SCR 5 — Senate concurrent resolution commemorating the centennial of Porter Medical Center in Middlebury

R-171State Pageof 1Vermont Senate Chamber Montpelier, Vermont Senate Concurrent Resolution Offered by Senators Hardy and Heffernan, Offered by Representatives Birong of 1Vergennes, No.Conlon of Cornwall, Cordes of Bristol, McGill of Bridport, North of Ferrisburgh, Olson of Starksboro, Scheu of Middlebury and Sheldon of Middlebury, S.C.R.

R-171.5.

(S.C.R.5) Offered by Senators Hardy and Heffernan, Offered by Representatives Birong of Vergennes, Conlon of Cornwall, Cordes of Bristol, McGill of Bridport, North of Ferrisburgh, Olson of Starksboro, Scheu of Middlebury and Sheldon of Middlebury, Whereas, in reviewing the Middlebury College Archives and the records of Porter Medical Center, one discovers that in 1923, Middlebury College Trustee and banker William Henry Porter donated $118,000.00 to the College to build a hospital “for the use of the College and of the people of Addison County” on the tract of land where the family farm of his youth was located, and Whereas, on June 15, 1925, Porter Hospital, which was “fireproof and well equipped and appointed in every respect,” opened as a health care facility able to treat “any cases of illness which may arise,” and Whereas, with a mission “to improve the health of our community, one person at a time,” and now known as Porter Medical Center, the story of its century of attending to the medical needs of Addison County residents, visitors, and Middlebury College students epitomizes the historic and contemporary importance of Vermont’s small rural hospitals, and Whereas, an important institutional milestone occurred in 1970 when the Helen Porter Home, now Helen Porter Rehabilitation & Nursing, named in memory of the daughter of Esther Jackson and William Henry Porter, first offered residential nursing care, and Whereas, the leadership of Porter Medical Center recognizes that the hospital’s medical and administrative staff, volunteers, and community partners are all integral to the successful fulfillment of its mission, especially during emergency situations, as exemplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Whereas, in 2025, as Porter Medical Center marks 100 years of providing outstanding health care services in Addison County, the hospital, now a member of the University of Vermont Health Network, has evolved into a modern medical complex, featuring 25 acute care beds;

a full-servicefull- service birthing center;

plus emergency, infusion, surgical, and urgent care services, and it serves as the home for an exemplary network of primary and specialty care physicians, now thereforetherefore be it be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

VT LEG #383761#383107 v.1