Local and State agencies that can help you.
Battenkill Valley Health Center strives to provide their patients with truly valuable information that is both informative and beneficial to the lifestyles of those we serve. Please note that clicking on any of the links provided will direct you away from BVHC’s website to external websites not under BVHC’s control.
General
Vermont Blueprint for Health onsite staff will take the time to talk with you to determine which social and community services you need, and then help connect you to the right people at the right services. They know who to call to get you an appointment, health information, legal services, or a place to live.
Vermont 2-1-1 is the number you dial to find out about hundreds of important community resources, like emergency food and shelter, disability services, counseling, senior services, healthcare, child care, drug and alcohol programs, legal assistance, transportation needs, educational and volunteer opportunities, and much more.
Aging
The Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging is a private non profit community based organization whose goal is to support elders 60 years of age and older in maintaining maximum independence. The Council seeks to be responsive to both individual elders who need assistance to remain independent and to the communities in our region who need our technical assistance and support to identify elder needs and create locally based solutions.
Domestic and Sexual Violence
Department for Children and Families child abuse reporting for Vermont residents.
Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living Adult Protective Services program is to protect vulnerable adults whose health and welfare may be adversely affected by abuse, neglect or exploitation; raise public awareness of adult abuse issues; and educate mandatory reporters about their reporting responsibilities.
End of Life and Palliative Care
The Vermont Department of Health is the lead agency for the Patient Choice and Control at End of Life (Act 39) legislation.
The Vermont Ethics Network is a useful resource for understanding the Physician Aid in Dying legislation which passed in May 2013. To learn about advance directives and care planning for all ages and circumstances, visit Vermont Ethics Network.
Food Insecurity
Residents who live in Vermont and are experiencing food insecurity are encouraged to seek help from 3SquaresVT, a program that can help stretch your food budget so you can put three healthy meals on your table every day.
For contact information to food shelves in your community, check out this resource guide. We always have food boxes available at the office – no questions, no requirements. And we also have frozen meals on-site courtesy of Grateful Hearts which are available to anyone who is in need of a nutritious meal.
Health Education, Advocacy and Policy
Want to be healthier and feel better? MyHealthyVT can help. Local coordinators connect Vermonters with workshops right in your community. These are led by health experts who understand your needs because many have faced similar health challenges. From losing weight to quitting smoking to managing pain and other long-term health problems, Vermonters who complete our workshops see big improvements in their health—and their overall well-being.
The Southern Vermont Area Health Education Centers Program improves access to quality health care by working with community and academic partners to support healthcare workforce development through recruitment, retention and continuing education of health care professionals.
UVM Extension (Bennington Office) offers a vast outreach program for our friends across the state. Present in a dozen Vermont communities, Extension provides timely, research-based information and education for the families, communities and businesses of Vermont like the Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program.
The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is the state’s lead agency for public health policy and advocacy. Public health is the system that works to protect and promote the health of citizens. It is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging healthy life and promoting physical and mental health. VDH runs the WIC, You First (formerly Ladies First), Immunizations and Environmental Safety programs, among others.
Northern New England Poison Center
Hospitals and Emergency Care
The Southwestern Vermont Health Care is a comprehensive health care system servicing Bennington and Windham Counties in Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties in New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts.
Rutland Regional Medical Center The biggest community hospital in Vermont and the second largest hospital in the state, Rutland Regional Medical Center has been providing high quality healthcare to the Rutland Region for more than 100 years.
Located in New York, Saratoga Hospital is about 35 miles from BVHC. Affiliated with Albany Medical, many of our patients have received specialized care here.
Housing
Shires Housing Southwest Vermont (formerly Regional Affordable Housing Corporation, or RAHC) owns and manages affordable apartments in Bennington, Arlington, Shaftsbury, North Bennington and Manchester, Vermont. Many of Shires Housing’s properties were built with investments of government funds and thus are reserved for individuals and families who earn below a certain household income. These amounts vary by building and based on family size.
BROC Community Action in Southwestern Vermont BROC-Community Action in Southwestern Vermont’s history spans 50 years. The why of our existence has not changed for five decades. We exist to give people a chance: to allow the disadvantaged members of our communities to develop and use their capacities and abilities so they can share in the promise of this nation.
Brookdale – Fillmore Pond Nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains, Brookdale Fillmore Pond is a premier senior living community that delivers Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care services. Our community is situated on 87 acres of lush land that features a large pond with ducks and geese. We are just west of the charming and historic town of Bennington, Vermont and located off of Route 9.
Insurance and Health Care Reform
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The ACA aims to increase the quality, affordability, and rate of health insurance coverage for Americans, and reduce the costs of health care for individuals and the government. Click here to watch a video which walks through the basic changes in the way Americans will get health coverage and what it will cost starting in 2014, when major parts of the ACA, also known as “Obamacare,” go into effect.
Green Mountain Care is a family of low-cost and free health coverage programs for Vermonters and is offered by the state of Vermont and its partners. Programs include Medicaid for the Aged, Blind or Disabled, Prescription Assistance, Vermont Health Connect, as well as other affordable health care programs.
Beginning October 1, 2014 Vermont Health Connect is the new way for Vermonters to find health coverage that fits their needs and budget. Vermont Health Connect is a marketplace where individuals, families and small businesses can make side-by-side comparisons of private health plans and find financial help to pay for care. Vermont Health Connect is also for individuals and families in Vermont to find out about and enroll in public health coverage.
Things to know about your dental insurance!
Legal Assistance
Legal Services Vermont serves Vermonters through a statewide legal hotline, court-based eviction and debt clinics, web-based legal help, walk-in legal help services, support for people going to court on their own, pro bono referrals, and assistance for seniors and victims of crime. Founded in 1996, Legal Services Vermont is the partner agency to Vermont Legal Aid. Together, Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid help people around the state tackle civil legal issues – at no charge.
Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Tobacco Cessation
BAART substance abuse treatment program offers reliable and accessible drug treatment services for the growing number of addictions to prescription medications and opiates.
The 802 Quits/Vermont Quit Network provides free resources, including FREE nicotine replacement gum, patches or lozenges, online support, and a quit coach to Vermont residents when you decide to quit smoking.
The Collaborative enhances healthy communities by supporting substance free youth through programming, education and policy adoption by schools, families, youth and community groups and towns and businesses. Substance use rates directly affect the community and the well-being of their youth, including academic achievement, mental and physical health.
Transportation
Green Mountain Community Network a private not-for-profit organization was founded in early 2007, to manage the Green Mtn. Express, which has safely and efficiently provided transportation services in and around Bennington County, VT since 1985. The Green Mountain Express (GMX) is the leading transportation alternative for area residents. GMX is a full service transit provider, offering deviated fixed bus routes, demand response, Medicaid, Reach-up, elder/disabled transportation and private pay services. The GMX System is a safe, accessible, affordable, reliable way to shop, socialize, travel to or from work, keep appointments, or do errands.