Vermont Public Health Association

01/20/2026

Join us this Friday, January 23rd, for an exclusive conversation with Department of Health's Dr. Rick Hildebrant.

In October, Vermont Governor Governor Phil Scott appointed Dr. Rick Hildebrant to serve as the state’s newest Commissioner of Health.

Dr. Hildebrant takes the helm of the Vermont Department of Health at an important moment. From rapidly changing federal policies and funding priorities to persistent challenges to Vermont’s public health infrastructure, Dr. Hildebrant will need the support of the entire public health community to navigate these uncertain times.

On January 23rd, we invite you to join fellow VtPHA members for an exclusive conversation with Dr. Hildebrant. After hearing the Commissioner’s initial vision for VDH, we will open the floor for questions and dialogue.

Date: January 23rd, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Location: Virtual
Note: VTPHA Members Only

For more information on how to become a member and register - please follow the link below. We hope to see you there.

https://vtpha.org/event-meet-vermonts-new-health-commissioner/

01/15/2026

The cuts are being reversed...

This is not the way to lead. Chaotic, callous, and destructive.

Many of the affected grant programs had bipartisan support and President Donald Trump has supported them in the past.

01/15/2026

This week the Trump administration canceled billions of dollars of congressionally-appropriated Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants. These grants provide critical funding for critical mental health and substance use services that help save lives every day.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness' CEO, Daniel H. Gillison, Jr, summed up the devastating impact this will have on our most vulnerable community members.

“These cuts are disheartening and cruel, and they threaten the life-saving work of hundreds of organizations that provide critical mental health support across the United States. Addressing our mental health and substance use crises in this country has never been political, which is why it continues to have bipartisan support in Congress. These abrupt and unjustified cuts will immediately disrupt su***de prevention efforts, family and peer recovery support, overdose prevention and treatment, and mental health awareness and education programming, along with so many more essential services, putting an unknown number of lives at stake. These aren’t just numbers on paper. These are decisions that have real and harmful consequences for millions of people and communities around the country.”

For NAMI's full press release, follow the link.

https://www.nami.org/press-releases/nami-reacts-to-abrupt-termination-of-samhsa-grants/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPVoLFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE3RW1scGY0RXNUMmN6akY1c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHroDUClXrIWDvkuqRJ4rcc0i5y1jWEf3SVIejvm8-EEIeW4a8M5J9GHYkVyA_aem_IBVe6GoEiZPFgDGQYbo0rA

01/09/2026

In October, Vermont Phil Scott appointed Dr. Rick Hildebrant to serve as the state’s newest Commissioner of Health.

Dr. Hildebrant takes the helm of the Department of Health (VDH) at an important moment. From rapidly changing federal policies and funding priorities to persistent challenges to Vermont’s public health infrastructure, Dr. Hildebrant will need the support of the entire public health community to navigate these uncertain times.

On January 23rd, we invite you to join fellow VtPHA members for an exclusive conversation with Dr. Hildebrant. After hearing the Commissioner’s initial vision for VDH, we will open the floor for questions and dialogue.

Date: January 23rd, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Location: Virtual
Note: VTPHA Members Only

For more information on how to become a member and register - please follow the link below. We hope to see you there.

In October, Vermont Governor Phil Scott appointed Dr. Rick Hildebrant to serve as the state’s newest Commissioner of Health.  Dr. Hildebrant takes the helm of the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) at an important moment. From rapidly changing federal policies and funding priorities to persistent...

01/05/2026

In 2025, the Vermont Department of Health released its 2025-2030 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). A direct response to findings from the 2024 State Health Assessment, the SHIP is a five-year roadmap for ensuring that all people and communities in Vermont have inclusive, equitable, and sustainable access to opportunities for health and well-being.

Join VtPHA’s January Lunch and Learn to discuss the quantitative and qualitative data that led to the development of the Plan, how the state is implementing the Plan, and how you can use it to guide and support your work.

Date: January 14th, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Virtual

Thanks in advance to our presenters: Katie Stetler (Vermont Department of Health), Amanda Froeschle ( Health - Porter Medical Center) and Amanda Jordan Smith (. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center).

Speakers bios and a link to registration can be found here:

In 2025, the Vermont Department of Health released its 2025-2030 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). A direct response to findings from the 2024 State Health Assessment, the SHIP is a five-year roadmap for ensuring that all people and communities in Vermont have inclusive, equitable, and sustainab...

12/29/2025

My son is 12 years old. A few months ago, his school sent an email about a growing concern: caffeine pouches. Marketed to kids, these products are indistinguishable from ni****ne pouches and can contain up to 200mg of caffeine.

Marketed with names like Berserker, On!, Fuze, and Mojo, they come in a wide variety of flavors like mint, melon Ice, and wintergreen.

Caffeine-related visits to U.S. emergency departments nearly doubled among middle and high school students between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, poison control centers recorded a 24% rise in calls about young people with reactions to energy drinks.

Why are we caffeinating our children?

Here's a helpful article to help us all brush up on the impacts that caffeine has on children and how to help kids make healthier choices.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/the-effects-of-caffeine-on-kids-a-parents-guide.aspx

12/23/2025

Happy Holidays everyone! VtPHA will be taking some time off around the holidays. We hope your holiday season is filled with friends, family, warmth and laughter. See you next week!

12/22/2025

As confidence in our nation's federal public health agencies deteriorates, regional collaboration is on the upswing. Three examples of such collaborations:

1. Northeast Public Health Collaborative
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

2. West Coast Health Alliance
California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington

3. Governors Public Health Alliance
Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Guam.

While interstate collaboration is not new to public health agencies, this current formalization of relationships reflects a focused effort to fill a dangerous vacuum created by the actions of the current administration.

Read more on these collaboratives in this American Public Health Association Public Health Newswire article:

As evidence-based science continues to be erased across federal health agencies, a recent growth of regional public health alliances is working to fill critical gaps.

12/19/2025

In October, Vermont Governor Phil Scott appointed Dr. Rick Hildebrant to serve as the state’s newest Commissioner of Health.

Dr. Hildebrant takes the helm of the Vermont Department of Health at an important moment. From rapidly changing federal policies and funding priorities to persistent challenges to Vermont’s public health infrastructure, Dr. Hildebrant will need the support of the entire public health community to navigate these uncertain times.

On January 23rd, we invite you to join fellow VtPHA members for an exclusive conversation with Dr. Hildebrant. After hearing the Commissioner’s initial vision for VDH, we will open the floor for questions and dialogue.

Date: January 23rd, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Location: Virtual
Note: VTPHA Members Only

For more information on how to become a member and register - please follow the link below. We hope to see you there.

In October, Vermont Governor Phil Scott appointed Dr. Rick Hildebrant to serve as the state’s newest Commissioner of Health.  Dr. Hildebrant takes the helm of the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) at an important moment. From rapidly changing federal policies and funding priorities to persistent...

12/18/2025

Do people know what public health is? If they don't, why would they, or those they choose to represent them in state and federal government, protect it?

For most of VtPHA's 20+ years, it has felt like a given that the public writ large does not, in fact, know what public health practitioners do, and that's a BIG problem.

The de Beaumont Foundation recently released a toolkit to help us change this narrative. Focused on communicating with policymakers, but containing insights and strategies that reach far beyond that narrow audience, the toolkit includes strategies, talking points, do's and don'ts, and more for how to better communicate the essential value of the "invisible shield" we call public health.

It's well worth the read.

A research-based toolkit for public health professionals to overcome barriers to trust, perfect their messaging, and engage effectively with policymakers.

12/17/2025

In 2025, the Vermont Department of Health released its 2025-2030 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). A direct response to findings from the 2024 State Health Assessment, the SHIP is a five-year roadmap for ensuring that all people and communities in Vermont have inclusive, equitable, and sustainable access to opportunities for health and well-being.

Join VtPHA’s January Lunch and Learn to discuss the quantitative and qualitative data that led to the development of the Plan, how the state is implementing the Plan, and how you can use it to guide and support your work.

Date: January 14th, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Virtual

Thanks in advance to our presenters: Katie Stetler (Vermont Department of HealthVermont Department of Health), Amanda Froeschle (UVM Health - Porter Medical Center) and Amanda Jordan Smith (Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center).

Speakers bios and a link to registration can be found here:

In 2025, the Vermont Department of Health released its 2025-2030 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). A direct response to findings from the 2024 State Health Assessment, the SHIP is a five-year roadmap for ensuring that all people and communities in Vermont have inclusive, equitable, and sustainab...

12/16/2025

Great write-up by the University of Vermont College of Arts and Sciences on an event VtPHA co-hosted with UVM in October. The topic was timely then and is timely now. Federal Cuts to Global and Public Health: Effects and Responses.

Looking forward to working with a new crew of interns from the University of Vermont, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and Saint Michael's College this coming semester as VtPHA continues to push back against this era-defining assault on public health.

show the image caption close caption Event attendees in UVM Alumni Hall Silver Pavilion. Photo Evan Maynard. UVM Hosts Collaborative Event on Federal Cuts to Global and Public Health UVM and VtPHA collaborated to host a timely event on the impacts of federal cuts on global and public health. Share D...