Medical Matters Weekly Addresses the Psychology of Deciding Whether or Not to Get the COVID Vaccine
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Medical Matters Weekly Addresses the Psychology of Deciding Whether or Not to Get the COVID Vaccine

BENNINGTON, VT—July 13, 2021—Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson—a weekly interactive, multiplatform medical-themed talk show—will feature Rosalind Case, PhD, a psychologist at Monash University in Australia on its July 21 program. The show will air at 12 p.m. Dr. Case will discuss the psychological factors involved in changing one’s mind, especially as it relates to changing one’s mind about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The show is produced with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV). Viewers can see Medical Matters Weekly on Facebook at facebook.com/svmedicalcenter and facebook.com/CATTVBennington. The show is also available to view or download a podcast on www.svhealthcare.org/medicalmatters.

Dr. Case earned her Psychology PhD and Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. She leads a program of research investigating the neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes of cardiac arrest survivors and their families, with a focus on translational outcomes in the development of post-arrest clinical services. She also leads the mental health arm of the Paramedic Health and Wellbeing Research Unit (PHAWRU) in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University.

After the program, the video will be available on area public access television stations. On CAT-TV, viewers will find the show on channel 1075 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 1:30 p.m. Monday, 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 a.m. Friday, and 7 p.m. Saturday. GNAT-TV's Comcast channel 1074 airs the program at 8 a.m. Monday, 9 p.m. Wednesday, and 1 p.m. Saturday.

Upcoming guests include:

  • 12 p.m. Wednesday, July 28: Dara Zink, of the Project Against Violent Encounters in Bennington, will share local resources for those attempting to escape threats in the home.
  • 12 p.m. Wednesday, August 4: Alya Reeve, MD, medical director of United Counseling Service in Bennington, will discuss the most pressing mental health needs in our community.
  • 12 p.m. Wednesday, August 11: Art Groux, executive director of the Bennington Rescue Squad, will discuss the Rescue Squad and its work in our community.
  • 12 p.m. Wednesday, August 18: Patricia Johnson, RN, and Caitlin Tilley, RN, of SVMC, will discuss their efforts to make vaccines available to the BIPOC community in Bennington and the surrounding area.

To contribute questions in advance of each week’s show, please e-mail wellness@svhealthcare.org or post to Facebook with #SVHCMedicalMattersWeekly.
 
About SVHC Medical Matters Weekly:
Medical Matters Weekly is an interactive, multiplatform guest-driven talk show hosted by Dr. Trey Dobson. It provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on health care, including topics like behavioral health, food insecurity, equitable care, and the opioid crisis. The show is produced in partnership with Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV) and is broadcast on CAT-TV, Greater Northshire Access Television, Facebook Live, YouTube, and podcast platforms. 
 
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.
 
SVMC has earned several prominent distinctions. Most recently, SVMC received the American Hospital Association’s Rural Healthcare Leadership Award for transformational change in efforts toward healthcare reform and its fifth consecutive designation within the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. It ranked fourth in the nation for healthcare value by the Lown Institute Hospitals Index in 2020 and is one of Vermont’s Best Places to Work. SVMC earned an ‘A’ for hospital safety from the Leapfrog Group for two years in a row. During the pandemic, SVMC and both its skilled nursing facilities, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation in Bennington, and the Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation at Hoosick Falls, earned perfect scores on a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services evaluation meant to determine the ability to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and other infections.
 
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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COVID and Mental Health

We know that COVID-19 has claimed more than 85,000 lives so far. While this is devastating for those individuals and families, national mental health organizations are warning that another crisis could be looming.

Well Being Trust & The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care estimate that we could lose 75,000 more people due to "deaths of despair," including increased drug- and alcohol-related events and suicides brought on by stress related to the pandemic.

They based their estimation on previous data combined with the anticipated effects of unemployment and financial instability, social isolation, and uncertainty. All three are among the top causes of drug misuse and suicide.


In my experience, stressful times do put people at greater risk of suicide and drug misuse. While getting financial help, connecting with friends and family regularly, and finding new things to be excited about may help, some people may not be able to see their way to these methods without additional help.

For those who have a history of mental health challenges, it is a good time to reconnect with your therapist remotely via telemedicine. Making this connection is important. Changes in conditions may warrant a change to your medications. Your therapist may also be able to recommend group teletherapy and online support groups that may be suitable for you.

If you have ever considered suicide, it may be useful to work with a friend or family member to make a safety plan. A safety plan is a document written during a time of wellbeing that guides someone when they are experiencing thoughts of suicide. It helps them avoid an intense suicidal crisis.

Safety plans can include warning signs, coping strategies, sources of support, ways to remove suicidal means from the environment, and reasons for living. It can be a comforting and stabilizing force that can help prevent slipping into a crisis. For complete information, visit www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/safety-plans/.

Local help can be found through United Counseling Service (UCS) in Bennington and Manchester. They have a wide array of services for people of all ages. All can be accessed with a single number: 802-442-5491. A Warm Line is available 8-5, Monday through Friday and can connect you with help even if you’re not quite sure exactly what type of help you need. Emergency services are available 24/7.

Those who are experiencing thoughts of suicide should get help right away by National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8355. If in immediate danger, call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

When we look out for our own mental wellbeing and that of our friends and family, we will find that we truly can make it though this. None of us is alone. Help is just a phone call away.

Doris Russell is the assistant director of Outpatient and Mental Health Services at United Counseling Service.

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