Winter Is Coming… And So Is the Flu

An article from the UVM Health Network 2019 Flu Education series

With Lewis First, MD, University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group Chief of Pediatrics, University of Vermont Children’s Hospital   If you haven’t noticed, fall is underway. Parents often comment to me that time simply flew by. And speaking of flu, what better time to remind parents about flu shots for their children and what the flu is and is “snot.” After all, “‘tis the sneezin’.” There are more than 200 viruses that cause th [...]

Advanced Practice Providers Have an Important Role in Health Care

Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) are an important link in the chain of modern health care, though understanding who they are and what they do can be confusing.  Most APPs are either Nurse Practitioners (NPs) or Physician Assistants (PAs), but those are the easy names!  Every state licenses them separately and determines what their ‘title’ will be.  In some states NPs are called Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (AP [...]

Flu: Adults 65+ at Greatest Risk for Serious Complications

An article from the UVM Health Network 2019 Flu Education series

With Brianne Jeror, NP, University of Vermont Health Network Alice Hyde Medical Center, Primary Care   Another flu season is right around the corner. A seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to protect against it and any potentially serious complications. Immunity can take up to two weeks to develop after getting the vaccine, so getting your flu shot and helping to protect your friends, family and loved ones from seasonal influenza is everyone’s responsibility. According to [...]

What is the Flu and What Can be Done to Prevent It

An article from the UVM Health Network 2019 Flu Education series

With Kathy Mariani, MD, University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group UVM Medical Center Family Medicine, South Burlington   Influenza, or the flu, is a viral infection that affects 5 percent to 20 percent of the US population every year. That’s up to 60 million people. With this many people affected each year, it’s good to know how to reduce your chances of getting the flu, such as making sure you get your annual flu vaccine. To tell us more about what happens w [...]

Nurse Practitioners in Long-Term Care

“The Nurse Practitioner in Long-Term Care: Guidelines for Clinical Practice”, White & Truax, (2007) addresses the growing trend of utilizing the Nurse Practitioner in the Skilled Nursing Facility to manage patients as well as to serve as a practical resource for managing conditions commonly encountered within the geriatric patient population. Within the nursing home setting, the Nurse Practitioner performs the initial admission assessment for new long-term care admissions, sub [...]

Chelsey Bushey Understands that Great Patient Care Comes In Many Forms

Chelsey makes a difference every day.

Cancer Peer Educator Chelsey Bushey knows that there are truly many ways to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people we serve. She’s been part of the CVPH team for a little over 5 years working first as a Transporter and later, as a Clinical Assistant. Both positions allowed her to share her compassion and kindness and gave her the opportunity to assist patients when they needed it most.  “I love patient care – helping people,” Chelsey said. So t [...]

Being a Nurse Practitioner Offers Many Rewards

Being a Nurse Practitioner (NP) puts you in a position to practice in multiple venues.  My career as a Nurse was spent entirely in the Emergency Department.  I loved the pace but I really loved the riddle that often went along with each patient that came in.  As an NP I have had the great fortune to work alongside an incredibly smart physician and enthusiastic teacher in the field of Infectious Disease.  Some days can be just as fast paced as my ER days but now I’m more [...]

Focusing on the Big Three: Women’s Health and Fitness

I’m here on a crusade to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease with a focus today on half the population. Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the USA? Although classically thought of as a man’s disease, it unfortunately takes its toll on us more estrogen laden humans too. It is actually estrogen that is thought to have some heart protective effects in younger women, but this effect fades away after menopause. Perhaps this is where th [...]

The Danger of Heatstroke

The Danger of Heatstroke The temperature inside your vehicle can rise almost 20º F in just 10 minutes. Within an hour, it can be more than 40º higher than the outside temperature. Along with the vehicle temperature rising, body temperature rises and can quickly reach dangerous levels. Little bodies heat up fast, making babies and young children particularly at risk. It won’t happen to me Who leaves a child alone in a car? Over half of the children who died in a hot car w [...]

Sharron Aabye, RN, Honored with DAISY Award

CVPH Program celebrates extraordinary nurses

Sharron Aabye, RN, of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Case Management Department was honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® today.  The 35-year employee of CVPH was nominated for her efforts in securing an MRI for a patient who needed special accommodations.  After days of research, Aabye located the ideal site for the test and then collaborated with a team at CVPH and others to schedule the di [...]