Libby Bennett, a lifelong Brattleboro resident, is the executive director of Groundworks Collaborative, a nonprofit organization working with people and systems to end hunger and homelessness in southeastern Vermont.
BRATTLEBORO-Over the past few years, something remarkable has happened in Brattleboro.
Community organizations, businesses, municipal leaders, healthcare providers, public safety professionals, and residents have come together around a shared vision: to build a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant community.
That vision is evident everywhere. While generational storefronts change hands, new businesses are opening downtown. Gallery Walk and the Festival of Miniatures bring thousands of visitors into our downtown corridor. The arrival of the new Amtrak station has strengthened our connection to the region while enhancing accessibility. Plans for riverfront trail expansions are creating opportunities for recreation and economic development.
Through initiatives like Next Generation Brattleboro, our community is intentionally working to attract young professionals, families, and employment opportunities that create our future. And through One Brattleboro, organizations across sectors are breaking down silos to address systemic issues like housing, public health, safety, and community well-being.
At Groundworks Collaborative, we have witnessed firsthand what can happen when organizations choose collaboration over isolation.
Every day, our staff work alongside law enforcement, emergency responders, healthcare providers, housing organizations, local businesses, and countless community partners to ensure people experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, behavioral health challenges, and housing instability receive coordinated support.
No single organization can solve these challenges alone.
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Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) has always been an essential part of that network. Like many rural hospitals across the country, BMH is facing difficult financial realities and making hard decisions to sustain services.
These challenges are not unique to our community, nor are they easily solved. But they remind us of this core importance: a thriving community depends upon a thriving community hospital.
A hospital is much more than a place where people receive medical care. It is one of our region's largest employers. It is an economic driver. It is a partner in emergency response. It is a cornerstone of behavioral health, chronic disease management, preventive care, and recovery. It is where many families begin their stories and where countless lives are saved every year.
For the people Groundworks serves, access to local healthcare can be the difference between stability and crisis. For older adults, traveling another 25 or 30 miles for care may present an insurmountable barrier.
For individuals experiencing homelessness or living with chronic illness, continuity of care is essential. For families considering whether Brattleboro is a place to build a future, access to quality healthcare is among the first questions any of us would ask.
If we aspire to attract new residents, support local businesses, grow our workforce, and create a community where people choose to live and invest, we must recognize that healthcare is every bit as important as housing, transportation, recreation, education, and economic opportunity.
These investments are interconnected.
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A resilient community is built through partnerships. As Brattleboro and the surrounding region invest in our future, we must continue supporting the institutions that make that future possible.
BMH is one of those institutions. Its long-term health matters not only to those who walk through its doors seeking care but to every organization working to build a stronger community.
Revitalization is not measured only by new buildings, thriving businesses, or increased tourism. It is measured by whether people can access housing, nutritious food, meaningful employment, safe neighborhoods, and quality healthcare close to home. These are the building blocks of a community where people can thrive.
I was born at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Today, I have the privilege of raising my own family here. That perspective gives me both an appreciation for the challenges we face and tremendous optimism about the future of our town and region - in no small part because of the way we collectively show up to support what matters.
Let us continue that spirit of collaboration by recognizing that a healthy community requires healthy institutions - and by doing all we can to ensure they remain part of the Brattleboro we are working so hard to build.
This Voices Viewpoint was submitted to The Commons.
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