Save Birth at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

By Dr Corina Tennant, Chair of OB-GYN at BMH

Governor Scott’s Office is responding to all inquiries about the BMH Birthing Center with an automated email response.
(See the Governor’s auto response email in full at the bottom of this page).

This message is unclear or misleading on several key points and has the potential to add confusion to an already complex situation. If we are going to maintain birthing services in Southeastern Vermont, meeting this moment with clarity and facts is essential.

Here are the facts:

Claim: Federal quality standards require more than 220 births per year.
Fact on delivery numbers: BMH did 217 last year, 230 in 2024. This year we are projected to do 235 deliveries. With real marketing, we have the ability to capture more Windham and Windsor county births; 250-300 births per year is well within reach.
Fact on safety at small VT hospitals: There are no federal quality standards tied to birth volume. Some national studies have shown that low-volume hospitals have more complications. However, Vermont-specific data consistently demonstrates high levels of care at community hospitals. In the UVM McBride report she cites reasons for high- quality care at local Vermont hospitals:
● Vermont has a robust collaboration between community and tertiary care
hospitals that provides support for quality local care.
● Birthing hospitals statewide engage in ongoing quality improvement and
skills development.

Half of the community hospitals in Vermont do fewer than 220 births per year,
and all these hospitals meet or exceed federal safety metrics. Vermont is the
only state in the nation to earn an “A” on the 2024 March of Dimes report.

Facts on safety at BMH: Despite having a higher risk population, our safety data meets or exceeds VT’s already high standards.
BMH patients are high risk. Compared to VT averages:

2x more gestational diabetes
2x pre-gestational diabetes
3x rate of substance abuse
2x rate tobacco use

BMH’s cesarean rates in 2025 were at or below VT averages even with high r
patients:
● Total cesarean rate: 24% for BMH and VT (30% for USA)
● Primary cesarean rate: 14% at BMH v. 17% in VT (Goal is <24%)

BMH has never gone on diversion (in other words, unlike Cheshire and Baystate, BMH has never been forced to divert pregnant patients due to lack of staffing).

Claim: A year ago, the State provided $1 million to Brattleboro Memorial to restore
solvency to the hospital on the condition they provided a plan to restore
sustainability to their finances.
Fact: The $1 million was a sustainability grant from the Agency of Human Services that BMH applied for in Fall 2025 for the purpose of conducting service line analysis, studying the feasibility of running a federally qualified health center and hiring consultants to help with financial reporting and structure. That money has been used to hired an interim CFO and financial consultants, which have proved
invaluable in getting a handle on what the financial issues have been over the
past 10 years at BMH, and how to improve them. This was NOT to help stabilize
any specific service lines.

Claim: Agency of Human Services studied the impact on access to maternal and
delivery care and found the overall median drive time would increase from 14.1 to 25. minutes, with no patient traveling more than 60 minutes. Those who do not wish, or are unable, to go to another hospital to deliver their baby will still be able to access that service in the emergency department.

Fact:
● The goal for safe maternity care is for patients to be <30min from a birth hospital.
● There is no transparency on this drive study claim. Per Google maps: At the VT-
MA border on I-91 it is 15min to Baystate Franklin. At the VT-NH border on Rt-9 it
takes 26 min to get to Cheshire. Unless you live in Brattleboro, Vernon, or
Guilford it will take 30-60+ minutes to reach Cheshire or Franklin. Much of
Windham County is 45-75min from either hospital. For example, Wardsboro and
West Townshend are more than an hour from care at Cheshire or Franklin.
● Emergency rooms cannot fill in as birth hospitals. ER’s are unable to perform C-
Sections.

Understanding the Role of Local Maternity Care in Vermont
Carole McBride, PhD, UMC
Sept 2025

Almost all of Windham and Windsor county would be >30min from a delivery hospital without BMH, which is included below.

Without BMH, all of Southeast Vermont VT would be without a local birth hospital.
VCHIP_PQC-VT-Vermont-Perinatal-Public-Health-Report_Jan2026.pdf

Governor Scott Email Reply:

Thank you for reaching out regarding Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s proposed closure of its Birthing Center.

The challenges facing Brattleboro Memorial are not new. The hospital’s financial issues are longstanding, and the State of Vermont is already involved with financial support. A year ago, the State provided $1 million to Brattleboro Memorial to restore solvency to the hospital on the condition they provided a plan to restore sustainability to their finances. Throughout this process the Agency of Human Services and the Green Mountain Care Board worked with Brattleboro Memorial to address these issues and to create plans that ensure their sustainability into the future. The hospital’s decision about the birthing center is directly related to their desire to build that stability.

Beyond financial sustainability, the birthing center is also no longer meeting federal quality standards due to the number of deliveries – with only 220 predicted this year. On top of that, the birthing center is very understaffed and struggles to keep employees.

Importantly, those serviced by Brattleboro Memorial who are currently pregnant or plan to be, the Agency of Human Services studied the impact on access to maternal and delivery care and found the overall median drive time would increase from 14.1 to 25.7 minutes, with no patient traveling more than 60 minutes. Those who do not wish, or are unable, to go to another hospital to deliver their baby will still be able to access that service in the emergency department.

Governor Scott is committed to working with Brattleboro Memorial to think through that decision and any others that might build solvency and sustainability while meeting the needs of the community.

The State will continue to communicate with Brattleboro Memorial as it navigates this process.

Again, thank you for reaching out.

Sincerely,
Philip B. Scott
Governor of Vermont