In October, CHC was pleased to welcome a delegation of leaders in public health representing eight countries organized by the Vermont Council on World Affairs. The group visited our Riverside location for a conversation about CHC’s role in protecting public health and learned about best practices in managing the threat of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. CHC’s Chief Medical Officer Adam Greenlee and Besty Fowler, CHC’s Director of Mental Health and Substance Use Services hosted the group which included clinicians, public health workers, and law enforcement from four continents. CHC staff shared information about CHC’s range of services and many community collaborations. The group included representatives from Cambodia, Liberia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Peru, South Korea, Ukraine, and Uruguay. The group visited Vermont from October 9-October 15 through the US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

On Wednesday, CHC staff joined Congresswoman Becca Balint at the O’Brien Center in Winooski for a roundtable discussion on how proposed Medicaid changes could impact the health of our community. The conversation focused on the challenges ahead for both patients and healthcare workers, as many individuals may lose healthcare coverage if the proposed spending plan moves forward.

Congresswoman Balint emphasized the importance of hearing directly from frontline workers as she continues to advocate for affordable healthcare. We’re proud that our CHC staff could represent our organization and share their perspective in this important discussion.

John Grigas, LICSW, grew up in Massachusetts before moving to Maine in his early teens. After several years of visiting Vermont, he made the decision to make it his new home. He earned his BSW and MSW from the University of Southern Maine and earned a master’s degree in Sociocultural Anthropology from Brandeis University. John primarily utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Narrative Therapy in counseling. He is experienced in working with individuals with substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, and trauma. John emphasizes values-based action, creativity, and mindfulness in his therapeutic work. When not on the clock, John enjoys visiting new restaurants, reading, and exploring everything that Vermont has to offer.

Tayler Levesque, FNP-C grew up in Massachusetts but fell in love with Vermont when she was a teenager. She earned her BSN from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and worked as an RN in inpatient cardiology and then the emergency room for over a decade. She received her MS in nursing at Frontier Nursing University. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, she loves caring for people of all ages and has a passion for pediatrics and supporting families. She and her family have made Vermont home since 2014. She loves gardening, practicing French, and fixing up her 1850’s farmhouse.\

 

John Wermer, LICSW, grew up in Essex, Vermont. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Johnson State College (Vermont State University) and received his Master of Social Work from Boston College. He provides mental health counseling with a focus on anxiety management, executive functioning skills, and processing through and past developmental trauma. In his free time, he enjoys reading and spending time with his family.

 

 

CHC is thrilled to announce a generous donation of 20 iPads and carts from Propio Language Services to support real-time video interpreter services for our patients!

Since 2021, CHC has partnered with Propio to provide thousands of hours of interpreter services for patients. Last year alone, interpreters assisted CHC patients on more than 18,000 calls, providing services in 66 unique languages.

With the donation of iPads and carts, CHC is now able to provide video-remote interpreting, an improvement over phone-based service that makes communication easier for patients whose primary language is not English and those with hearing loss. With the new equipment, CHC staff can quickly connect with qualified, HIPAA-compliant interpreters in over 300 languages, including American Sign Language.

Video-remote interpreting removes barriers to care, gives patients greater independence in accessing healthcare, and allows our staff and providers to communicate critical information in real time. Thank you, Propio Language Services, for helping us strengthen language access and ensure every patient can receive the best care possible!

You’re invited! Please join us on Thursday, October 24 at 5:30pm to celebrate the accomplishments from CHC’s past fiscal year and enjoy a special panel discussion with our extraordinary staff! This is a free event hosted at our Riverside location (617 Riverside Avenue, Burlington). RSVP is appreciated to mstevens@chcb.org.