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.
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 […]
In January of 2017, Anya Koutras, MD, packed her bags and traveled to Ddegaya, Uganda for the first time. Ddegaya is a rural town five hours south of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. In Ddegaya, Anya volunteered at Engeye, a non-profit health clinic for the surrounding rural community. First Day in Uganda On Anya Koutras’ […]
Nurse recruitment and staffing – both its challenges and successes – have been in the news a lot recently, and with good reason. Our nurses are one of our biggest strengths and are at the core of the care we provide as an organization. As the leader for nurse recruitment at the UVM Medical Center, […]
For many of us, accepting who we are is a long and difficult road, marred by insecurity and angst. So it was for Kevin Richmond, whose struggle to come to terms with his identity has lent an unexpected richness and depth to his life, both personally and professionally. Growing up Deaf, Kevin had difficulty when […]
