UVM Health - Home Health & Hospice

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UVM Health - Home Health & Hospice

Your first choice for home health and hospice services in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties | UVMHomeHealth.org | (802) 658-1900

04/06/2026

The deadline is almost here. Submissions are already reflecting a wide range of perspectives - there’s still time to add yours!

📝 Submit your proposal by April 10
🔗 Learn more — link in the comments

📅 Save the Date: September 24–25 | UVM Davis Center + virtual

Presented by:
• University of Vermont Health
• The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont
• UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences

04/04/2026

📷 More Alike Than Different 📷
“The war taught me that all life is worth protecting.” Meet Paul El Azoury, MD, a nephrologist and Medical Director at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital.
~~~
The first 15 years of my life were overshadowed by war. I was born in Lebanon and just a year later civil war broke out, carving my hometown into a deadly patchwork of neighborhoods controlled by rival factions.

There were bright moments — hiking in the mountains and climbing rich fruit trees. But the war never cared about my plans. School was often interrupted by violence, and I had to navigate streets dotted with landmines just to get there.

I will never forget when the war ended. Entire neighborhoods that had been off limits were suddenly open. I met people I’d been taught to fear — “the other.” But we were all just humans, with the same needs, the same hopes for our kids and the same desire to live in peace and prosperity. Breaking the circle of violence starts with understanding and accepting our differences.

It’s a worldview I try to pass on to my own children, here in the Adirondacks, 35 years later.

The war taught me that all life is worth protecting. The human body is a beautiful feat of engineering, millions of years in the making. I saw medicine as the best way to honor our shared humanity.

I’ve always followed my instincts. And after medical school, they led me to the United States, the pinnacle of clinical innovation. I’ve been lucky to practice medicine across the region for 15 years, making a home and raising a family in the mountains around Plattsburgh.

We spend time hiking and skiing in the Adirondacks or visiting Montreal to expose our boys to different cultures, rich with art, language and sport.

I feel most at peace in the mountains with my camera. It reminds me of the peaceful times in my youth — hiking in the mountains of Lebanon.
~~~
The Mosaic Project is a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health. 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.

03/31/2026

As we wrap up Social Work Month, we’re proud to join communities across Vermont in recognizing the essential work of social workers. We are grateful for the critical role social workers play in advocating for patients, supporting families, and strengthening our communities. Thank you for all that you do!

03/30/2026

Has a nurse or a health care staff member made a difference in your life?

🌼Send us your DAISY and BEE Award nominations by Friday, April 24! 🐝

Link in the comments!

$We don’t usually think about our bones - until a fracture or fall puts our independence at risk. In this episode of Livi...$

03/29/2026

We don’t usually think about our bones - until a fracture or fall puts our independence at risk.

In this episode of Living Healthy Together, UVM Health clinicians share practical advice on prevention, screening and bone-healthy habits you can use at any age.

🎧 Listen to the podcast
~ Link in the comments ~

03/28/2026

🐕 Room to Roam 🌄
“It started with a yellow lab named Olson.” Meet Denise McLaughlin a nurse and certified diabetes educator at Elizabethtown Community Hospital.
~~~
We’d lost two dogs and a horse in six months. I told my husband we needed a break from caring for animals. A week later I walked in and found him crying. The house felt wrong without an animal in it. So, I emailed Passion 4 Paws and said, “We’re not ready to adopt. But we can foster a dog that needs a place to land.”

They sent Olson. He was calm, housebroken and followed me to the barn like he’d been doing it his whole life. I swore we wouldn’t keep the first foster pet. Then the adoption email came in. I didn’t open it for a week. When I did, I saw he was going to a widow who’d just lost her dog and wanted someone quiet to walk with. I knew he’d be cared for.

That was number one. We’re now on number 21.

Molly’s the current dog. She’s a retired bear-hunting coonhound who howls, bites and is mostly unimpressed with us. But she’s done 11 of the Adirondack High Peaks with me. She’s 12 now, so we top out at five miles. She fits our lives. The tough ones always do. We don’t have kids or other pets. We live on a dead-end dirt road with a barn. They can take their time here.

People assume I grew up in the country. I didn’t. I was born in Vermont but lived in a big city in Germany until I was eight. We moved back to an old farmhouse in Crown Point with a fireplace for heat and cobwebs everywhere. I wanted nothing to do with farm chores or horses. Then I got my first one at 10.

Now, the barn is my reset button. I’ve had my horse for nine years, since he was four months old. We just came back from the biggest show of his career — three great days and one terrible ride, and of course that’s the one I obsessed over. Horses have a way of telling you exactly who you are. With dogs I have endless patience; with him I’m a perfectionist who needs to be told to breathe.

I picked up hiking later. I finished the 46 High Peaks a few years ago and have two left for my winter badge. It wasn’t part of my childhood, but it became part of my life fast.

People ask how I balance nursing, hiking, horses, fostering. I don’t think of it as balancing anything. This is just the shape my life took, one dog and one ridge line at a time.
~~~
The Mosaic Project is a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health. 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.

03/27/2026

The Northern New England Poison Center, in partnership with the Vermont Language Justice Project, has created short, easy‑to‑understand videos in 13 languages to help people know when and how to contact the Poison Center.

These resources are designed to support New Americans and multilingual community members by improving access to timely, trusted poison information.

✅ Watch the videos here: Poison Prevention in Other Languages | Northern New England Poison Center

03/22/2026

What happens when personal loss becomes a calling to ensure no one dies alone?

In this episode of Living Healthy Together, Louella Richer, manager of palliative care support at Porter Medical Center, shares her journey through caregiving, grief and healing - and how it led her to support patients and families at the end of life.

🎧 Listen to the podcast
~ Link in the comments ~

03/21/2026

🎼 Grace Notes 🎼
“There is comfort and connection in the strings of a harp.” Meet Rev. Matthew von Behrens, chaplain at Porter Medical Center and Helen Porter Rehabilitation & Nursing.
~~~
My harp has 40 strings, weighs 70 pounds and stands more than five feet tall. But it would be hard to measure the harp’s impact on my life and the lives of people I’ve met who’ve found solace in it.

My professional life began a long way from New England and even farther from harp: My first job was making radiator hoses for Goodyear in Lincoln, Nebraska. I spent 26 years with the company, moving up through the ranks. But as the years went by, something in my soul stirred. I felt called to do more with my life.

I prayed about the future, seeking guidance. Then one day, I had a mystical experience: I knew I was meant to learn the harp and use it in volunteer work. A week later, I bought one.

I’d never done anything musical before. I took 10 lessons, practiced and started volunteering in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.

That decision eventually led to my career as a chaplain. I have a background in religious studies: I went to a seminary college before working for Goodyear. As I got requests to play the harp in health care settings, I realized a new door was opening. I went back to school to get a formal seminary degree.

The harp became one of the tools I use in my chaplaincy – like a physician with a specialty. The right prayer at the right time for the right person can make a huge difference, and the same is true for music.

Music also crosses boundaries where words might trip you up – especially in intimate moments like birth or the end of life. I’ve played in both of those settings, and many others.

I’m not a concert-level musician, and I don’t read music. I memorize songs. But for what I do, it works. There’s something about a harp that reaches people emotionally. People connect with it at a deep level.

It’s a privilege to be there at turning points in people’s lives and to contribute something positive and uplifting. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?
~~~
The Mosaic Project is a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health. 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.

03/20/2026

Big energy. Cold water. Incredible cause.

Thank you to everyone from across UVM Health who took the plunge at this year’s Burlington Penguin Plunge in support of Special Olympics Vermont.

Shoutout to the UVMH Arctic Suns team for sharing photos from the day.

Whether you jumped in, volunteered or cheered from the sidelines, it was inspiring to see UVM Health team members show up and support one another.

Together, this year’s plunge raised more than $500,000 (and counting) for athletes across Vermont.

03/18/2026

A Safe Place to Heal

When Jayme Richland (pictured, left) arrived at UVM Medical Center, he was fighting a dangerous infection that could have cost him his foot. After nearly a month in the hospital and three surgeries, he faced a second crisis: He had nowhere safe to continue his recovery.

That’s where our Medical Respite Program stepped in.

In partnership with Champlain Place and CVOEO, our Home Health & Hospice team gave Jayme a clean, stable place to heal. Nurses visited three days a week to care for his wound, support his recovery and help him build routines that kept him moving forward. Staff at Champlain Place helped him access regular meals, stay organized and build a daily routine.

Today, Jayme is healing. He’s rebuilding strength, maintaining sobriety and reconnecting with family.

The Medical Respite Program offers more than a bed. It offers dignity, stability and a pathway to recovery.

Address

1110 Prim Road
Colchester, VT
05446

Telephone

+18026581900

Website

http://UVMHomeHealth.org/

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