Henry W. Putnam started Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) in 1910 by donating his water company to the Town of Bennington, stipulating that the proceeds be used to fund a public hospital. One of Bennington's oldest charities, SVHC depends on the generosity of donors to provide an unprecedented level of care for a community hospital. SVHC is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees drawn from the communities it serves.

SVHC serves more than 55,000 people in the towns and villages of Bennington County and western Windham County and Southern Rutland County in Vermont, eastern Rensselaer County in New York and Northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts.