Information
 
Mission:
The Clinic, a nonprofit organization, was formed to provide general and urgent care to all who needed or requested it, finances not withstanding. To this day, the Clinic still puts the patient first!! To this day, our financial shortfalls are made up by our generous donors.
Additional information below:

History | Physical Plant | Operational Aspects
Physician Rotation | Additional Comments

Additional pages:
Staffing | Equipment | Ambulance | ICE Program | Donate!
 

History:
The Carlos Otis Stratton Mt. Clinic was formed in 1971 thanks to the generosity and vision of the late E.P. Snyder, Jr., brother of Stratton's founder, Frank V. Snyder.

The Clinic was incorporated under the laws of Vermont as a nonprofit organization, with the intent to provide medical services to the Stratton community. A Board of Directors was appointed to guide all Clinic operations. The building was erected on land donated by the Stratton Corporation, and construction was funded by a demand note in Phil Snyder's name, a loan from Stratton Corporation, and donations from various interested parties. The Clinic opened for operation on January 2, 1972.

Physical Plant:
The Clinic building is a two story structure located near the Gondola, beside the Stratton Base Lodge. The upper floor is headquarters for the Ski Patrol, the First Aid and Triage Room, and a medical student apartment. Sleds arrive off the mountain through this level. The bottom floor houses the actual clinic, and consists of a waiting room, office, minor surgery room, trauma room with double doors opening to ambulance bay, exam/medication room; 2 exam/casting rooms, X-ray room, C-arm room, Doctor's lounge, conference/staff room. The Clinic level itself opens out to it's own parking lot, and can be accessed through the main door. The two levels of the building are connected by an elevator.

Operational Aspects:
Business: As stated above, the Clinic is a nonprofit organization. It is not part of the Stratton Corporation. All aspects of the business are conducted at the Clinic, and overseen by the Board of Directors, elected officials, and the Medical Director. Patients are charged for services rendered. All Physicians donate their services. All fees collected for Physician services remain at the Clinic and are used for it's operation. Donations from grateful patients, friends, and loyal supporters make the difference in our ability to remain open. Fund raising is therefore a significant aspect of our survival.

Medical: The Clinic is open every day during the ski season, from 8:30 am until 5:00 PM (or until last patient is discharged). Our "daily life" at the Clinic most resembles a combination of a walk-in Clinic, an ER, and a MASH unit. Appointments are scheduled in "blocks" throughout the day. A significant consideration is the fact that our Doctors volunteer their time. As they may be called in enough times for emergencies, we try to schedule the non-emergent visits. The staff does it's best to accommodate the Doctors, as we hope they will return for future rotations.

Patients can arrive either through the First Aid Room, the Clinic entrance, or via the Ambulance. Patients arriving in the First Aid Room are screened/triaged by the Nurse. If further treatment is deemed necessary, the patient is given the option to seek his own care elsewhere, or be treated at the Clinic. The patient is informed that there are fees involved in receiving treatment at the Clinic. No patient is ever denied treatment for lack of ability to pay. The patient comes first.

The Doctors are free to go anywhere within the Stratton area, as long as we can reach them by radio; and they can get back to us within a few minutes. Most Doctors and their families spend their time skiing. Both Doctors and the Medical Students wear radios, and are in constant communication with both the Clinic and the Ski Patrol (Stratton has one frequency reserved for this use).

Physician Rotation: The Clinic provides housing for the Doctors in the newly constructed (2004) Medical Annex. Construction of this building was made possible by the donations of loyal clinic supporters. The Stratton Corporation generously provides for lifts, rentals, and daycare for the Doctor and his/her family.

Doctors who wish to join our rotation are usually known personally and/or professionally by one of "our own". A Doctor wishing to sign up is told that s/he must have a current Vermont license; proof of malpractice insurance, and, for Medical Doctors -- current ACLS certification.

The Doctors are not officially "on call" after Clinic hours. The Clinic phone is answered by a service at night. Emergencies at night are referred to the local ambulance squad for transport to the hospital.

When Doctors ask about our rotation they are told (in the following order): 1) You must be competent and caring. 2) You must get along with all of us (Ski Patrol and Clinic staff). 3) You must be fun!

Additional Comments: The successful operation of the Carlos Otis Stratton Mt. Clinic has been possible only due to the donation of considerable time and effort of our Nursing Staff, our Doctors and Medical Students, our Board of Directors, and our supporters. If we relied on patient payments to keep us open, we would have closed our doors years ago.

The staff must be "multifunctional", and willing to pitch in and be part of the whole operation! There are down times and rainy days here and there, each staff member must be willing to "file transcriptions...clean the X-ray developer...or vacuum the floor".

Even though we are thought of mostly as a "ski clinic", we must always be prepared for the emergent and unusual. We have handled everything from a suicide to Type II Glycogen storage disease, to Leukodystrophy. The only thing we have not had in all these years is a birth!

First and foremost....we are all here for the patients...not for the insurance companies or the lawyers. Our goal is to give the best care we can, in an expeditious manner, and send the patient off feeling that s/he was actually "cared for"! Most of our patients are tourists we may never see again. Generally, we have but one chance to "make a difference"...our mission is to do exactly that.