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Select board opens talks on hosting periodic free clinic in new town office building
Summary
Board members discussed preliminary plans with the Bennington Free Clinic to use an existing exam room in the new municipal building for periodic pop-up clinics (vaccinations, wound care, general medicine), raised access, privacy and scheduling concerns, and agreed to invite clinic organizers to present details at a future meeting.
The select board on May 20 began exploratory discussions about hosting periodic free-clinic services in a dedicated exam room at the town’s recently acquired municipal building.
Chair (speaker 1) outlined early talks with Bennington Free Clinic volunteers and physicians, including Dr. David King and Dr. Avery Wood, and with Natalie Basile of the clinic’s coordinating group. The proposal would let clinic teams run scheduled pop-up services such as vaccinations, wound care, general medical appointments (drop-in or by appointment), homebound visits and specialty consults under the clinic’s medical supervision.
Clinic organizers would be responsible for clinical oversight, licensing, volunteers, intake and medical records, the chair said. Board members and several residents raised practical concerns: the back entrance and path to the exam room lack lighting and a smooth surface; the room connects directly to municipal office space and lacks a separate waiting area; evenings and meeting nights already host community uses of the building; and privacy and intake logistics need firm procedures.
Town staff described potential mitigations: using an adjacent break room as a small waiting area during off-hours, assigning a board liaison or volunteer to coordinate scheduling and ensuring clinicians hold keys and control access. The board signaled support for a follow-up meeting with clinic leaders, the town administrator and staff so they can answer specific questions about hours, intake, volunteer supervision, safety and insurance.
No formal decision was made. The board directed staff to invite clinic representatives to a future meeting and to publicize the session so employees and residents can raise concerns and ask technical questions about site logistics.
