CVPH: The Next Generation of Health Care

Michelle LeBeau, President, Alice Hyde Medical Center & CVPH

When COVID-19 arrived in our community nearly one year ago, no one could have imagined the impact the virus would have on each one of us, both personally and professionally.

I’m filled with pride in recalling how every member of the CVPH family rose to the occasion for those in our care and for each other. Throughout this time, our team has remained committed to providing the care our patients needed while supporting one another in meaningful ways.  On the home front, families and loved ones stood behind our team so they could continue their great work each and every day. I can also say that we are all tremendously appreciative of your unwavering support. It gives all of us an inspirational boost and many, many smiles -- even on some of the toughest days.

This pandemic continues to bring numerous challenges to our front door, and we have yet to realize the full impact it will have on our organization and the health care industry as a whole. Like hospitals across the country, CVPH, part of the UVM Health Network, is seeing a decrease in patient visits as folks forgo or delay their care because of COVID-19. You may have heard this week about the financial impact COVID-19 has had on our organization, including a $6.5 million loss in just the first four months of fiscal year 2021.

These financial challenges are directly related to the drop in patient volume, and we now face a difficult and painful realization: CVPH must respond quickly as we continue to provide the care our loved ones and neighbors depend on. As a result, we announced significant changes aimed at balancing the services we provide and the size of our organization with the needs of our patients and community. We reduced the size of our leadership team, are working to reduce our organization’s footprint and overhead operating expenses while focusing our scope of services to better reflect the needs of our community. Part of this work is communicating with you about how we’re changing and why, so I encourage you to visit UVMHealth.org/CVPHToday, for a more in-depth look at our plans and the data that informs our decision-making.

Though some of this work may be difficult, we have been given a unique opportunity to re-imagine the next generation of care at CVPH. For more than a century, you have trusted us with your health and wellbeing. We will continue to evolve to ensure you, your children and your grandchildren can count on this hospital for years to come. Stabilizing our finances in the near term means you can rely on us to help your grandmother fight cancer and give your dad the tools to take on heart disease. We will be here to help you welcome the North Country’s next generation into the world. And, when those babies grow up, they can take comfort in the care we provide their children.

This past year and the ongoing battle with COVID-19 has changed us all. CVPH is a different organization than it was 12 months ago. And it is a different hospital than it was 5, 25 and 75 years ago. Ours is a history of evolving to meet your needs, as well as those of your loved ones and neighbors.

While we usher in this new era of care at CVPH, we will remain focused on providing an improved patient experience and always honoring our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our patients, our people and our community.

I am proud of the courage and compassion every member of our organization continues to display while taking on the biggest public health crisis of our time, and I am honored to be part of a community that has come together during such trying times. The future is ours to shape and I look forward to walking down this path with you.