With the Covid-19 crisis perhaps finally in Vermont’s rearview mirror, the state’s health-focused legislative committees plan to gather information this winter and spring, before the pandemic’s lessons for the still struggling health system recede too far down the road.

Today marks the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, and over the next five months or so, elected officials in Montpelier will decide how to spend about $8 billion in taxpayer money.

“This year, VAHHS is putting forward initiatives to keep health care providers safe, strengthen mental health and long term care, and preserve regulatory flexibilities so our hospitals can better serve their communities. Health care everywhere is at a breaking point, and addressing these areas can help stabilize the system so we can better provide care to all Vermonters.”

Joseph Perras, M.D., president and CEO of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, Dartmouth Health (Vermont), will serve as 2023 chair of the AHA Rural Health Services Committee.

Vermont health officials Friday said a new analysis of data has resulted in the reporting of 86 additional COVID-associated deaths not previously reported.

Many people use the changing of one calendar year to the next as an opportunity to reflect on the year we leave behind, as well as to contemplate what the coming 12 months have in store.

More seasonable temperatures are on their way, but that can mean icing and slippery conditions, which can lead to serious falls.

Kevin Gaiss spoke with Troy Stratton, a physical therapist, at Gifford Medical Center about avoiding injury on the ice and when shoveling.

The hallways of emergency departments nationwide, including here in Vermont, are a vivid, gut-punch tutorial in the social determinants of health and the paucity of outpatient care. These investments are desperately needed, as are major investments in nursing home care.

The night before Christmas, half a dozen Brattleboro Memorial Hospital staff members crowded around a car parked in the hospital’s ambulance bay, racking their brains on how to release a barred owl stuck in the grill of their coworker’s car.

The U.S. has come a long way from two years ago when COVID-19 vaccines first became available and people were cutting the line to get their shots.

Emergency rooms in children’s hospitals are seeing more visits and revisits related to mental health, according to a new study.

The latest state data shows that from January to September, 168 Vermonters fatally overdosed — nine more than in the first nine months of last year. If the numbers stay on that upward trajectory, Vermont could surpass the record it set for resident opioid deaths in 2021.

Constant health crises have made it impossible for some hospitals to plan for the future. Patients will pay the price.

Northwestern Medical Center is launching a new training program aimed at supporting people through the process of becoming a licensed nursing assistant and strengthening our pipeline of nursing staff.

“On behalf of all hospitals, I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all of our elected officials and public servants for their service. We know the work is hard and can feel thankless at times, but this work matters to every single Vermonter. We are grateful you stepped up and we look forward to being a partner as we work to realize our shared goal of a health care system that is stronger and more affordable.“

“Hospital staff members can’t generally take lots of time off time during the holidays. Many health care workers need to pick up extra shifts during this time of year, which can be a busy one at home. Nevertheless, health care employees are very adept at enjoying the spirit of the season at work—and at sharing their generosity with their communities.“

In an effort to recruit and retain staff amid a national workforce shortage, the University of Vermont Health Network has broken ground on a second new apartment building for employees — a project that will also include a child care center for staff.

There are plenty of viruses circulating through local schools and daycares right now, causing kids to spend more time at home. In addition to COVID, hospitals must also contend with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and now, the flu.

On Monday, the White House unveiled its Non-Fatal Opioid Surveillance Dashboard, which will provide year-to-date national data to law enforcement, health care providers and policy makers as they take on the ongoing drug overdose epidemic.