BENNINGTON, VT (September 10, 2026) — MissionCare at Bennington is marking its second anniversary this month, reflecting on two years of providing skilled nursing care for individuals with complex medical, behavioral health and social needs who can face substantial barriers to traditional nursing home placement.
Since opening in September 2024, MissionCare at Bennington has admitted 101 individuals referred by 43 different healthcare, government and community organizations, establishing a referral network that now reaches across Vermont and throughout the region.
More than half of the center’s admissions — 57 residents, or 56 percent — have come directly from acute care and psychiatric hospitals. Another 26 residents were admitted through community-based pathways, including Area Agencies on Aging, mental health organizations, primary care providers, home health and hospice organizations and direct community referrals. The center has also accepted residents transitioning from Vermont’s correctional system and Vermont residents referred from out-of-state healthcare settings.
“Two years ago, MissionCare at Bennington was created around a fairly straightforward idea: there are people who need skilled nursing care but whose behavioral health, medical or social complexity can make finding the right placement extraordinarily difficult,” said Tabitha Davis-Barron, Administrator. “More than 100 admissions later, we have seen just how important that capacity can be — not only for the individuals and families we serve, but for hospitals, community providers and state systems working to find appropriate care.”
More than half of residents admitted during the center’s first two years had behavioral health diagnoses. Approximately one-third had neurological conditions such as traumatic or acquired brain injury or stroke, nearly one-third had dementia or other neurocognitive disorders, and substantial numbers were living with diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary disease, substance use disorders, serious wounds and other complex conditions.
MissionCare residents may require traditional skilled nursing and rehabilitation while simultaneously living with mental illness, cognitive impairment, substance use disorders, neurological injury or other conditions requiring a more specialized approach to care.
The center’s referral relationships now span Vermont and the broader region, including the state’s major hospitals and health systems, community mental health and aging organizations, state and local partners, and healthcare providers throughout the Northeast caring for Vermont residents.
“These first two years have demonstrated that specialized skilled nursing capacity can serve several needs at once,” said Jess DeRing, Director of Operations for MissionCare Health. “It can provide individuals with access to appropriate long-term and post-acute care, help hospitals transition patients who no longer require an acute-care bed, support community organizations working with people whose needs have become increasingly complex, and create another option for state systems serving vulnerable populations. The team MissionCare at Bennington, at all levels, has done an incredible job serving the residents and the referral sources to provide this much needed care with dignity and acceptance.”
