Phone: 802.433.6183 Fax: 802.433.1309
Second Spring History
On February 4, 2005 Secretary of Human Services Charlie Smith published the Vermont State Hospital (VSH) Futures Plan. Part of this document included planning for Community Recovery Residences (CRR) to be established throughout the state to help mitigate the census of the Vermont State Hospital. As this was an innovative care modality with few examples to follow across the United States, The Clara Martin Center, The Howard Center and Washington County Mental Health joined forces and established a new corporation called Collaborative Solutions Corporation (CSC) with the executive directors of each agency forming the board of directors. The first CRR to be developed by CSC under the new modality was Second Spring.
While modeled on other rural recovery programs such as Spring Lake Ranch in Cuttingsville, VT; Spruce Mountain Inn in Plainfield, VT and the former Birch House that was located near Littleton, NH, the Second Spring program is unique in that it was specifically created to provide a CRR for VSH patients. Nursing and psychiatric services as well as clinical, vocational and case management services are provided on site and in the community, allowing residents of Second Spring ease of access to needed services as well as the ability to maintain contact with their designated agency.
Second Spring is a licensed Level III Care Home with 14 private bedrooms for residents and is located on 45 acres of former farmland in the picturesque community of Williamstown, Vermont. Second Spring occupies the former Autumn Harvest Inn, which sits on Route 64. This central location allows access to routine and urgent medical care with travel times of less than 20 minutes to both Central Vermont Medical Center and Gifford Medical center and around 60 minutes to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Along with ease of access, this central location also provides a unique opportunity for community integration outings to Montpelier, Barre, Randolph and other Central Vermont communities.
As a leader in CRR facilities, Second Spring hosts nursing students on day visits from Vermont Technical College, Norwich University and the University of Vermont so that they may learn how CRRs work. Additionally, Second Spring has hosted Interns from Antioch University’s New England Campus and Nursing Practitioner Students from UVM as part of their educational process.