The University of Vermont Health Network - Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital

🎓 We're so proud of the most recent group of leaders to complete executive management education as part of a collaboration with SUNY Plattsburgh's School of Business and Economics. The innovative educational program has been specifically designed to support our leaders' desire for professional growth. It would not be possible without community-minded educators at the school. Congratulations to Angela Bucci, Colleen Bell, Erica Brooks, Joddie Duffy, Gloria Gates, Zaidee Laughlin, Alexandra Mesick, Erica Moore, Jacqueline Rasco and Karen Reid!

"I'm 99% certain that screening saved my life." Woody Kissel of Champlain, NY found out he had stage three lung cancer after coming to our special screening event last year. Now, he's in remission and urges anyone who is eligible to get screened at our event next week: ✔️ When: Saturday, November 9, 8 am-12 pm ✔️ Where: CVPH Valcour Imaging 16 DeGrandpre Way ✔️ If you or someone you know is eligible, call 518-562-7340 to schedule an appointment "I'm just so grateful for the care I got. They were all so positive," Kissel says. "And I have to say, if they tell you you're eligible, get the low dose CT scan. If they can catch it early, there's a lot they can do. And it could save your life, like it has for me." The screening takes about 15 minutes, is painless and covered by most insurances. To be eligible, you must be between 50 and 80-years-old (or 77 for Medicare), a current smoker or quit in the past 15 years and have a history of heavy smoking (at least a 20 pack-year history - for example, smoking a pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years). Limited spaces are available for the Saturday screening. Please call 518-562-7340 to schedule an appointment.

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.

❤️ A heartfelt congratulations to our Cardiac Rehab team! The program has been recertified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). The team was recognized for its commitment to improving the quality of life for our patients by enhancing standards of care. Cardiac rehab helps people with cardiovascular problems (like heart attacks or coronary artery bypass graft surgery) and pulmonary problems (including COPD and other respiratory symptoms) recover faster and improve their quality of life. Both programs offer exercise, education, counseling and support for patients and their families. “The dedication of this team to their patients is evident in everything they do. They do an amazing job of supporting each person in their recovery, offering their expertise, counsel and compassion. This recertification by the AACVPR is a testament to that commitment,” said CVPH President Michelle LeBeau. AACVPR-certified programs are recognized as leaders in the field of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation because they offer the most advanced practices available.

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.

A hearty thank you to our friends at Champlain National Bank for a generous donation benefiting our Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)! Jacqueline Hallock, Vice President and Director of Marketing, and Brian Ellsworth, Branch Manager at both Plattsburgh bank locations, stopped by the hospital recently to present a check to The Foundation of CVPH. Hallock and Ellsworth say employees and community members are deeply appreciative of the speedy response times and critical care from our EMT crews during medical emergencies that have happened at the bank. They add Champlain National Bank is honored to give back and help support the vital work of these incredible professionals.

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.

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, 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.

"I recommend anyone who's eligible get the low dose CT scan for lung cancer. That 10 or 15 minutes it takes may extend your life for a long time. I know it's giving me more time with the people I love." Woody Kissel of Champlain, NY says he was on the fence about getting screened for lung cancer when his doctor recommended it last year. Then, in October 2023, his wife was resuscitated after suffering a heart attack. "It gave me more motivation to start taking better care of myself," he remembers. So he went to our screening event on Veterans Day last November. The screening led to further testing and a diagnosis of stage three lung cancer. Thankfully, after receiving chemotherapy at The University of Vermont Cancer Center, his scans in the summer all came up negative. "I'm just so grateful for the care I got. They were all so positive," Kissel adds. "And I have to say, if they tell you you're eligible, get the low dose CT scan. If they can catch it early, there's a lot they can do. And it could save your life, like it has for me." We're holding another special screening event like the one Kissel attended coming up on November 9 from 8 am-12 pm at CVPH Valcour Imaging, located at 18 DeGrandpre Way. If you or a loved one is interested, call 518-562-7340 to schedule a screening appointment now or at our special screening on November 9.

We were thrilled to see more than 250 Clinton County high school students at the University of Vermont Health Network's (UVMHN) Career Fair! Sophomores, juniors and seniors came to State University of New York at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) to explore many exciting career opportunities at CVPH and across our health care system. They also learned about growing professionally in the North Country and the numerous options for those who are not attending college after graduation from high school. Reese Mason, a junior at Peru High School, says taking part in the career fair has really opened her eyes to the different tracks she can take. "I had my mind set on anesthesiology. But coming here made me re-think that. I learned a lot about the lab and labor and delivery," Mason adds. "I didn't realize there were jobs there I could choose. So, hearing about them and learning about them made me interested." Katrina Stone, Manager of Talent Acquisition for UVMHN, says the event is an essential step in addressing the growing demand for health care professionals. "We want to inspire the next generation of health care workers. By showcasing the opportunities available to them, we hope to create a pipeline of skilled professionals who will take on jobs that are particularly difficult to fill in the years to come," Stone explains. She also points out many of those positions are crucial to maintaining high-quality care and improving outcomes across the community. A huge thank you to our team members who took time to talk to the students and answer their many questions! We're also incredibly grateful to SUNY Plattsburgh for hosting the event - and everyone who worked to make the career fair a reality. We're already planning for the next one in Vermont in the spring.