Yes!  In addition to providing free parking for patients and visitors, NMC provides a wonderful valet and shuttle service which is free to everyone!  This service was established by the veterans of our community and we are deeply grateful to them, both for their service to our country and now for their service to their community through this remarkably helpful effort to ease access to care on NMC’s campus.

These dedicated volunteers offer both valet parking and shuttle service between the hours of 8am and 3pm, Monday through Friday.  The valet station is located at the main entrance to the hospital.  Here, our valet volunteers assist patients and visitors by valet parking their cars upon request.  With the new interior connecting corridor, this valet parking location provides inside access to the main hospital building as well as the new medical clinics location and the new medical office building at the front of campus. The valet volunteers at the main entrance provide warm greetings, assistance accessing wheelchairs, help opening and closing car doors, and friendly connection to the volunteers at the information desk just inside our entrances. At the same time, the valet shuttle roves our parking lots picking up individuals who would like a ride to one of the entrances to buildings on NMC’s campus – or taking individuals back to their cars. The valet at the main entrance has radio contact with the driver of the shuttle, so if you arrive at that station and need a ride back to your car, the shuttle can be quickly summoned. You can also call the valet service at (802) 782-7379 if you are coming onto campus and have questions or if you need assistance while on campus.

Response to these two services has been so warm and appreciative.  People truly appreciate the help and pleasant nature of the valet volunteers. It is also touching to see how quick people are to express gratitude and respect for the valets’ military service as well.  While we expected people would find these services particularly helpful during the frigid days of Vermont’s weather, both valet parking and the shuttle service have proven very helpful during the recent heat wave.

We are still asked occasionally how much it costs to have a shuttle ride or to have a car valet parked, so I would like to re-emphasize that point. Both the valet parking and the shuttle service are free, thanks to the generosity of our local veterans.

We did hear one question we had not anticipated from a recent visitor to NMC’s campus, who had seen the signs for the service and thought the “Veterans’ Valet” was only meant to transport veterans. That is an unexpected interpretation of the wording! While that would be a well-deserved honor given their service to our country, this was not the intent when the groups of veterans established the Veterans’ Valet. They are continuing the emphasis on service to others in their lives – and they are looking to help patients and visitors have an easier visit to the hospital.

To me, the veterans making these two services available free to patients and visitors of the hospital is a true sign of a community that cares about its members. It has been a welcomed extension of the remarkable volunteer program at NMC.  Time is such a precious thing in our busy lives and we are so appreciative of the gift of time given by all of our volunteers. They are each a key contributor to NMC’s efforts to provide exceptional care.

If you have not ridden in the shuttle yet, please feel free to! It is a fun little vehicle and the volunteers truly enjoy helping our patients and visitors get where they are going. Also, do not hesitate to use the valet service. We hope that this aspect of our emphasis on 5-star caring, always, will make it easier for you to access the care you need and to provide support for your loved ones receiving care.

— Jill Berry Bowen, NMC’s Chief Executive Officer