Mission Accomplished: CVHHH is Here for You

In case you missed it, this is a reprint of a column written by CVHHH’s President & CEO Sandy Rousse about CVHHH’s commitment to community health. It appeared in the Times-Argus on Saturday, March 27.

I was happy to learn from Katy Leffel, RN, IBCLC, CVHHH’s Maternal-Child Health Manager, about a recent collaboration between Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH), Good Samaritan Haven, and People’s Health & Wellness Clinic (PHWC) to increase access to COVID-19 surveillance testing for homeless Central Vermonters and those in transitional housing. Good Samaritan, or Good Sam as it’s locally known, applied for funding from the State of Vermont to support the project. PHWC and CVHHH are providing clinical oversight. We will also be onsite to help individuals self-administer tests.

PHOTO: Theresa Fennell, Intake Coordinator at Good Sam, helps a participant with COVID-19 testing. CVHHH nurses will provide ongoing onsite assistance at the pop-up surveillance testing sites. Photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.

This partnership – one of many that CVHHH has been involved in since the pandemic erupted one year ago – gets right to the heart of our work and mission. It’s an example of community health in its purest form, and I am proud to support it.

With vaccine production and distribution ramping up, and with assurance that all Vermonters will be eligible for a vaccine by May, I am optimistic that there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Only now am I comfortable shifting some of my attention to other projects, and, only now, am I comfortable acknowledging that, while it has been a wrenching and difficult year, some good has come out of the pandemic that I believe will benefit this community in the future.

The pandemic brought out Central Vermonters’ strength and eagerness to help one another. You showed again over the past 12 months that you know how to come together in the face of hardship to harness creativity to meet people’s needs. The surveillance testing is a good example. Another is CVHHH’s partnership with the Waterbury Ambulance to vaccinate homebound Central Vermonters. This is an incredible accomplishment, and it would not have been possible without the joint commitment and dedication of community partners coming together to meet the needs of individuals where they are most comfortable – at home. I urge you to get the vaccine when you are eligible. If you are homebound and would like to get vaccinated, please call CVHHH at 223-1878. You can also call the VT Department of Health at 802-863-7240 or 833-722-0860 Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

So much of what we accomplished during the pandemic is indicative of our approach to care. We employ about 150 clinicians and caregivers who are on the ground and in their cars every day driving over every patch of muddy dirt road to bring care to community members at home. Call it a push-up-the-shirtsleeves approach. It’s the only approach we know, and we think it’s incredibly effective.

What I’ve been reminded of yet again this past year is that community health care is more than a buzzword. For CVHHH, it’s a way of life and the foundation of our work, established over one hundred years ago. It’s about not only serving, but understanding, respecting, and caring for a community of people and the place they call home. I say this often because I think it matters. CVHHH is this community. Many of our staff were born and raised in Central Vermont, and many, myself included, live here today. Years ago, I lost track of the number of times a clinician went into a client’s home only to discover a mutual connection with a high school friend, former teacher, or other family members or acquaintances they had contact with over the years. Deep roots are what it’s all about in Central Vermont, and CVHHH is proud that our staff, board members, and volunteers have roots here.

Our number one goal is to bring the right care to Central Vermonters where they want it. I know from personal experience and from being in my role as CEO for eight years that people want to stay at home if they can. I am immensely proud of what CVHHH has accomplished – how we expanded to really engage with this community over the course of the pandemic. I look forward to continuing to collaborate and innovate to support your health and wellbeing. I can affirm again that CVHHH is here for you.

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