SVHC's VP Recognized with Statewide Award
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/ Categories: NEWS, 2022

SVHC's VP Recognized with Statewide Award

BENNINGTON, VT—December 22, 2022—Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Vice President of Administration and Chief Human Resources Officer Kevin Dailey was honored with the 2022 Dolly Shaw Vermont Human Resources Professional of the Year Award from the Vermont State Council, an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management.

“Vermont is home to many exceptionally qualified human resources professionals, so I am humbled to have received this recognition,” Dailey said. “I share the honor with the talented and dedicated members of the HR teams I have worked with at Southwestern Vermont Health Care and Mack Molding Company. Their hard work has driven so much of what we have achieved together, and I am deeply grateful.”

The award seeks to affirm and distinguish an individual who applies advanced knowledge of human resources to substantially impact business outcomes through HR leadership, strategy, and/or development; demonstrates significant value by applying creative and innovative management concepts; implements programs in any of the HR disciplines that positively impacts an organization and its talent; advances and elevates the HR profession in their organization, industry, and community; and exemplifies the highest standards of the profession and serves as a role model for peers.

Dailey has been at the center of several groundbreaking solutions at SVHC. He led the Healthy Homes program, which connected employees with newly renovated homes and favorable financing terms. The program worked to solve a lack of housing availability for staff and to increase rates of home ownership in Bennington neighborhoods. During the early days of the pandemic, Dailey worked with former employer Mack Molding Company to retrofit scuba masks for use as personal protective equipment (PPE). The move relieved staff anxiety amidst a severe PPE shortage and received national press attention. Notably, SVHC has been recognized as one of Vermont’s “Best Places to Work” for 8 years in a row. It is the only hospital ever to have been recognized with the honor.

“Kevin sets an example that combines a commitment to compassion, innovation, dedication, and organizational sustainability,” said SVHC’s President and CEO Thomas A. Dee, FACHE. “These qualities have enabled us to make progress against our most difficult challenges and to build a strong and vibrant organizational culture.”
 
Dailey brought more than 15 years of human resources experience and a background in law to SVHC in January 2015. His most recent previous position was as director of Human Resources for Mack Molding Company, Inc. in Arlington, VT. Before that, he was partner in the legal firm of Dailey & Dailey, P.C., in Manchester, VT. Dailey holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and a juris doctor degree from Vermont Law School. He is an ardent volunteer. He has served with the SVHC board of trustees, the Arlington Rescue Squad, the Bennington County Bar Association, the United Way, and others.

The Dolly Shaw Vermont Human Resources Professional of the Year Award recognizes exceptional performance and outstanding achievement by a professional in the field of human resource management. Dolly Shaw was one of the founding members of the Vermont Human Resource Association (VTHRA) in 1969 and was a force behind growing and sustaining the state’s human resource (HR) network over many years. She served for 40 year as director of Career Services at Champlain College and was relentless in her pursuit of delivering high-quality HR learning opportunities for the professional community.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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Emergency Department: Open, Ready, Safe. 

The last 3 months have been a uniquely challenging experience in the SVMC Emergency Department (ED) and emergency departments and hospitals all over the country and the world. I am very proud of all our staff has done and continues to do to ensure safe care for patients during this era of COVID-19. We are grateful that cases of COVID-19 in our area have been the lowest in the U.S. and have decreased even further over the past several weeks. We are also heartened to see that patients who had been avoiding the ED are now confident to return to get the care they need.

It may be surprising to hear that over the past few months, the sickest patients we have seen in the ER have not had COVID-19. Many people have refrained from seeking care for serious medical problems due to the fear of being exposed to the virus, assuming that the hospital was not a safe place to be and not recognizing the seriousness of their symptoms. The most challenging moments of the past several months have involved critically ill patients who tried to stay away for far too long due to fear of being exposed to COVID-19. We have had many sad moments trying to care for those who waited until it was too late for us to help with conditions that could have been easily treated if presented sooner.

One might expect that the greatest challenges related to the pandemic were those needed to adapt our facilities and procedures and the work of caring for sick COVID-19 patients. SVMC is fortunate to have built a strong foundation of safety and infection-prevention methods over many years, which made this transition much easier. Still, when it became apparent that we were going to see COVID-19 cases coming through our doors, we implemented many COVID-specific changes very quickly.

From day one our staff have all been fully trained to use protective equipment effectively, to focus on cleaning and disinfecting, and to move patients safely through the new areas created to keep them safe. We also spaced the waiting room chairs to allow for plenty of distance and initiated drive-by testing to keep potentially contagious people outside and away from other patients.

We immediately increased our standard of protective equipment we use. For example, all staff who relate with patients now wear both a mask and protective shield, which is a proven and effective strategy to prevent transmission. Those staff who work with patients with respiratory or other contagious symptoms also wear a gown and advanced respirators developed in cooperation with Mack Molding in Arlington. They look strange, but they help us deliver care safely.

We also quickly built special spaces and units in the hospital to treat and segregate patients with respiratory symptoms who might be contagious from those with other routine medical problems. Outpatients with symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 are directed to a spacious area called the Respiratory Evaluation Center. There they can be taken to a safe treatment space called a negative-pressure room without encountering any patients who are using the ED for other reasons or any staff who are not fully equipped with protective gear. There are similar, safe, negative-pressure units for those who require treatment in the ED or hospital.

Our hard work paid off. We have treated a number of COVID-19 patients in our ED and, as far as we know, not a single staff member was sickened in relation to their work here, and no patients have contracted COVID-19 while under our care. With our current procedures and drastically declining COVID numbers, we are confident that we can continue that trend. Furthermore, SVMC recently received a perfect score on a rigorous survey specifically designed to judge our ability to prevent transmission of COVID-19. At this time our ED is safer than just about any other public place you could go.

My goal in writing today is to communicate that SVMC’s Emergency Department is open, ready, and safe. If you need emergency care, we are here and we can care for you safely. Please do not defer emergency care until it is too late for us to help. While many symptoms can represent a serious medical problem, the most concerning are chest pain, difficulty breathing, fast heart rate, confusion, high fever, intense headache, drooping face, dehydration, or weakness. Of course, with any other symptom you feel indicates a serious problem, come in right away or call 9-1-1.

For us, spending time with patients and connecting on a personal level is the best part of our jobs. We take pride in our life-saving role in our communities and the work we have been able to do during the pandemic, but we cannot help if you do not come in. Please don’t hesitate to get the care you need when you need it.

Adam Cohen, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. He also serves as the chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and the medical director of SVMC’s Emergency Department.

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