MIDDLEBURY — After many months of planning, fundraising and anticipation, work on a major renovation project began is under way at Helen Porter Rehabilitation and Nursing in Middlebury.
This $900,000 project will result in a state-of-the-art, post-acute unit for residents recovering from surgery or other conditions requiring short-term rehabilitation, and a new end-of-life suite offering a comfortable and family-centered environment for residents and their loved ones which, for the Addison Respite Care Home (ARCH) organization, represents the realization of their founding mission.
“These two distinct but equally important initiatives have been combined into one major renovation project thanks to the outstanding financial support of our general community, the Porter Medical Center Auxiliary and the Addison Respite Care Home organization,” said Dr. Fred Kniffin, president and CEO of UVM Health Network/Porter Medical Center. “Helen Porter is an invaluable part of Porter’s ability to provide a full spectrum of comprehensive health care services to the people of our community, and this investment of almost a million dollars to create outstanding new resident care facilities is essential to supporting that key strategic goal.”
Independent photo/Trent Campbell
Working closely with the ARCH board of directors, Porter raised more than $350,000 of the overall cost of the project from local citizens, with a major boost from the Porter Medical Center Auxiliary, which capped the campaign with a two-year commitment of $150,000 as well as a significant contribution from ARCH.
“Our community and our partners at ARCH stepped up last fall in a major way, as they recognized the importance of taking Helen Porter to the next level in terms of both palliative and end-of-life facilities and a modern rehabilitation unit designed to help folks to recover and achieve the highest level of independence possible and return to their community setting,” Kniffin added.
The renovation project, which started in late April, is slated to run for approximately five months, and Porter is planning a community celebration and open house in September.