COVID-19 vaccination updates for our patients
Home Health & Hospice is following guidelines set by the State of Vermont that determine when Vermont residents are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Right now, the vaccine is available to those who are 75 and over. If you are in this age group, homebound and a current Home...
Three new members welcomed to agency’s board of directors
Scott Comeau, Jan Demers and Pam Mackenzie bring deep experience to organization COLCHESTER, Vt. – The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice is pleased to welcome three new members to its 2021 board of directors. The trio — Scott Comeau, Pam Mackenzie and Jan Demers — brings...
Volunteer sewists create ‘Little things that mean a lot’
“I wanted to share a nice story about something that’s happening within the Community Hospice team,” Clinical Manager Melissa Byrne writes. “We have several staff members who are working in facilities and homes of clients with COVID-19. While wearing a head covering isn’t part of our standard PPE, we know it...
Adrianne Johnson Ross named next president / chief operating officer
Board chair announces appointment after national search COLCHESTER, Vt. – Adrianne Johnson Ross, MHA, was today named Home Health & Hospice’s next president and chief operating officer. She is preceded by Judy Peterson, who is retiring in January 2021 after eight years leading the organization. Johnson Ross’s appointment is effective...
‘A light back to normalcy at the end of the dark tunnel’
“It’s truly hard to put into words how I am feeling … excited … relieved … grateful,” Nurse Eva Friend said after her first COVID-19 vaccination Tuesday. “Going in to get the vaccine was stress free. Everyone there was just so happy; it definitely was a more celebratory environment over...
Hospice nurse among first staffers vaccinated; says ‘Wear your mask!’
A turning point for our team and the fight against COVID-19: Annette Villani, RN, was among the first Home Health & Hospice staffers vaccinated today. “Receiving the vaccine not only protects me, but my family, coworkers and community,” Annette said. “I don’t want to see our hospitals overflowing. Get vaccinated...
Vermont’s first vaccine recipient: ‘I am both honored and humbled’
How does it feel to be Vermont’s first health care worker vaccinated against COVID-19? “I am both honored and humbled,” said Cindy Wamsganz, a registered nurse who works in UVM Medical Center’s Emergency Department. More thoughts from Cindy here: Today, Wamsganz was among several frontline staff at The University of...
Normalizing loss and what may help: The do’s and don’ts of grief
By Marty Machia, RN Loss is not just something we see at the end of life. Loss is everywhere and all around us all the time. This doesn’t always need to be a sad thing, though we often attach that connotation to it. Sometimes, loss can be heart shattering. Other...
Giving thanks and expressing gratitude for our resilient team
What does resilience look like? Look no further. It’s illustrated in these images — the obscured faces of heroes who’ve stepped up every day of this pandemic to continue the essential work that supports and protects our colleagues and communities. Our #HomeCare, #Hospice and #PalliativeCare Month photo celebration is possible...
Nov. 19 is National Children’s Grief Awareness Day
Nov. 19 is National Children’s Grief Awareness Day. “The aim is to raise awareness about children’s bereavement in an effort to normalize the experience of loss and grief,” Bereavement Care Coordinator Ally Parker explains. “Sometimes, with the best of intentions, we try to minimize a child’s grieving process by encouraging...