2012 Braun Super Chief Delivered to Fletcher Allen Critical Transport

Nassau Fire Apparatus would like to congratulate the Fletcher Allen Critical Transport unit in Burlington, Vermont on their brand new 2012 Braun Type I Super Chief on an International 4400 DuraStar Chassis! Captain Jeffrey Patterson accepted this new addition to the Fletcher Allen Critical Transport fleet with pride and expectation it will enhance their current crew of 6 other ambulances. Nassau Fire is confident that Fletcher Allen's new Braun Super Chief ambulance will be put to good use as the Critical Transport fleet has served the Fletcher Allen Healthcare's Level 1 Trauma Center for the past 10 years.

Founded in 1876, Fletcher Allen Healthcare is rich in history. To understand how Fletcher Allen Healthcare came to be, you need to know about the three major healthcare centers that came together to form this successful medical alliance.

Mary Fletcher Hospital: It started in 1876 with Mary Fletcher's generous donation of her $200,000 inheritance (equivalent to about $5 million today) to fulfill her family's dream of providing public health care to the community. That beginning donation funded the Burlington hospital and was the foundation for the medical education and loving care for patients to come at Fletcher Allen. The Mary Fletcher Hospital opened a few years later in 1879, shortly followed by the Mary Fletcher Hospital School of Nursing in 1882. In 1967, after 15 years of continuing growth for medical needs, talks of mergers between the Mary Fletcher hospital and the Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital began. In order to best serve the community and put everyone's resources to their best use, the Board of
Directors approved the two hospitals to become the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont.

Fanny Allen Hospital: The "Allen" part of the name came from another medical venture by those looking to also help the community in healthcare. In 1894, a group of sisters of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph started another hospital separate from the Mary Fletcher group, using the former Dunbars Hotel in Colchester for their foundation. They named the hospital after their late Sister, Frances Margaret Allen, who spent her life nursing the sick. This new hospital was then known as the Fanny Allen Hospital.

University Health Center: In 1971, ten medical specialty groups came together under one roof as the University Health Center, located at the former site of the Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital. This group became the single program to teach ambulatory care to medical students throughout Vermont and the surrounding states.

Fletcher Allen Healthcare: In 1995 through the spirit of collaboration, the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, Fanny Allen Hospital and the University Health Center came together as one under the name of Fletcher Allen Healthcare. This new entity also developed in alliance with the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine and College of Nursing and Health Sciences to serve as the
institution’s primary teaching hospital. Together, they constitute the only academic medical center in the state of Vermont.

Some interesting facts about the Fletcher Allen Healthcare center:

- In 1994, Fletcher Allen became the first hospital in the U.S. to be verified as a Level 1 Trauma Center for both adult and pediatric patients.

- Sentinel node biopsy, a surgical procedure to test for the spread of cancer cells in lymph nodes of breast cancer and melanoma patients, was established at Fletcher Allen by Dr. David Krag in 1998.

- Fletcher Allen takes pride in being one of the most eco-friendly organizations in Vermont. Their new Radiation Oncology suite opened in 2009 with its innovative cooling and ventilation systems. They also have a Rooftop Garden that retains rainwater and provides fresh produce for use at the Harvest Cafe, an on-site eatery. Fletcher Allen serves over 1.3 million healthy meals each year (more than anyplace else in Vermont).

To see more images of this recent delivery, click here.

To get more information about the Super Chief ambulance from Braun Industries, click here.

Congratulations again to Fletcher Allen Critical Transport for their new 2012 Braun Super Chief on a International 4400 Durastar chassis!