Twenty-one health care professionals from southern Vermont and New Hampshire attended an Open House sponsored by Grace Cottage Foundation on Saturday, May 13. The purpose of the event, which included a full tour of the Otis Health Care Center, was to showcase the facilities, the staff, and wide variety of services provided.

"I was so impressed by the facility, and the friendly feeling of the staff was extraordinary," said Dr. Jorge Crespo, a Brattleboro dermatologist. "Three generations of my family have been in medicine, and we've always considered it to be a 'sacred privilege'. That's the feeling I got at Grace Cottage, which I don't get at many hospitals. And the gourmet lunch was fabulous!"

Twenty-five Grace Cottage employees and affiliated doctors were on hand to greet and talk with the attendees. Director of Medical Services Bob Backus was the Master of Ceremonies.

"It's an incredible privilege to practice here," Backus told the invited guests after they had viewed a Chronicle television show about Grace Cottage, produced in late 1998 by WCVB, Channel 5 in Boston. "It's a privilege to care for people in an environment of compassion, calm and competence. We are blessed. Here, every member of the staff has an old-fashioned belief: the patient comes first. We believe in body care and mind care. We're who we are because of the support of the community and the incredible love and dedication of every member of our staff."