His businesses included ventures as varied as canning jars and other household goods, hardware, real estate, and railroad investments.

[9] In 1984, the hospital changed its name to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, for "bureaucratic reasons having to do with payment for Medicaid and Medicare patients and the protection of the endowment fund.

[11] In addition to primary care, the medical staff has a variety of specialists including cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, oncology,[11] and infectious disease.

[13] In 2006, a state-appointed committee recognized that physician pay and other factors had led to in a shortage of primary care and specialists in hospitals throughout Vermont.

This approach advocates that hospitals and doctors cooperate with each other and with families, share information, apologize, and work to prevent errors from occurring again.

The hospital established the department to centralize activities related to patient safety and to "be proactive and look at potential accidents and prevent harm from ever happening.

In 2008, SVMC began the process of gaining state and local approval to update its infrastructure with a new central plant for heating, cooling, and emergency power.

[22] It also applied for permission to construct additional patient rooms and renovate and expand areas, such as the Emergency Department and the Laboratory, that do not meet current standards for floor space.