the opening of an apartment complex in Burlington, VT, that included 181 units. Another housing investment, Prospect Heights, in Barre, VT opened in 2023. 

“The Center has been working with local partners in Elizabethtown for several years to strengthen the community by writing grants, supporting recreation trails and improvements, and advancing plans for a municipal wastewater system,” said Bailey. "We're looking forward to getting the renovations underway at the Hale House property."

The Center is a regional innovation and investment partner creating rural vibrancy by connecting people, economy, and the forested landscape across northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It uses a variety of capital sources to fund property purchases and development – funding that enables the Center to take on challenging property development projects that do not attract commercial developers.

“Our approach to creating housing in rural communities depends on support from a diverse set of funds,” said Center President Rob Riley. “The hospital’s vote of confidence in this model through both a mission-investment and capital grant is just the type of partnership that allows us to deliver on our projects and ensure quality, year-round homes for people looking to put down roots here. We hope more investors and funders will join the hospital in supporting our current Adirondack projects and help bring them across the finish line.

In addition to the historic renovation in Elizabethtown, the Center is currently constructing a multi-family residence in Tupper Lake, across the street from the high school. It also recently completed the renovation of historic buildings in St. Johnsbury, VT and Bethel, ME to create 18 apartments and two commercial spaces.

“It was not on my list of options but when I drew a circle on the map, but it turned out that Ticonderoga was the same distance as some of my other options,” explained the 70-year-old farmer who has lived with the disease for more than 20 years. “Ticonderoga was a not place I would have automatically chosen,” she admitted and added, “it was surprising to me but I thought it was time for a change.” Today, impressed with the personalized care provided by the staff and the hospital’s modern facilities, Burch said she’s happy with her decision.  “I enjoy coming here because I receive the same kind of high tech and innovative care that I would otherwise have to go to a city setting to receive. Everything is state-of-the-art, and everyone is so willing to help out – any way they can. There’s a real community feel there.”  

Burch is not alone in her satisfaction of the services provided by the dedicated Ticonderoga team who earned a 97% Press Ganey survey patient satisfaction score in 2024. Press Ganey is internationally respected performance improvement company specializing in patient experience and partners with 41,000+ healthcare provider organizations globally and 85% of health plans in the United States.  

That reputation for compassionate patient care and clinical quality has led to a 41% increase in patient visits across all specialty services since 2023. The infusion center has seen a 47% jump in visits by patients receiving outpatient intravenous infusions for chemotherapy, antibiotics and biologics.     

“Our team in Ticonderoga recognizes the needs of the community it serves and works hard to meet those needs,” explained ECH Chief Nursing Officer Julie Tromblee.  

“I’m more than happy with the care I’m receiving,” Burch said.  As a result, she is working to transfer all her health care to Ticonderoga including orthopedics and physical therapy.   “The nurses go out of their way to help. During my infusion, I mentioned I was having trouble with my elbows. A nurse arranged for x-rays the very same day and now I’ll be going to PT and have an appointment there with an orthopedic specialist,” she said.  

ECH’s Ticonderoga hospital is comprised of a variety of health care organizations and services who pledged in 2018 to co-locate, creating a “medical village” and delivering on the promise to keep great care local. The hospital was established after the closure of Moses Ludington Hospital, a 15-bed facility that struggled financially for years.  ECH and University of Vermont Health Network partnered with other health care organizations, including Hudson Headwater Health Network, and Ticonderoga community leaders to develop a plan that would preserve access to great care for the region.  With a $9.1 million New York State grant secured with the support of former New York State Senator Betty Little and current Senator Dan Stec, the Ticonderoga campus came to life.  

Today, it includes: 

• A physician-staffed, 24-hour Emergency Department
• Radiology and Laboratory Services
• Outpatient Rehabilitation
• Specialty care including infusion services, cardiology, gastroenterology, endoscopy, colon screenings, OB/GYN and orthopedics.
• Hudson Headwaters Health Network Primary Care 

A growing list services offers patients in the region with the high-quality specialty care found in the larger UVMHN partners like Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) in Plattsburgh, Porter Hospital in Middlebury, VT and Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, VT, without the need for extended travel. Tromblee adds that these are made possible because staff and providers from throughout the health system are committed to their patients, the community and providing care as close to home as possible. 

Propelled by this dynamic team, the Ticonderoga hospital continues to evolve to meet the needs of its community. “With an increase in cardiology provider coverage from our partner, Porter Medical Center, we’re now offering cardiac and stress echocardiograms and holter monitoring,” said Tracy Sprague, Emergency Department and Specialty Clinics nurse manager.  “We’ve also done a lot of work to increase orthopedic services and have a nurse practitioner here seeing patients in Ticonderoga regularly.”  

Screening colonoscopies are scheduled with general surgeons and women’s health services, including pre-natal care is offered by OB/GYN providers who travel from Porter Medical Center to Ticonderoga so our patients can receive care close to home.”  

“The support of providers throughout UVM Health Network is a key component to our success.  We are fortunate to also have an engaged staff who is committed to their patients and this community,” explained ECH President Bob Ortmyer 

Now a patient at the Crown Point Health Center, Burch loves the convenience of being part of an the UVM Health Network, knowing that regardless of where she goes within the Network, her providers will have easy access to her information.  “And, because I’m part of the network and have MyChart, I see my results almost immediately.  

“The Ticonderoga community is shining example what is possible when we think differently about providing care to rural communities. This collaborative approach has created a thriving medical campus where our exceptional teams provide great care close to home.  We look forward to growing the number of specialty services offered.” Ortmyer said.