SVMC Seeks Participation in Community Health Assessment
Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

SVMC Seeks Participation in Community Health Assessment

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE COMMUNITY SURVEY

BENNINGTON, VT—February 20, 2024—Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) has launched a comprehensive health assessment of the communities it serves, seeking feedback through a short anonymous survey, open to all.

SVMC is encouraging residents in Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts to take the brief survey, now available at this link. In addition to the digital survey, SVMC will be conducting in-person community outreach to collect responses.

 “The voices of our patients and community at large help set SVMC’s priorities over the next three years,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVMC’s Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services. “That’s why it is vitally important we hear from all community members, at every level, to ensure we understand the challenges they are facing and the ways our health system can make an impact.”

Conducted every 3 years, the Community Health Needs Assessment process allows SVMC, a member of Dartmouth Health, to understand the current health needs of its region, assess the services available to residents, and identify where and how improvements can be made.

Community leaders throughout SVMC’s tristate region will also receive a Leadership Scan, requesting insight on the needs of the populations these leaders work with and serve. 

The health assessment will be open through early spring 2024.

With questions, please contact SVMC’s Director of Marketing & Communications Kate Czaplinski at kathryn.czaplinski@svhealthcare.org or 802-447-5003.

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About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member hospital of Dartmouth Health, 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. SVMC includes Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center 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 is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. SVMC 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.

SVMC Contact: Kathryn.Czaplinski@svhealthcare.org

 

About Dartmouth Health:

Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC)

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COVID-19 in Pets

News of COVID-19 spreading to animals is causing understandable concern for pet owners, especially those who love their pets like family. While the virus is thought to have originated in animals, there is currently no evidence that pets can spread COVID-19 to humans. There is some evidence that people can spread it to their pets and pets can spread it to each other.

The good news is that the risk of spreading COVID-19 to pets still seems relatively low. Only a handful of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified in animals worldwide. Nonetheless, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with their veterinary colleagues to learn more. In the meantime, it makes sense to adapt the people-centered recommendations for our furry friends.

Here's a pet-specific refresher to help further decrease the already low odds that your pet will become infected.

  • Just like people, cats and dogs should decrease their movement outside the home. So if you usually let your dog or cat roam in ways that could bring them into contact with other people or animals, it would be best to discontinue that practice for as long as human restrictions are in place.
  • When you take your dog for a walk, keep him or her leashed and keep at least 6 feet from others whenever possible. (Dogs cannot wear masks comfortably as humans can, so remaining distant is even more important for them.)
  • If someone in the house is ill, they should be isolated from both other people and animals in a "sick room," if possible. The ill person should wear a mask when near the pet and others and avoid direct contact, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, sleeping in the same location, and sharing food or bedding.
  • To keep pets and themselves safe, people should wash their hands before and after handling or caring for their pets, just as they would after having come in contact with another person or a surface that a person could have touched.
  • If your pet becomes ill with COVID-19 symptoms—including coughing, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, lethargy, sneezing, nasal discharge, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever—call your veterinarian, who will advise regarding testing and care and determine whether your state's public health veterinarian should be notified.

More information about protecting your pets from COVID-19, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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