Middlebury, Vt. – As University of Vermont Health – Porter Medical Center celebrates 100 years of caring for Addison County and the surrounding communities, members of the public are invited to attend a ribbon-cutting event on Friday, October 17 in the hospital’s main lobby.

The event from 1 to 3 p.m. in the hospital’s main lobby will include remarks from hospital and health system leaders and the unveiling of the Porter Centennial Exhibit – a 42 ½-foot-long art installation spanning the hallway that connects the hospital’s main entrance and North Wing, which houses Porter’s Surgical Services and Birthing Center.

The hospital will also unveil a time capsule that will be installed behind a wall within the building and will be opened in 2075, 50 years from now.

“Porter’s impact on families across Addison County and our growth to meet the changing needs of our patient, has always been fueled by passion and generosity,” said Bob Ortmyer, president of Porter Medical Center. “As Porter enters its second century of caring for our community, our focus remains on strengthening care close to home and honoring the area that has sustained our hospital for the last hundred years.”

Members of the public attending the event should enter through the hospital’s main entrance.

Birth and Growth

In 1925, Porter Memorial Hospital was founded through the support of William Hentry Porter, a trustee of Middlebury College who in 1923 pledged $50,000 to build a hospital that would serve the college and the wider community. After delays caused by World War I and inflation, the hospital opened its doors on June 15, 1925 – on the land where Porter’s family farm once stood. A year later, the Addison Hospital Association was formed to ensure the hospital’s future as a community-led institution.

Over the decades, Porter has grown to meet the region’s needs – building new facilities, adding services and embracing innovations to improve care. Milestones include the opening of Helen Porter Rehabilitation & Nursing in the 1970s and the adoption of technologic advances that transformed bedside care.

That expansion and development was often fueld by generous donations from The Porter Auxiliary and countless community members, whose contributions helped fund expansions, modern facilities and programs that support patients and families every day.

In 2017, the hospital joined University of Vermont Health – adding access to specialists while preserving its identity as a community-based Critical Access Hospital.

Most recently, the hospital has focused on expanding local access to services – adding more than 1,000 new patients to its primary care practices since September of 2023, increasing partnerships with UVM Health – Elizabethtown Community Hospital across Lake Champlain, for greater efficiency and to give patients greater access to care, like adding additional capacity to its Orthopedics practice, which welcomed Orthopedic Surgeon Devon Anderson, MD, earlier this year.

University of Vermont Health – Porter Medical Center
115 Porter Drive
Middlebury, VT 05753

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About Porter Medical Center

University of Vermont Health – Porter Medical Center is a 25-bed critical access hospital and 98-bed long-term care facility that has been the trusted health care provider for more than 32,000 residents of Addison County and beyond for more than a century. We deliver a wide range of care with a strong focus on accessibility, coordination and community connection. As part of a rural academic health system, we lead regional collaboration by working closely with our UVM Health partners to expand access and improve outcomes. This cross-border partnership enhances clinical efficiency, streamlines referrals and ensures patients benefit from shared expertise and resources. Together, we’re committed to lifesaving and post discharge care at every stage of life — building a health system our communities can trust, now and into the future.

About University of Vermont Health

University of Vermont Health is a rural academic health system with more than 100 years of service to small towns and cities across Vermont and northern New York. We are deeply committed to reimagining rural health in ways that will benefit our communities for generations to come and keep exceptional care close to home. Our system includes an academic medical center, two community hospitals, three critical access hospitals, a children’s hospital, a cancer center, a multispecialty medical group, 154 outpatient sites and care beyond the hospital through home health, hospice care, four skilled nursing facilities and other support services. Our care is informed by an essential partnership with University of Vermont’s The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Together, as a health system serving a rural area, we are tackling health care’s biggest challenges — supporting the communities we serve and investing in our employees by addressing housing affordability, quality childcare and professional development needs. To learn more, visit us at www.uvmhealth.org.