Little Rivers holds Legislative Town Hall session in Fairlee

By Bernie Marvin

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Attending a recent Vermont Legislative Town Hall at the Fairlee Town Hall were, left to right, Representative Michael Tagliavia, Representative Rebecca Holcomb, Senator John Benson, and Representative Jim Masland. Standing at right is Little Rivers Health Care CEO Andrew Barter who offered opening remarks and also moderated the meeting. Barter said the health care organization, based in Bradford, plans to hold similar forums across their service area. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Fairlee, VT – The Little Rivers Health Care, with offices in Bradford, Wells River, East Corinth, and Newbury, sponsored another Legislative Town Hall meeting at the Fairlee Town Hall on Monday, March 30, 2026.

This is not an unusual effort for the Bradford-based health care center, as it remains a busy site across its four locations, with high growth. For instance, between 2016 and 2021, Little Rivers Health Care experienced a 78 percent increase in patient visits, prompting major expansion efforts.

The recent legislative session in Fairlee was scheduled for a one-hour program and included local Vermont legislators and area residents. Legislators there included Representative Michael Tagliavia, Orange 1 District; Representative Rebecca Holcombe, Windsor-Orange 2 District; Senator John Benson, Orange District, and Representative James Masland, Windsor-Orange District 2.

Offering a welcome and making opening remarks to the attendees was Little Rivers Health Care CEO Andrew Barter at 9 AM. About 20 residents attended the session. Fairlee Select Board member Peter Berger also offered other remarks.
CEO Barter told The Bridge Weekly at the conclusion of the Fairlee Town Hall Legislative Session that he and the staff were "very pleased with the turnout and the level of engagement. The discussion reflected strong community interest in access to care and the future of local health services, which is exactly what we hoped to foster."

The programs:
Little Rivers Health Care has created an active schedule of public programs, including Town Hall sessions and advocacy and formal testimony, according to information available on their website and during the meeting.

The programs address a wide range of subjects, from rural healthcare challenges such as access to care and rising healthcare costs. About an hour was scheduled to hear from legislators who offered a summation of bills and legislation that are now or have been under consideration for action in Vermont.

Those four legislators concentrated their comments on several different subjects that headlined the meeting, including health care access and the workforce, housing and land use, education funding, and the State of Vermont budget and investment priorities.

Little Rivers Health Care is a not-for-profit, community-based, federally qualified health center. They are dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive primary care for individuals and families, regardless of ability to pay, in accordance with specific federal guidelines. Little Rivers Health Care works hard to meet the community's unique health needs, with a special focus on the medically underserved.

According to their online information, their service area includes the Vermont towns of Bradford, Chelsea, Corinth, Fairlee, Groton, Newbury, Norwich, Orange, Ryegate, Strafford, Thetford, Topsham, Tunbridge, Vershire, Washington, West Fairlee, and neighboring towns of border communities in New Hampshire.

Among many community legislative programs, town hall sessions are included, similar to the one held on Monday, March 30, 2026. These events allow community members to hear from and question local legislators on regional issues. Participating legislators often include regional personnel, such as those who were at the front of the room in the Fairlee Town Hall, to speak to visitors.

Discussions held usually center on health care affordability, housing challenges, and the future of community health in rural Vermont. And there is regular participation by Little Rivers Health Care leaders in the Vermont Legislative Day, where they visit the State House to meet with lawmakers, often alongside the Bi-State Primary Care Association, to advocate for the vital role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). 

The staff at Little Rivers Health Care also provides expert testimony to the Vermont Legislature on specific public health initiatives, such as Food as Medicine, where Clinical Quality Director Maureen Boardman and other staff have testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee regarding the Little Rivers Food Farmacy, which uses nutritious food to manage chronic diseases. Also, 3SquaresVT Advocacy, with Little Rivers Health Care, is participating in 3SquaresVT Awareness Day to help legislators understand the impact of food access programs on the local community. 

Little Rivers Health Care also participates in broader state legislative initiatives designed to stabilize and improve rural health: Blueprint for Health, a state program that funds "Self-Management" workshops (such as those for diabetes or chronic pain) and integrates mental health services into primary care.
And also, the Stabilization Program: Little Rivers Health Care has been part of discussions and reporting regarding state-funded sustainability approaches for community providers facing financial pressures.

20 years of growth:
Little Rivers Health Care has a dynamic history and was founded in 2003 by a group of citizens and healthcare leaders who wanted to maintain the medical services needed in the rural areas they now serve.
Little Rivers Health Care included several local practices in its family, one of the first being the Wells River Clinic, which was originally opened in 1951 by Dr. Harry Rowe. As the business expanded from its base office in Bradford, offices in East Corinth and Newbury were added over time.
In 2022, they launched a dynamic major capital campaign, "People you know, the care you trust," which sought $6.2 million for facility expansions. They recently celebrated 20 years of service in the area and completed extensive renovations at the Bradford clinic, with additional dental and health access centers in Wells River, which opened in 2025. As of 2024, the center has provided nearly 45,000 patient visits to over 7000 community members, and Little Rivers Health Care employs over 100 people.
CEO Barter said that Little Rivers Health Care plans to hold similar forums and to rotate locations across their service area to ensure broader community participation."

After 31 years, Barbara's Red Stocking still helping others at Christmas time

By Bernie Marvin

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Packing cans, boxes, and fresh foods for distribution through the 32-year-old program Barbara's Red Stocking at the Fairlee Town Hall recently are, left to right, Bette Nunez, Ann Hoag, Paul Dalton, Georgette Wolf-Ludwig, Judy Franklin, and Sue Taylor. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Fairlee, VT – On a cold winter’s afternoon earlier this month, a group of volunteers gathered at the Fairlee Town Hall to begin their annual tasks of filling bags and cartons with food items that were, by this time, to have been distributed out to families in five different area towns that include Fairlee, Orford, West Fairlee, Vershire, and Piermont.
For the gathering of food items so that other residents in the selected towns will be feted with wholesome foods distributed by a wide variety of caring people, the Barbara's Red Stocking group has been using the handsome refurbished assembly room at the Fairlee Town Hall whenever their turn comes up to gather individual items for the food packages.
The assembly room is well-lit and occupies the entire top deck of the stately Town Hall, which was refurbished and renovated beginning in 2010. The structure that adorns Fairlee's Route 5 Main Street was built in 1913 after the original opera house burned. This building is where the business of the handsome Town of Fairlee is conducted and has been updated and honored by being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Here, Barbara's Red Stocking team came together and jumped right into assembling the many parts that make this Christmas holiday food program so important to the communities on Santa's list to receive these generous food contributions.
A person who has been with the program since its second year is Town Clerk Georgette Wolf-Ludwig, who told The Bridge Weekly during the recent busy assembly session that volunteers last year delivered food items to 56 households, serving 101 adults and 72 children.

Those home visits totaled 10 in Orford, 10 in Piermont, 23 combined in West Fairlee and Vershire, and 15 in Fairlee. According to the folks I spoke with while they were assembling the food packages, the baskets included a ham or turkey, canned and dry foods, vegetables, fresh fruits, bread, butter, cheese, and cereals.
Also distributed were baskets with fruit, a ham, and other items to be delivered to 22 seniors in the communities who need "a little extra Christmas Cheer." The annual letter of donation appeal tells the 500 recipients that the group's generosity allows the program to also contribute to Senior Center Meals on Wheels programs, food shelves, and the Fairlee Thanksgiving Dinner Meals on Wheels program.

Red Stocking Committee members this year include Judy Franklin, Susan Taylor, Noel Walker, Georgette Wolf-Ludwig, Mary Davenport, Teri Hook, Tim Danen, Georgette Underhill, Delsie Hoyt, Tad Nunez, and Laura Taylor.
The program had a smooth opening in 1994, when, in the beginning, four churches came together and, at the behest of the late Barbara Mack, a local newswriter and community organizer, who managed the program, asked four area churches about coming together and making holiday food available to their communities' elderly and those in need.
An original member of the group who has helped with the program since its beginning was Paul Dalton, who retired from the activity last year. This year, he stopped by for a visit and said he missed the activity greatly, but he wanted to swing in and say hello to the gang, who were all hard at work filling orders distributed last weekend.
He said he helped set it up with the Mack family in Orford and was surprised at how quickly it took off and became a community deal that should be done every year to help folks out who need a little boost here and there.

Those churches in the group that have made Barbara’s Red Stocking possible include the Congregational Church in Orford, Our Lady Queen of Peace, the Fairlee Community Church, and Saint Martin's Episcopal Church.
Readers wanting to make a donation to this group may send it to: Barbara’s Red Stocking, Susan Taylor, 118 Indian Pond Road, Orford, NH 03777

A busy hub of Christmas box and basket activity recently at the Fairlee Town Hall shows members of Barbara's Red Stocking assembling food packages that were distributed last weekend to residents in Fairlee, Piermont, West Fairlee and Vershire. Seen left to right are Tad Nunez, Teri Hook, Noel Walker, Judy Franklin, Bette Nunez, Sue Taylor, Laura Taylor, Deb O’Brien, Mary Davenport, and Georgette Wolf-Ludwig. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin