Vermont Public Health Association

03/27/2026

The 2026 Vermont legislative session is advancing key public health proposals, including measures to regulate toxic heavy metals in baby food (H.536), mandate mental health literacy in schools (H.817), and restrict the herbicide paraquat (H.739).

This legislative update is authored by Olivia Teare, a UVM Legislative Intern, highlighting the Vermont Public Health Association's commitment to tracking policy and fostering future public health leaders through its partnership with the University of Vermont.

For more details, visit the Vermont Public Health Association's legislative update here:

[Intern dispatch by Liv Teare, UVM Legislative Intern ’26] The 2026 session in Montpelier is seeing a range of public health-related proposals advance through committees or garner attention as they move through the House and Senate. While legislators are balancing priorities such as education and ...

03/11/2026

⏳ Tomorrow: Finding Awe and Connection in Public Health Nursing

Calling all Vermont Public Health Nurses! Our monthly virtual meetup is happening tomorrow at 6:00 PM.

In the fast-paced world of public health, how do we sustain our passion? Tomorrow evening, Katherine Daniels from UVM Health - UVM Medical Center will lead a special session on “spiritual wonder.” We’ll discuss the kindness and courage that fuels our work and how to find sustainment in the small moments of awe.

Come for the professional updates, stay for the inspiration.

📅 When: Tomorrow, March 12th
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Where: Virtual

Don’t miss this chance to gather with your peers. Register today!
https://vtpha.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F36100

03/10/2026

🏆 Help us recognize Vermont’s Public Health Champions!

Public health thrives in every space where Vermonters gather—from our local school halls to the heart of our community organizations.

The Vermont Public Health Association is seeking your nominations for our annual Public Health Champion Award. We want to honor the individuals and collaborative groups whose innovative and inclusive work ensures a healthier future for all Vermonters.

Do you know a team or a leader making a tangible difference in the Green Mountain State? Now is the time to share their story and ensure their hard work is recognized

Submit your nomination for an Individual or Group today!

https://vtpha.org/call-for-nominations-vtphas-public-health-champion-awards/

Save the Date: Awardees will be celebrated at our Annual Meeting on May 6th.

Deadline: Submissions are accepted through April 3rd.

The Vermont Public Health Association (VtPHA) is excited to open our call for nominations for our annual Public Health Champion Award. Our Public Health Champion Award recognizes individuals and groups who have made extraordinary contributions to public health within the state. This award was create...

03/09/2026

⏳ Tomorrow: Get the latest update on Flu Season 2026

Flu activity continues to impact our communities, and staying informed is our best defense. Join VtPHA tomorrow at noon for a timely deep dive into the current influenza season.

We are excited to host Andrew Rennekamp, PhD, Senior Medical Science Liaison for Vaccines at CSL, who will walk us through:

📈 Regional Trends: Current U.S. and region-specific epidemiologic data.
🔬 Strain Updates: The impact of H3N2 antigenic drift and strain mismatch.
🛡️ Vaccine Insights: Observations on how advanced influenza vaccine technologies are working to mitigate these challenges.

Whether you're a clinician, a student, or a public health advocate, this session offers essential takeaways for the remainder of the season and future planning.

Don’t miss out—secure your spot for this free virtual event!

https://vtpha.org/march-lunch-learn-influenza-in-2025-2026-season-update-and-implications-for-public-health/

Event Details:

📅 Date: Tomorrow, March 10, 2026
🕛 Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
📍 Location: Virtual

VtPHA is excited to host CSL Seqirus’ Senior Medical Science Liaison for Vaccines – Andrew Rennekamp – as the speaker for our March Lunch-and-Learn. Dr. Rennekamp will be providing a timely update on the current influenza season, including U.S. and regional epidemiologic trends and what we hav...

03/05/2026

🩺 Reconnect and Recharge: March Public Health Nursing Meetup

Public health nursing is as much about the heart as it is about the science.

In honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday (May 12th), the Vermont Public Health Association PHN Section meets on the 12th of every month to advance our profession and support one another.

This March, we are honored to welcome Katherine Daniels, Pediatric Chaplain at the UVM Health - UVM Medical Center. Katherine will guide us through a discussion on “spiritual wonder”—exploring how finding awe in kindness and courage can sustain us both as professionals and as humans.

Join your colleagues to share updates, learn something new, and find a moment of reflection in your busy schedule.

Register now to join the conversation on March 12th!
https://vtpha.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F36100

03/03/2026

Empathy Over Argument: Tools for Vaccine Conversations

How do we respond when a friend, neighbor, or patient shares vaccine misinformation? The data shows that "debunking" with cold facts often fails if it isn't paired with empathy.

At VtPHA's February Vaccine Coalition meeting, Dana Howe, MS from Vaccinate Your Family highlighted three great resources for public health communication that every Vermonter should have bookmarked:

𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 "𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬": A YouTube Playlist featuring realistic, peer-to-peer modeling. It’s perfect for learning how to respond to viral rumors without being dismissive.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM53nMUclCyzp58Ns_M85dxsGsaJfuPe2

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Their guide on Communicating More Effectively About Vaccines offers specific messaging frameworks to help you bridge the gap between science and skepticism.
https://publichealthcollaborative.org/communication-tools/communicating-more-effectively-about-vaccines/

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: This group specializes in "pre-bunking"—meeting people where they are on social platforms to fill information voids with speed and compassion.
https://www.evicollective.org/

Effective communication starts with listening. Use these resources to turn a potential argument into a productive dialogue.

Meeting People Where They Are: Scientist-Creators Delivering Trusted Health Information on Social Media and Beyond As the information landscape rapidly changes, and trust in health institutions fades, falsehoods are spreading 6 times faster than the truth. With 1 in 2 Americans getting their health....

03/02/2026

📊 New Data: The Mental Health Cost of Anti-Trans Policy

In our February Lunch & Learn, Dr. Teresa Graziano (University of Vermont College of Nursing and Health Sciences) shared sobering findings from a survey of over 500 transgender and nonbinary individuals. As national discourse around gender-affirming care (GAC) intensifies, the mental health toll is becoming a growing public health crisis.

• 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: many adult respondents fear losing access to care under the current federal administration.
• 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤: 1 in 5 respondents reported active or passive suicidal ideation specifically linked to the fear of losing access to GAC.
• 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐬:1 in 3 would consider unregulated "DIY" hormone therapy if legal access is restricted, posing significant long-term medical risks.

Public health isn't just about clinical outcomes; it's about the policies that create—or dismantle—safety. While Vermont’s shield laws currently protect providers, the "minority stress" from federal debates is already impacting our community’s well-being.

Missed the live session? Catch up on the full recap and research here.
https://vtpha.org/event-recap-february-lunch-and-learn-how-local-state-and-national-policy-affect-transgender-individuals-mental-health/

In the previous 10 years, discussion about transgender and nonbinary peoples’ access to gender-affirming care has been openly and hotly debated on public platforms, including during the most recent presidential election. Policies restricting transgender and nonbinary people’s access to potential...

02/27/2026

🦠 Flu Season 2026: What Have We Learned?🦠

Join Vermont Public Health Association and guest speaker Andrew Rennekamp, PhD, for our March Lunch-&-Learn. We’ll be diving into regional epidemiologic trends, vaccine effectiveness, and the impact of the H3N2 antigenic drift.

Register for this free virtual event to stay ahead of the curve.
https://vtpha.org/march-lunch-learn-influenza-in-2025-2026-season-update-and-implications-for-public-health/

VtPHA is excited to host CSL Seqirus’ Senior Medical Science Liaison for Vaccines – Andrew Rennekamp – as the speaker for our March Lunch-and-Learn. Dr. Rennekamp will be providing a timely update on the current influenza season, including U.S. and regional epidemiologic trends and what we hav...

02/26/2026

🏛️ Stay Informed: 2025/2026 Vermont Legislative Bill Tracker🏛️

From school funding and housing affordability to healthcare accessibility, the 2025/2026 biennium is in full swing. Our updated Bill Tracker, supported by the University of Vermont’s Legislative Intern Program, is live to help you monitor every public-health-related bill moving through the State House.

Bookmark the tracker and stay updated on biweekly developments.

https://vtpha.org/ph-policy-tracker-2025/

This post serves as a running list of all public health-related legislation introduced in the Vermont Legislature’s 2025/2026 biennium. If you think we’ve missed a public-health-related bill, please email info@vtpha.org. We’ve tried to group legislation by topic area, a very imprecise exercise...

02/25/2026

Who is your Public Health Hero? 🌟

Public health excellence is found wherever Vermonters gather, from the halls of our local schools to the heart of our community organizations.

The Vermont Public Health Association is now accepting nominations for our annual Public Health Champion Award! This is our chance to celebrate the extraordinary Vermonters who go above and beyond to protect and promote the health of our communities.

Do you know an individual or a group making a tangible difference in the Green Mountain State? We want to hear their story.

Nominate your champion today! Awardees will be celebrated at our Annual Meeting on May 6th. Submission accepted through April 3rd.

https://vtpha.org/call-for-nominations-vtphas-public-health-champion-awards/

The Vermont Public Health Association (VtPHA) is excited to open our call for nominations for our annual Public Health Champion Award. Our Public Health Champion Award recognizes individuals and groups who have made extraordinary contributions to public health within the state. This award was create...

02/24/2026

🚨 Action Alert: Protect Advanced Public Health Education 🚨

The Department of Education is proposing changes that could end federal loans for advanced public health and nursing degrees. This directly impacts the future of our workforce. We have 6 days left to make our voices heard.

Review our compiled resources and submit your comment today.

https://vtpha.org/action-alert-department-of-education-ending-federal-loans-for-advanced-public-health-degrees/

There are less than two weeks left to make your voice heard on the Department of Education’s proposed changes to federal student loan borrowing limits for public health and advanced nursing degrees. If you haven’t commented yet, we’ve compiled some resources to help you do so. The Proposed Rul...

02/20/2026

Yesterday, Vermont's Vaccine Coalition met for its second meeting. The event was headlined by Dana Howe, Communications Director for Vaccinate Your Family.

Between Dana's presentation and the ensuing discussion, we created a fantastic list of communication resources and trusted vaccine news/media outlets that can help make sense of our rapidly evolving vaccine landscape.

Follow the link to see Dana's slides and the full list of resources with links.

And.... here's a shout-out to some of the folks and orgs who made the cut. Who did we miss? Do you have a go-to resource for trusted information on vaccines?

Vaccinate Your Family
Voices for Vaccines
Public Health Communications Collaborative
The Evidence Collective
Immunize Org
Your Local Epidemiologist
Paul Offit MD
Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS
Jess Steier
Caitlin Rivers
STAT's Morning Rounds newsletter
Zero Hour Health's Executive Briefing
Morning Vax View newsletter

February’s Vaccine Coalition meeting was headlined by Dana Howe, Communications Director for Vaccinate Your Family. Her presentation and subsequent discussion surfaced a plethora of resources to help us stay informed and empowered in this quickly changing vaccine landscape. Dana’s full presentat...