![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VTD-Bratt-hospital-6-1200x900.jpg\")
The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital campus on Belmont Avenue. Photo by Kevin O\u2019Connor\/VTDigger<\/p>\nThe Brattleboro Memorial Hospital campus on Belmont Avenue. Photo by Kevin O\u2019Connor\/VTDigger<\/p>\n
BRATTLEBORO \u2014 Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is projecting to end its current budget with a $14.5 million operating loss, potentially extending a string of annual shortfalls since 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not the budget outcome we had hoped for,\u201d Elizabeth McLarney, one of two acting co-CEOs, said in a written statement Thursday.<\/p>\n
The 500-worker hospital, the main health care provider for about 55,000 people in southeastern Vermont, initially proposed a $121 million budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Under the plan reviewed by the state this summer and fall, the not-for-profit facility expected to close out spending next Sept. 30 with a $244,529 surplus.<\/p>\n
READ MORE<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t But regulators at Vermont\u2019s Green Mountain Care Board questioned the accuracy of those figures in August and ordered the hospital in October to recalculate its budget or risk becoming the first health care facility to receive state intervention under a new law<\/a>.<\/p>\n Administrators have blamed the hospital\u2019s fiscal problems<\/a> on everything from too many unpaid patient bills to their own staff\u2019s rising health insurance costs. Submitting an updated $130 million budget to the state this week, they also cited about $5 million of coming losses due to federal and state changes in pharmaceutical prices and payments.<\/p>\n Regulators have yet to say whether they\u2019ll hold another review hearing but believe the $14.5 million projected loss is \u201can accurate representation,\u201d spokesperson Kristen LaJeunesse said in a written statement.<\/p>\n The new numbers come as the 61-bed hospital has launched a hiring freeze, let go of six administrators<\/a> and hired two outside advisers<\/a> \u2014 Ovation Healthcare, a national consultant, and David Sanville, a former chief financial officer at Windsor\u2019s Mt. Ascutney Hospital.<\/p>\n The facility also is searching for a new CEO after its most recent leader, Christopher Dougherty, took an unexplained leave of absence<\/a> in October and permanently exited his post<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n \u201cThe parties agree that under the current circumstances it is best for Chris to depart and for the hospital to bring in new leadership,\u201d the not-for-profit facility said in a written public statement.<\/p>\n The hospital, one of Brattleboro\u2019s three largest employers, currently is being led by McLarney, an orthopaedic surgeon, and fellow acting co-CEO Tony Blofson, a primary care physician.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to thoroughly monitor our finances with a focus on maximizing patient access and closely evaluating all expenses,\u201d Blofson said in a written statement Thursday. \u201cWe also stand by our earlier promise to our staff and our community to remain open and transparent about BMH\u2019s financial challenges as we move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital campus on Belmont Avenue. Photo by Kevin O\u2019Connor\/VTDigger BRATTLEBORO \u2014 Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[168328,124354,124355,77107,97,252,253],"class_list":{"0":"post-332731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-brattleboro","9":"tag-brattleboro-memorial-hospital","10":"tag-christopher-dougherty","11":"tag-green-mountain-care-board","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-health-care","14":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"What\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/VTD-Bratt-hospital-4-1200x900.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n