News Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Community Health Centers of Burlington

Meet Our New Providers

December 15, 2021 by Maggie Stevens

Please join us in welcoming Blake McKnight, MSN, FNP-C and Julia Zdanowicz, PMHNP-BC to CHCB!

Blake is our newest medical provider. He was born and raised in Vermont, and graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then entered the health care field through a job collecting blood donations at the American Red Cross, which led to a desire to become a family nurse practitioner. He earned a BSN degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, then completed the family nurse practitioner program at UVM. Before coming to the Community Health Centers of Burlington, he worked for over four years at another local family practice, as well as a local college health center and two local urgent care clinics. Outside of work, Blake enjoys cooking, podcasts, music, reading, chess, and biking. His professional interests include diabetes management, primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, health screenings, urgent care, and the health benefits of a plant-based diet. He is currently accepting new patients at the South End Health Center.

Julia is our most recent psychiatric provider. She was born and raised in Chicago, IL and relocated to Vermont in 2021. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Rehabilitative Services in 2002 and spent many years assisting adults with developmental disabilities and autism, as well directed unit operations for various Dementia Special Care Units in Chicago. She received her nursing degree from Morton College in 2013 and worked as an intensive care nurse for several years in a small community hospital. Julia received a Master’s of Science in Nursing in 2021 and became board certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The majority of her training was done at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL which has been ranked #1 in the state. Julia values collaborative care to be a support to her patients as they navigate their mental health goals to achieve symptom relief. Julia is located at our Riverside Health Center, and patients can be referred to her through their CHCB Primary Care Provider.

Dr. Michelle Dorwart on Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination

December 1, 2021 by Maggie Stevens

For about the past month, Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines have been available for children as young as 5 years old. We know many parents have questions about vaccinating their young children against COVID-19. Dr. Michelle Dorwart, CHCB Maternal-Child Health Provider and member of the Vermont Chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, has put together a short video as well as the following write-up to help address common areas of concern.

Are the vaccines safe for children?
At this point, COVID-19 vaccines are among the most highly studied and scrutinized vaccines in history. There have been rare cases of significant side effects, but the vaccines have proven to be extremely safe and effective.

Over 3,000 5-11-year-olds participated in the Pfizer vaccine trial, and no serious side effects were reported. In the past month, nearly 3 million children ages 5-11 have been vaccinated in the US. So far, no serious side effects have been reported. (Not to mention the more than 4 billion people who have been vaccinated worldwide, including over 100 million people fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, of whom 12.6 million are 12-17 years old.)

Dose
The dose for children ages 5-11 is smaller than the dose for those ages 12 and older. This is because young children have robust immune systems and can make a great response with a smaller dose. Like older people, they should still receive a second dose 3 weeks after the first.

The dose for children ages 12 and older is the same as the adult dose; they should also receive a second dose 3 weeks after the first. We do not yet know whether children will require booster doses; however, booster doses are common for pediatric vaccines so that is possible.

Side effects
Side effects for 5-11 year olds are similar to those seen for routine pediatric vaccination – fever, sore arm, body aches, headache. In adolescents and particularly adolescent males, there have been rare instances of myocarditis which is inflammation around the heart. These cases have generally been mild and treated with ibuprofen. Myocarditis and other serious side effects have not been reported in children ages 5-11 so far.

What about long-term side effects?
People often wonder about “long-term” side effects…but long-term side effects with respect to vaccines are really on the order of weeks to months. The vaccine enters our body, our body responds to it by making antibodies and then by processing and excreting the vaccine components. The antibodies (which were made by our body) are the only thing that remain.

Vaccines do not affect fertility. They do not alter DNA. They do not contain tracking devices or other implantable devices.

If COVID-19 causes mild illness in children, isn’t it better for them to get natural immunity by just getting infected?
While it’s true that most cases of COVID-19 in children are mild, the risks associated with an infection remain significantly higher than the risks associated with a COVID-19 vaccine.
We want people to get COVID-19 antibodies, and vaccines are the less risky way to get those antibodies.

If you’d like to get your child vaccinated, you can:

Register for an appointment on the Vermont Department of Health website. Our off-site vaccination clinic at 294 N. Winooski Ave is available through this system and has pediatric vaccine available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Come to a routine office visit with your child if they are 12 or older. We can give them (and you, if needed!) a shot when they are here!

Soon, we will have vaccine doses available for children ages 5-11. The supply will increase as the availability increases in the state.

Thank you for your time and attention! We’re always very happy to answer any other questions you have, so please don’t hesitate to ask.

CHCB’s 50th Annual Meeting Available to View Online

November 17, 2021 by Maggie Stevens

Did you miss our 50th Annual Meeting? Not to worry, you can now watch our virtual celebration online! View the recording below to learn more about our fifty years serving the community, including a presentation from Former Governor of Vermont, Howard Dean, MD.

CHCB Chief Medical Officer Named UVMMC President of Medical Staff

November 10, 2021 by Maggie Stevens

We’re happy to announce that CHCB Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Heather Stein, was recently elected President of Medical Staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Dr. Stein has been a primary care provider at CHCB since 2011, and served as Associate Medical Director and Medical Director before taking on the role of Chief Medical Officer in 2020.

Dr. Stein’s professional interests include addiction treatment and she has a board certification in addiction medicine. She also focuses on care of the underserved, as well as comprehensive care for the whole family and reducing barriers to treatment.

Read the full press release from UVM Medical Center here.

Feedback Needed! Share Your Thoughts in Our Equity Survey

October 18, 2021 by Maggie Stevens

CHCB is working with The Creative Discourse Group to help us ensure health equity for ALL within our community. We are reaching out to our patients, partners and other community stakeholders to invite you to participate in an online survey developed by The Creative Discourse Group. We want to hear about your experience with CHCB, what we’re doing well and what we can do even better to serve our community.

Within the survey you will also be offered an opportunity to sign up to participate in one of several focus groups. Each of the people selected to participate in a focus group by Creative Discourse will receive a $50 gift certificate to a local grocery store. The feedback you provide will be vital to shaping our approaches to addressing racism as a public health emergency and eliminating barriers to care for ALL in our community.

Please visit this survey to sign up for one of the 6 focus groups available. All content from these discussions will be compiled by The Creative Discourse Group and remain entirely anonymous, used only for the purpose of building our capacity to address health equity in our communities. Please share this message with anyone you believe would be interested. Please contact equityauditinfo@chcb.org if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your partnership and assistance, and thank you for being our patient!