General Surgery, UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center

11/01/2024

Happy Halloween from our incredible teams! The creativity was on full display yesterday, and we’re thrilled to share some of the amazing costumes. So many fun themes this year—thank you to everyone who shared their photos!

11/01/2024

Through Art from the Heart, a partnership with Burlington City Arts, volunteers have been connecting patients and caregivers with art supplies UVM Medical Center and Children’s Hospital since 1994. Earlier this week, we celebrated 30 years of transforming the hospital environment into a more creative place for children, families, patients of all ages, and our care teams.

10/25/2024

Michael Dufort: Right to the Drums

"There’s so much you can do with just a couple of sticks in your hands.

On a very primal level, I like the different sound things make when you hit them and when you hit them with different amounts of force. I just think the way it varies is so cool. And I like how having various drums or percussion going fills out the sound of a band.

I was a very big listener of music as a young child. I have older siblings who were always playing rock music, playing the radio, playing records, and I skipped over that little-kid music phase. I got right into, for example, Billy Joel when I was about 4 or 5. And I used to look at the band and know I wanted to do it.

Drums were always something I picked out in songs. Everything I heard went right to the drums. And there are a few songs that really stick with me and inspire me as a percussionist.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 is one of the first songs I remember hearing as a kid and noticing the drum intro.

The late Neil Peart from Rush is one of my drumming idols. I finally saw them live for the first time in college with a bunch of friends and often think of “Spirit of Radio.”

I heard “Barrel of a Gun” by Guster for the first time in college and thought it was cool that their drummer exclusively played hand drums rather than a conventional drum set.

And “Fool in the Rain” by Led Zeppelin is simultaneously one of the hardest drum beats to master – and most fun to play.

After college, life got busy, and music slipped away for a while. I moved back to Malone in 2012 to help care for my Dad after he became ill. I went down to my cousin’s house to catch up with him and some friends and he said, “Hey, let’s jam.” It just came right back, and I’ve been in probably five or six bands since I’ve been back. Right now, I play in a band called Bluebird a few times a month.

Music brought my family together. My wife and I have six kids between us, and everyone plays an instrument. It was our love of music that bonded us. And it will always be there for me and the people I love."

Michael Dufort, RPh, FACA, is the director of pharmacy at Alice Hyde Medical Center. He’s been with us since 2013.

10/24/2024

As part of Governor Scott’s Capital for a Day in Chittenden County, our leaders had an opportunity to join state leaders and our community partners for a discussion about the challenges we face in meeting our community’s health care needs, as well as highlight positive progress through collaboration, in Chittenden County.

The event was hosted at UVM Health Network Home Health & Hospice and featured UVMMC President Steve Leffler, MD, UVM - HHH President, Christine Werneke, MS and Jessica Moschella, SVP High Value Care for UVMHN.

10/23/2024

As part of ongoing efforts to manage crucial IV fluid supplies during a national shortage, UVM Health Network will reschedule certain elective procedures that require large amounts of IV and sterile irrigation fluid, starting this Friday. Patient safety will be the top priority in assessing each case, and patients will be contacted if their procedure is affected.

Elective procedures scheduled from Friday, October 25, through Friday, November 1, that typically use large volumes of IV and sterile irrigation fluid will be canceled and rescheduled. Procedures will be evaluated based on urgency and patient safety. Not all procedures will be delayed – patients should continue to arrive for procedures and appointments as scheduled unless contacted by their provider.

We are continuously monitoring and adjusting to the situation as cleanup efforts continue at a major IV fluid production facility in North Carolina, which was flooded by Hurricane Helene, causing a nationwide shortage of IV fluid.

10/22/2024

Next Monday, the Howard Center's new Mental Health Urgent Care (MHUC) will begin offering a much-needed alternative to emergency department visits for adults facing a mental health crisis. Located at 1 South Prospect Street in Burlington, the center provides immediate support in a compassionate, trauma-informed setting. We’re grateful to have collaborated with many incredible community partners on this important project. The ribbon cutting for the facility took place yesterday.

10/21/2024

Dale Walsh, RN, was recently honored with a DAISY Award for her exceptional work in helping a patient through recovery. The patient was so grateful for Walsh's support that they wrote a heartfelt, multi-page letter detailing the compassionate care they received. In the letter, the patient shared, "Dale's efficient and knowledge-based treatment of my physical needs were only eclipsed by her empathy, grasp and support for my will to live and to return to my active life. She not only understood that at ninety, I am not ready to give up on life, she made me feel unique and uniquely healthy for my age. She made me feel like it was a no-brainer that I would recover and thrive even though I felt so very ill at the time."

10/18/2024

Summer Collette: A Better Way

"I’d be lying if I said I’ve been a die-hard environmentalist my whole life.

But every day in the operating room, we use a lot of medical supplies: gowns, sutures, gloves, masks, drapes and countless other materials – all in the delicate care of our patients. Much of it is destined for the landfill, including medical supplies that have expired but could otherwise still serve a purpose.

Years of watching all this material turn to waste changed something in me. I knew there had to be a better way, a way to be better stewards of the environment and the resources we use to care for our patients.

A visit to my surgical colleagues at UVM Medical Center opened my eyes to a new possibility: We should donate this waste to people in need. UVM Medical Center was already working with Partners for World Health, a nonprofit organization that collects medical equipment and supplies for disadvantaged communities.

It clicked for me: The waste we were creating at Porter could become something meaningful to people far beyond our operating room walls. This concept lit a fire in me, and I knew I needed to push for a change. So I started squirreling away everything I could. Early this year, Porter donated its first truck full of expired surgical supplies to Partners for World Health.

Since then, units from across Porter are now talking about how they, too, can collect and donate supplies. It feels like we are all in this together, working in our own corners of this health system, trying to make things better.

Breaking out of old habits has been an important lesson for me. We can always do things better. As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.”"

Summer Collette is a surgical technologist at Porter Medical Center. She’s been with us nearly 20 years. Summer's story is part of The Mosaic Project, a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health Network.

10/18/2024

There is currently a nationwide shortage of IV fluids after Hurricane Helene damaged a facility that produces around 60% of the country’s supply. Cleanup is expected to take months.

In the meantime, while other facilities and companies ramp up production, we and many other hospitals are receiving only a percentage of the IV fluid orders we normally receive.

Our primary aim is to limit the effect that the IV fluid shortage has on patient care. Right now, our guidelines are focused on not using IV fluids when they are unnecessary and limiting how much we use when it is unavoidable. Patients may experience minor changes to their care – specifically, when safe and appropriate, rehydration fluids and some medications may be administered orally rather than through an IV.

No surgical procedures have been cancelled at this time. Patients should arrive for procedures as scheduled unless they are contacted by their provider.

10/15/2024

We were proud to take the voices of our brave frontline caregivers and the leadership of our organization to the national AHA Society for Health Care Strategy and Market Development Conference in Denver.

Ryan Mercer and Bonita Brodt, along with our colleague Ara Telbelian from Henry Ford Health, shared two distinct approaches to highlight the national crisis of violence against our health care workers. Their presentations aimed to bring the public closer to this critical issue and open new conversations to spur meaningful change.

10/11/2024

Tony Williams: Invisible No More
"As a Black kid growing up in inner-city Queens, becoming a doctor felt impossible.

I’d simply never seen a doctor that looked like me, except occasionally on TV. But in eighth grade, when some of my peers were joining gangs or getting pregnant, I decided to aim for the unattainable: I would become a doctor.

I learned early that my appearance would shape how many people perceive me. I was 8 when I was first stopped by the police because I looked like another boy who had gotten into trouble. My father was 15 when he witnessed his friend, Randolph Evans, murdered by a police officer.

“Don’t die today. Stay out of jail. Finish elementary school. Be invisible. Be invisible.” These are the things I told myself as I tried to make it out.

I am privileged to have loving, supportive parents. They helped me believe I could achieve anything. I first volunteered at a hospital when I was 13, an experience that ultimately led me to medical school and, finally, residency.

It looked like my dream was becoming a reality, but in these predominantly white environments, I found myself talking differently, being more conscious of my appearance and less likely to be open about what I knew or what I didn’t. I didn’t like to ask for help. I didn’t find it easy to be myself. Be invisible.

It was holding me back: I twice failed my Step 2 examination – the “gateway” exam to becoming a doctor – before finally moving on to my residency.

After the 2020 George Floyd murder, I began to find my voice. I realized that I would never succeed professionally, nor be able to support others, if I wasn’t open about my vulnerabilities and challenges as a Black man and physician.

Today I proudly wear my life experience. It makes me a better doctor, helps me find common ground with my patients and be empathetic to the students.

I still go to Queens regularly with my wife and kids to visit my family. It makes me grateful for where I have come from and hopeful that with the right support."

Tony Williams, MD, is a physician at Colchester Family Practice and an assistant dean of admissions at University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine.

10/04/2024

Jodi Gibbs: Community Champion

"I love to organize. Plan. Help.

During the holidays, I organize volunteers to ring the bell four or five days a week at our local Walmart to raise money for the Salvation Army. I’m the chairperson of the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors. I serve on the board of directors for the TrailNorth Federal Credit Union.

And I volunteer at my church. I am a greeter every Sunday. It’s so much fun to see the same people week after week. They always tease me because I know almost every single person’s name who comes into the church. They always comment, “Oh my word, how can you possibly keep track of everyone’s name?” It’s just a little trick I have.

I keep busy throughout the year. Everyone can use some help now and then, and that’s really all I want to do. There’s a sense of connection to my community that brings me joy.

I’ve been on the planning committee for Memorial Day events for my hometown, Crown Point, for 30 years. We have a parade, fireworks, a carnival and music. Every year for my entire life, my family has gone to my aunt’s house – she lives on the main road and the parade goes right by – so we have lunch and watch.

It brings me joy to see happy children, families and generations of people come together. It’s fun to be able to ensure that tradition continues. That’s a big part of why I keep volunteering. It brings such joy to my heart to help others with no expectation of a return. "

Jodi Gibbs is the quality and population health assistant at Elizabethtown Community Hospital. She’s been with us for six years. Her story is part of The Mosaic Project, a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health Network.

10/03/2024

Nurses and nurse leaders from the University of Vermont Health Network, Porter Medical Center, University of Vermont Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center partnered with Habitat for Humanity today in Winooski, working to construct a triplex on Hall Street that will ultimately house three families selected through Champlain Housing Trust.

09/27/2024

Casey Kolb Nava: A Lasting Legacy.
"Almost every time I’m in the car with a relative, I learn something new about my family’s history.

"Sometimes it’s a small graveyard with the remains of one of our 1700s ancestors. Sometimes it’s an unexpected link to historical figures like Ethan Allen or George Dewey, who was from Montpelier and became Admiral of the United States Navy. Sometimes it’s something humbler – a pasture with a beautiful view that was once owned by another branch of the family.

"I wasn’t born and raised here – I grew up near Washington D.C. – but these connections to Central Vermont have been important to me since I was a kid. We often visited family here and soaked up stories about the past from older relatives. When I moved here with my family in 2015, I saw all this history with fresh eyes and started to appreciate how much the past is tied up with the present and the future.

"The place where this all comes together for me is what my family calls the “Old Farm,” at the end of Slaughterhouse Road outside of Northfield Falls. It’s all the way at the top of the hill there.

"My great-grandfather had this idea in the ’60s to turn the land into a red-pine farm that could be harvested for telephone poles. My grandparents, my dad and his five siblings spent a lot of time planting trees on this 160-acre piece of land. Every school break they would be out there planting.

"By the ’90s, the trees were grown, but no one wanted to cut them down. The land was too beautiful and filled with wildlife – we see moose tracks up there and “our bear” comes through regularly. It’s one of those places where Vermont’s past and present coexist."

Casey Kolb Nava, MD is the medical director of the Central Vermont Medical Center hospitalist group. She’s been with us for more than nine years. Casey's story is part of the Mosaic Project, a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health Network.

09/26/2024

Our people. Their stories. Introducing the Mosaic Project.

The Mosaic Project is a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health Network. These are your coworkers, caregivers, neighbors, family members, friends – each with unique life experiences that are part of the vibrant mosaic of who we are. Stay tuned to learn more about this ongoing series comes from interviews conducted by the storytellers on our Communications and Engagement Strategies team.

UVMHealth.org/Mosaic

09/24/2024

Climate change can have a wide range of impacts on our mental health – from the stress and anxiety caused by extreme weather events that directly affect our lives and livelihoods, to feelings of being helpless when faced with an overwhelming challenge. As we observe Climate Week 2024, we sat down with psychiatrist Andy Rosenfeld, MD, to discuss how people can help the planet and improve their well-being.

09/24/2024

COVID-19 cases are already on the rise in many places across our area, with masking advised in some hospitals and now mandatory at others.

As for flu, “It seems like it'll probably be a pretty ‘normal’ flu season this year — not too early and not too severe,” says Jessie Leyse, MD, MPH, an infectious disease, internal medicine and pediatric physician at Central Vermont Medical Center.

The key to not getting sick with either is vaccination. It’s important to still be vigilant.

Questions for our infectious disease expert about flu, COVID-19 and RSV.

09/19/2024

Respiratory Therapists deliver care that helps people manage a wide range of breathing problems caused by disease, accident, or illness. These professionals provide care whenever and wherever breathing is an issue. They work in hospitals or other acute care settings, or are employed in clinics, physicians’ offices, or skilled nursing facilities.