2022 by the Numbers
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/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2022

2022 by the Numbers

What a year! Southwestern Vermont Health Care is looking back at the biggest stories from the last year and tallying our successes. Here’s 2022 by the numbers.

Medical Staff
We welcomed 15 new providers in 2022 in such specialties as Cardiology, OB/GYN, Oncology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Surgery, and others. More than that, our physicians made great news by getting
important new certifications and taking aim at the Olympics games. We show no signs of slowing; more than 10 new providers are already planning to join us in the new year.

Nursing
Like the medical staff, the nurses of SVMC had a great year. We topped the charts for
nurse satisfaction, launched the state’s one and only accredited nursing residency program, and earned a distinction  for shared governance, a powerful indication of just how empowered our nurses are. In addition, we gave nine DAISY awards and four DAISY team awards. Great work, nurses!

New Services in New Locations
Together, doctors, nurses, and others launched two new services. Most notably, SVMC launched an
Interventional Pain Management Service to help those with chronic pain. In the past, patients traveled up to an hour away for the same care. Now it is more convenient than ever.

We also brought weight loss surgery closer to local residents by forging a partnership with Capital Bariatrics of Albany, NY. On top of that, our Outpatient Therapy department expanded speech therapy to Northshire and Deerfield campuses and occupational therapy to Deerfield.

SVHC Foundation
Hundreds of donors contributed to record-breaking fundraising efforts in support of local health care. An astounding $450,000 was raised at the annual
Summer Gala. Over the last few years, the Foundation has raised $24 million to support the Vision 2020, A Decade of Transformation Capital Campaign for improved and expanded emergency and cancer care services. The total puts them just $1 million away from their $25 million goal.

The New Emergency Department
SVHC has put those funds to work making
a major transformation to our Emergency Department and main entrance. Dozens of construction workers showed up every weekday of the past year to carry out the thousands of tasks necessary to continue this important project. There are just 20 weeks before the scheduled completion of the first phase of the project.

In the final hours of 2022, Southwestern Vermont Health Care is grateful to its 1,300 staff members for all they do to fulfill our mission of exceptional care and comfort to the 75,000 people we serve. Happy New Year!

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How to Maintain a Healthy Immune System

There are so many things that we have little control over. We can't control what genes we get, how old we are, or what viruses are circulating in our environment, but there is a lot we can do to prevent illness. Remarkably, many of the same habits that protect you from diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease also help your immune system fight infections.

Most viruses can't hurt you until they get inside your body. So, we can help our immune system if we avoid viruses and cut off the ways they travel. Viruses can spread through the air, but not usually for very far. Keep your distance—at least 6 feet—from others, and be a good neighbor by wearing a mask in all public areas.

Viruses that cause the most common illnesses—respiratory infections, including the common cold, flu, and the new COVID-19—travel into the body through your mouth, nose, and eyes and make their way to the areas they infect, like the lungs. The best way to break this chain is to clean your hands frequently, and don't touch your face with hands that have touched anything else. In addition, you can reduce the number of viruses in your environment by cleaning frequently touched objects with a bleach- or alcohol-based cleaner.

Vaccinations are your next line of defense. Immunizations, like the flu shot, introduce a small and harmless part of a virus or bacteria. The vaccine gives your immune system an opportunity to make antibodies against the virus. A vaccinated immune system responds more quickly and effectively when illnesses are introduced. What's more, when we all get vaccinated, we decrease the likelihood that anyone will get sick. If you are unsure about whether you or your children are up to date on their vaccinations, call your primary care provider’s office.

Your third line of defense is living a healthy lifestyle. It is clear that the same things that help the rest of our bodies function also improve the strength of our immune response. Likewise, things that hinder our bodies' ability to function compromise the immune system.

Regular exercise might be the most powerful way to maintain a healthy immune system. By increasing heart rate and blood flow, we allow the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently. Similarly, things that slow the movement of cells and substances, like smoking or drinking alcohol in excess, may decrease the body’s ability to function and decreases the immune response, as well.

Getting adequate sleep may also positively affect the immune response. Chronic sleep deprivation has been shown to decrease the beneficial boost in immunity from vaccinations.

Our emotional state, too—whether we are stressed, lonely, or depressed, for instance—affects our immune response so much that a relatively new specialty called psychoneuroimmunology now studies the connection. One pioneering study, conducted in the early 1980s, found that college students operating within a stressful 3-day exam period had fewer of the cells that fight tumors and viral infections. In simple terms, the students almost stopped producing immunity boosters and infection fighters.

Finally, physicians have concluded that eating a mostly plant-based diet—including fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and lean protein—supports overall health and may also support immunity. Nutritious foods include important vitamins that the immune system needs to function, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. Note, however, that supplements that claim to improve immune function have not yet been shown to do so to the extent necessary to protect against infection and disease. It is better to eat whole foods that are rich in vitamins rather than take supplements.

Always consult with your provider before making changes to your exercise plan or trying a new supplement and if you have any medical concerns. Physicians and the other professionals working in their offices also provide help for developing a plan for a healthier life. Call your primary care office or 802-447-5007 to find a primary care provider.

Healthy habits, like those that protect your body from disease and infection, are not always easy to adopt or maintain. Perhaps knowing just how important they are to maintaining a healthy immune response will provide the extra motivation necessary to make them a priority.

Kim Fodor, MD, is an internal medicine physician at SVMC Internal Medicine.

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