In May, the University of Vermont Medical Center sought approval to build a $129 million outpatient surgery center in South Burlington, Vt., but construction on the planned facility has now been paused due to budget constraints, according to an Oct. 4 report from NBC 5.
UVM initially intended to break ground and begin construction on the 84,000-square-foot surgery center this fall, with the facility opening in mid-2026.
The earliest open date for the new center is now projected for sometime in 2027, according to the report.
UVM is working to meet the obligations of the Green Mountain Care Board after it ordered a significantly reduced budget for the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.
The budget reduction is a result of other budget cuts that the board imposed following increased patient demand on the health network from the previous year, according to the report.
"As a nonprofit hospital, we are in the difficult position of having our budgets cut substantially when we are trying to respond to the health needs of our community," Stephen Leffler, MD, president and COO of UVM Medical Center, told NBC 5.
Construction on the project will be paused until at least 2025, according to the report.