Senator Bernie Sanders recently announced that over $33.3M in federal funding will be allocated to Vermont’s 11 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) as part of the American Rescue Plan! We’re so grateful to Sen. Sanders and all of the delegates involved in making this commitment to FQHCs like CHCB. We will be working with our Board of Directors and engaging with our community to review the associated rules and requirements to thoughtfully prioritize our use of these funds.

It is an honor for CHCB to serve as a conduit between federal decision makers and how to put these funds to use for the health and safety in our community. Read more about this important investment in Community Health Centers in these press releases from Sen. Sanders’ office and the National Association of Community Health Centers.

My name is Stephanie Bergen and I am thrilled to join the team at the Community Health Centers of Burlington as the new Registered Dietitian. I am a Vermont native and studied Dietetics, Nutrition, and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont. I obtained my Master’s degree with a concentration in community nutrition and my passions include public health, sustainable food systems, and developing a healthy relationship with food at all ages.

In my spare time, I enjoy soaking up sunshine, culinary adventures in the kitchen, trying various cultural cuisines, and spending time with friends and family. I look forward to connecting with patients, discussing health and wellness, and developing individualized goals to meet your unique needs.

Wishing Wellness,
Stephanie Bergen, MS, RD, CD

We’re excited to welcome Stephanie to CHCB! Please note, Stephanie’s services are available to our patients through internal referral only, so please speak to your provider if you’d like to see her for an appointment.

We’re so proud of our staff for their role in educating our community about the importance and safety of vaccinations. We’re also appreciative of our partnership with the University of Vermont Medical Center for producing this video and helping to vaccinate our employees. Give it a watch below to hear what Patient Services Representative Chol Door, Medical Assistant Aina Rattu, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Heather Stein have to say about it themselves!

 

Do you want to help promote the importance and excitement of getting vaccinated? Local writer, filmmaker and CHCB patient, Jim Carrier, designed these cool stickers to help you show off your vaccination pride! Even if you’re not eligible yet, you can get a supply for yourself and your friends so you’ll be ready when the time comes. As a bonus, half of the proceeds from sticker sales will be donated to CHCB. Please visit http://www.vaccinationsticker.com/ to learn more and order your stickers.

Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) is home to over 320 staff members, across eight different locations, serving 30,000 patients annually. The mission of CHCB is to improve the health of all those who live in the communities we serve, and, as with most things, it is all in the delivery. This series is produced by former CHCB nurse and current Board member Beth Reilly, to chronicle the many different people who make up the fabric of CHCB, and stitch together the variety of paths, passions, and experiences of those who rise to the occasion, each day, to provide outstanding health care for our community.

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Ann Dutil, Patient Accounts Supervisor, is one of the many CHCB employees who comes to work every day with the dedication needed to fulfill CHCB’s mission. In fact, she not only fulfills it, she is a living example of an individual dedicated to and invested in CHCB, as well as her local community. 

Ann grew up in Williamstown, VT, graduating from Williamstown High School. After attending Woodbury College in Montpelier, she ended up settling in Chittenden County, working in Burlington and living and raising her children in Jericho. Ann has been married to her husband Todd for twenty-four years and they have two sons, Thad and Andrew.  Ann has worked hard to be an advocate for both of her sons and others who have  Autism Spectrum Disorder. A lover of animals, she shares her home with three rescues, a dog and two cats. Ann is a member of the Humane Society of The United States and ASPCA. She  also helps out at a local Christmas Tree Farm most every holiday season.  Ann is an avid lover of lighthouses, and loves to travel to coastal Maine where she can be alongside the ocean and unwind.  

Prior to CHCB, Ann worked in a variety of roles in the health care sector for nineteen years.  Ann has worked at CHCB’s billing team since December 2017, initially as a Patient Accounts Representative II. After earning credentials, she became a Team Lead and was promoted to Patient Accounts Supervisor almost one year ago. When asked about what brought her to CHCB, Ann shared “I wanted to work for a health care center that provided quality care to all patients. It was also important for me to work for an organization that cares about its staff, and where your input is valued. I really feel like a valuable member of the CHCB family.” 

Ann describes her role as working to ensure Patient Accounts are up-to-date and that billing inquiries are being resolved. Ann and her staff also work with insurance companies to advocate for patients in resolving claims. Regarding her team, Ann reports, “We are a small but mighty team who truly care about the quality of our work, and truly do our very best for the patients we serve.” 

For Ann, how patients are treated, regardless of circumstance, is paramount. “For me, the piece of our mission that resonates most of all is how we respectfully treat our patients. We treat all of our patients with dignity.” Ann and the Patient Accounts team she leads are one of the many departments at CHCB that, while not patient-facing, continue to work relentlessly to uphold CHCB’s mission, which is integral to the delivery of equitable and exceptional access to health care. Whether on the phone with an insurance company on behalf of a patient claim, or collaborating with the Director of Patient Accounts to improve processes and develop systems to ensure accuracy and efficiency, Ann is doing so with CHCB’s mission in mind every step of the way.