The University of Vermont Medical Center HealthSource blog is your leading source for community health news and articles from industry experts. Read through a collection of community health news and articles on a variety of topics such as addiction, substance abuse, sexual assault, mental health and more. The HealthSource community health blog features an array of regular authors and contributors from the medical world including doctors, nutritionists, nurse practitioners, healthcare executives and community partners.
It’s fitting that National Donor Day is February 14, a day we already associate with love. On this day, we raise awareness about organ donation and celebrate the lives of organ and tissue donors. Most people will eventually be affected by donation in their lives. They will either know someone who needs, or has received […]
We recently received feedback from a transgender patient who sought care at our organization. She felt angry and disappointed to read her clinical treatment note and see repeated use of the wrong pronoun: “he” instead of “she.” Our failure to use the correct gender pronoun contributed to this patient feeling a lack of dignity and […]
Public statement by Eileen Whalen, MHA, RN, president of The University of Vermont Medical Center. It is disappointing that on the fourth day of this New Year, we are gathered to discuss a significant increase in the number of opioid-related overdoses seen at the University of Vermont Medical Center’s Emergency Department. At 6 a.m. this […]
I am not particularly adept at games and strategy. I like playing games, but don’t even really care about winning or losing. So, why have I participated in Extra Life for five years? When I was in college, one of my friends from school got cancer and within a matter of months, she was gone. […]
Autumn. The time of year when we drape ourselves in flannel, devour (or bemoan) everything pumpkin spice, and drink in the vibrant palette of yellows, oranges, and reds dotting the mountainside. It’s also the time when days grow colder and shorter—and energy costs creep up. So before you get too cozy with your favorite fall […]
As the coordinator of the Art from the Heart program at the UVM Medical Center I see and hear about the power of the arts to help us feel better, connect us to each other, and support people in challenging times. And, the arts can help us beyond the walls of the hospital as we undergo challenging and […]
National PA Week is October 6-12, recognizing the profession of Physician Assistants (PAs) and their contributions to the nation’s health. PAs are essential for the smooth delivery of patient care. Today, there are a growing number of PAs with over 123,000 in the United States and counting. We invited Christine O’Neill, PA-C, Director of Advanced […]
Passwords. They are used to protect some of our most sensitive information, including e-mail, bank accounts, credit cards, internet-connected computers and – most important – our identities. They are the pain point for every user: usually required to be a certain length, contain a combination of characters, numbers and symbols. Once you’ve created that perfect, […]
Chronic pain is a significant public health problem that affects anywhere from 11 to 47 percent of the U.S. population. Experts estimate the cost burden to be between $560 billion to $635 billion. Pain medications, meant to alleviate chronic pain, have resulted in the current opioid crisis. What if there were a new way to […]
October is a beautiful month in Vermont, with all the amazing colors of fall. This time of year, most people think of pumpkins, the changing leaves, hot cider and Halloween. But there are other things October brings to mind. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and – for those of us who spend our days […]
