JULY/AUGUST 2014

Amanda F. Van Straten, MDis New Full Time Neurologist at NVRHNortheastern Vermont Regional Hospital is pleased to announce the

arrival of Dr. Amanda F. Van Straten, new full time neurologist at NortheasternVermont Regional Hospital. Dr. Van Straten grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She receivedher BS in Chemical Engineering from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FLin 2005, and her MD from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine inOklahoma City in 2009. She completed her internship in Internal Medicine at theUniversity of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and her Residency in Neurologyat the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She most recently(2013-2014) completed a Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. Van Straten received the Outstanding Neurology Resident of 2013,chosen by the faculty. She’s given multiple presentations on neurologic conditions.She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the AmericanEpilepsy Society, has published several papers, and is Board Certifi ed with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Laural Ruggles, VP Marketing and Community Health Improvement says of Van Straten’s arrival, “We are veryfortunate to have Dr. Van Straten join us. She’s extremely capable with a wide array of knowledge. Her genuine care forpatients is exceptional.” Van Straten’s specialties include seizures, headaches, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons, dementia, spinal cordinjuries, neuropathy and other neurologic conditions. She lives in St. Johnsbury with her husband Peter and son Jacob. They enjoy the great outdoors and their dogs.

Dr. John Elliott Community Service Award - PaulaGaskin FLEK, Inc. and NVRH Earn Bronze Award Raising Funds in Memory of Sue Hoffman, CNM Human Resources Corner Annual Recognition Dinner Investing Wisely NVRH Gray Gallery - Matthew Gauvin Real Time Feedback 5K Run for the Melissa Jenkins Scholarship Fund “The Hungry Heart” Film in the Medical Library The Sounds of Summer... MedQuest UVM Medical Students in Charge of MedQuestStudents - Meghan Breen

Safety Bulletin... NVRH Emergency Codes Employee Safety Committee Seeking NewMembers Devin Harbin - Clinical Rotation at CornerMedical ATOD Recent Changes Dr. Ken Danielson Re-certifi ed Online Patient Portal NVRH Birth Center Welcomes Little RiversObstetric Patients Auxiliary/Volunteer News Ann Creaser Donates Hair for Wigs for CancerPatients Mandy Degre, RN Completes Rotation inWomen’s Wellness

The BrightLook is a monthly publicationfor NVRH employees, volunteers, physicians,corporators and board members. Our next deadline is September 19 forthe September 2014 issue. Please contactHilary De Carlo at ext. 7303 if you have anarticle or picture(s) to submit.

In this issue of The BrightLook Dr. Joyce Dobbertin Spoke at JuneCorporator Meeting Karyn Patno, MD Speaks about NewbornCare Monique Paquette, RN Retires Construction Update A+ Standard of Caring - May 2014

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NVRH AwardsDr. John Elliott Community Service Award

Paula Gaskin was presented with the Dr. John ElliottCommunity Service Award for employees of Northeast-ern Vermont Regional Hospital at the NVRH RecognitionDinner on June 26. Gaskin is the Practice Manager forCorner Medical in Lyndon. Dr. John Elliott joined what is now Corner Medical in Lyndon in the1970’s. Dr. Elliott passed away unexpectedly in 2008. This award wascreated by employees at NVRH in his memory to recognize a current em-ployee who exemplifi es Dr. Elliott’s quiet dedication to community. “Thisaward is especially meaningful to all of us who knew and worked with Dr.Elliott,” said Paul Bengtson, CEO at NVRH. Angela Williamson, a past recipient of the award, spoke of Gaskin’sspecial relationship with Dr. Elliott. “Dr. Elliott would be humbled by thisaward in his honor and this year would be very special because Paulaholds a special place in his heart.” The Dr. John Elliott award rewards employees of the hospital for theirvolunteer and community work outside of their normal job responsibilities.

Like Dr. Elliott, Gaskin has a long history of quiet service to the community. When presenting the award, Dr. JoyceDobbertin listed Gaskin’s long list of service including serving as a trustee for the Cobleigh Public Library, on theLyndon Institute Alumni Board, leading a Relay for Life team, and fundraising for numerous organizations like theMarch of Dimes. The Dr. John Elliott Community Service Award is rewarded annually. Past winners were Linda Garey, DonnaRacine, Ramona Letourneau, Angela Williamson, and Barbara Byrne.

FLEK, INC and NVRHEarn Bronze Awardin National Advertising Competition Florence Chamberlin and Amy Hale, fromFLEK, Inc., were recently recognized with a BronzeAward by the Aster Awards, which honors excellencein medical marketing nationwide. The Bronze Award,which equates to the top 16% in the nation, was forNortheastern Vermont’s Regional Hospital 2013 AnnualReport titled Team Economy. NVRH competed in thecategory “Hospitals Under 75 beds” with other hospitals nationwide. The Aster Awards, one of the largest national competitions of its kind, is hosted by Marketing HealthcareToday Magazine and Creative Images, Inc. This well-known program recognized outstanding healthcare profession-als for excellence in their advertising/marketing efforts for the calendar year 2013. The 2014 Aster Awards received nearly 3,000 entries from across the United States as well as Canada and

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South America. All entries are judged by industry experts and are scored on multiple criteria which included creativ-ity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal with a possibility of100 total points. “We work very well with Florence and Amy from FLEK. Since we’ve collaborated with them for years,their knowledge of the hospital and our role in the community is like second nature to them, and I believe that ourpublications and advertisements refl ect that,” said Laural Ruggles, Vice President of Marketing and CommunityHealth Improvement at NVRH. “The creativity of this year’s healthcare marketing professionals continues to be at an all time high. The2014 Aster Awards program contained some of the best advertising arguably in the world,” said Melinda Lucas,Aster Awards Program Coordinator. For further information about the Aster Awards Program, please visit www.asterawards.com.

Since the death last year of Sue Hoffman, Certifi edNurse Midwife at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospitalfor 27 years, friends and employees have been looking for alasting way to honor Sue’s work and memory. In 2008, Sue volunteered in Ghana, West Africawith Project Hope, where she trained midwives. She lovedher month-long experience there, calling it a “wonderfulcultural exchange experience.” Project HOPE (HealthOpportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated toproviding lasting solutions to health problems, with themission of helping people to help themselves. The Mampong Hospital located in The Republicof Ghana in West Africa, is currently conducting a capitalcampaign to renovate the Maternity Wing and Women’sHostel, and purchase new equipment and supplies. NVRHplans to raise $6500, enough to renovate the Women’sHostel in Sue’s name. The Hostel is where new mothersstay. A school of midwifery is associated with theMampong Hospital. There are about 5,000 deliveries a year

at the hospital, with the majority of children delivered bymidwives; there are currently 3,000 women in the midwiferyschool. NVRH is partnering with the Episcopal Diocese ofWestern Massachusetts to raise funds for the MampongHospital Maternity Wing and to make this donation in Sue’sname and memory. The Diocese has a long history ofwork in Ghana. Maggie Addai, who runs the orphanage atMampong recently visited NVRH with her friend and long-time supporter of the orphanage, Reverend Annie Ryder ofChrist Church Episcopal & Trinity Lutheran in Sheffi eld, MA. Sue’s life-long work as a midwife made a hugeimpact on many peoples’ lives. If you would like to makea donation in her memory on behalf of The Mamponghospital, please visit www.nvrh.org. At the top of the homepage, fi nd “donate” and proceed to the donation page.Please put Sue’s name “In Memory Of.” Or send a checkmade out to NVRH and add a memo with Sue’s name andsend it to the attention of Jennifer Layn, NVRH, PO Box 905,St. Johnsbury, VT 05819.

Raising Fundsto Support Maternity Hospital in West Ghana

in Memory of Sue Hoffman, CNM

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HumanResourcesCorner

August Orientation: Welcome Everyone!: Mitchell Sullivan, MD(Corner Medical); Nichole Bachelder (Access Specialist); Kari Harris(Access Specialist); Nicholas Selig (Medical Technologist); AaronPersons (Master Mechanic); Joanna Aldrich (Phlebotomist); FrontKneeling: Annick-Marie Kaufman, MD (Surgical Department); Frontsitting: Melissa Gagnon (Access Specialist).

July Orientation: We are pleasedto welcome 13 new employees to theNVRH team! Pictured left to right:(kneeling) Brock Leavitt, Multi-ModalityTechnologist (Diagnostic Imaging),Samantha Davis, Access Specialist(Access Department), Brandy Hein,Medical Assistant (Externship, EverestCollege), Jennifer Hooker, Imaging

Assistant (Diagnostic Imaging); (standing) Lee Loyer, Tobacco GrantCoordinator (Tobacco Grant), Barandee Peterson, RN Medical Offi ce(Kingdom Internal Medicine), Lewis Apgar, Community HealthWorker (Community Connections), Anna Driscoll, Registered NurseClinician (Hospitalist), Hannah Lawrie, Registered Nurse (BirthCenter), Jamie Pell, Ultrasound Technologist (Diagnostic Imaging),Samuel Rice, Access Specialist (Access Department). Not picturedare Aaron Persons, Master Mechanic (Plant Operations) and Dr.Amanda Van Straten who joins NVRH as a Neurologist in SpecialtyClinics. Welcome! We’re glad to have you all on board!

NVRH HoldsAnnual Recognition Dinner

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital heldits annual recognition dinner for employees onThursday evening, June 26, at The SherburneBase Lodge on Burke Mountain. One hundredand fi fty people attended; employees wererecognized for their years of service as wellas certifi cations they earned during the pastyear. Paul Bengtson, CEO was the Master ofCeremonies, and his sense of humor, genuinegratitude to employees and stories made theevening enjoyable and entertaining.

Five Years of Service:Chaplaincy: Abby Pollender; Corner Medical: Lise Lussier,Laurie Pearsons; Day Surgery: Paula Geil, RN, DiabetesEducation: Erika Owen, RN; Diagnostic Imaging:Glenda Fay Bernier; Emergency Medicine: Rachel Somers,Jennifer Starling, RN, Cynthia Taylor, RN, Janet Wilson,APRN; Finance: Kimberly Hill, Linda Sherman; IntensiveCare Unit: Alden Littlefi eld, RN, Katherine Walters, RN;Laundry: Frederick Wells; Medical Staff: Krista Haight,MD, Karen Kenny, MD, Richard Merrick, MD, Medical/Surgical: Stephanie Porter, RN; Nursing Administration:Melanie Young; Nutrition & Food Service: KarenBarss; Orthopaedics Clinic: Martha Erwin, Jane Vinton;Physician Practices: Marie Dimick; St. J Pediatrics:Danielle Ball, RN; Tobacco Cessation: Cheryl Glick;Volunteer Services: Charles Bucknam, Jeannette Farmer,Donna May, Barbara Stamm, Arlene Stuart, Dyanna Thresher,Women’s Wellness: Annie Montminy, Cynthia Turner, LPN.

Ten Years of Service:Community Connections: Pam Smart; Corner Medical:Holly McKeon, RN; Development: James Flynn;Diagnostic Imaging: Deborah Haselton, Richard Page,Yvette Parker, Konnie Perkins; Information Services:Keith Willey; Medical Staff: Michael Rousse, MD; MedicalSurgical: Norah Lewis, RN; Patient Accounts: DeanneRobinson, Volunteer Services: Diana Reynolds.

Fifteen Years of Service:Access: Jeannine LaCoss; Anesthesia: Carroll Ruhlman,CRNA; Birth Center: Constance Rath Kruszyna, RN;Emergency Medicine: Marlene Quilliam, RN; Finance:

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Robert Hersey, Ella Kelsey, Madeline Robertson; Human Resources: Betty Ann Gwatkin; Information Services: ThomasQuackenbush; Medical Staff: Marc Bouchard, MD, Candice Ortiz, MD, Elaine Stasny, MD; Medical Surgical: DeniseStevens, RN; Nutrition & Food Service: Virginia Jenks Flanders; Plant Operations: Gary Hatcher; St. J Pediatrics: LindaWard; SPD: Diana Baugh-Lopez; Volunteer Services: Rachel Charron; Women’s Wellness: Lorraine Black, Deborah Morse,LPN.

Twenty Years of Service:Emergency Medicine: Debra Bach, RN, Karen Jenkins; Health Information Management: Holly Barrett, Marilyn Berube;Kingdom Internal Medicine: Elaine Robinson, APRN; Medical Staff: Stanley Baker, MD, David Brody, MD, KatherineSilloway, DDS; Medical Surgical: Christine Thompson, RN; Nursing Administration: Constance Charron, RN; NursingEducation: Carol Hodges, RN; Pathology: Lynn Collins; Pediatric/Med Surg: James Becker, RN; Volunteer Services:Gail Roberts; Women’s Wellness: Anea Lelong, CNM.

Twenty-Five Years of Service:Corner Medical: Miriam Simon, PA; Emergency Medicine: Lori Ely; Environmental Services: Teala Hooker; IntensiveCare Unit: Colleen Herrity, RN, Laura Sophrin, RN; Kingdom Internal Medicine: Linda Hunkins, RN; OrthopaedicsClinic: Kimberly Gammell; Plant Operations: Scott Willman; SPD: Linda Lockwood.

Thirty Years of Service:Medical Staff: John Ajamie, MD, Richard Bennum, MD, Craig Dreisbach, MD, Gregory MacDonald, MD; NursingAdministration: Eugenie Kroeger, Janice Santaw, RN; Operating Room: Keith Ruede, PA; Quality Management: JamesCoulson.

Thirty-Five Years of Service:Medical Staff: William Sargent, MD; Nursing Education: Barbara Byrne, RN.

Forty Years of Service:Health Information Management: Marcia Little; Medical Staff: Ted Houle, MD; Nutrition & Food Service: AnnCreaser.

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Certifi cation: Birth Center: Valerie Lemieux, RN; Day Surgery Unit: JudithWheeler, RN; Intensive Care Unit: Eric Kierstead, RN, Lyndi Medico, RN; Medical Surgical: Kathryn Butterfi eld, RN,Erika Downing, RN, Megan Fenoff, RN, Marilee Norcross, RN, Brenda Smith, RN; Operating Room: Susannah Keller, RN;Pediatric/Med Surg: Lynn Kostur, RN, Norah Lewis, RN.

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Instructor Certifi cation: Intensive Care Unit: Eric Kierstead, RN, BarbaraByrne, RN.

Advanced Certifi cation in Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Bone Densitometry: Diagnostic Imaging: DeborahHaselton.

Advanced Certifi cation in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Diagnostic Imaging: Tyler Fournier

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography: Diagnostic Imaging: Jacquelyn Zaun

Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration: SPD: Michael Janesik

Bachelor of Science in Nursing: Day Surgery Unit: Kelly Lemieux, RN; Emergency Medicine: Monique Paquette, RN;Intensive Care Unit: Jonathan Dupuis, RN, Deborah Keon, RN, Katherine Walters, RN.

Certifi ed Healthcare Assister: Community Connections: Shauna Barrett, Stephen Kline.

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Certifi ed Healthcare Leader: SPD: Diana Baugh-Lopez

Certifi ed Healthcare Navigator: Community Connections: Regina O’Meara, Laura Rooker.

Certifi ed in Healthcare Compliance: Quality Management: James Coulson

Certifi ed Patient Account Technician: Patient Accounts: Kimber Gladding.

Certifi ed Revenue Cycle Specialist – Institutional: Access: Michele Knight, Amber Lyon.

Certifi ed Revenue Cycle Specialist – Professional: Access: Tammy Upton.

Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor: Finance: Ella Kelsey

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor: Finance: Ella Kelsey

Licensed Nursing Assistant: Otolaryngology: Sarah Winans, LNA

Master Electrician: Plant Operations: Greg Lepine

Master of Public Health: Community Health: Laural RugglesMaster of Science in Health Informatics: Health Information Management: Ashley Bruno

Neonatal Resuscitation Program: Emergency Medicine: Susan Steele, RN

Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certifi cation: Medical Surgical: Erika Downing, RN, Megan Fenoff, RN, Terry Gray,RN, Kristyn Walker, RN; Operating Room: Susannah Keller, RN; Pediatric/Med Surg: Norah Lewis, RN.

Pediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor Certifi cation: Intensive Care Unit: Eric Kierstead, RN; Medical Surgical:Jodi Campbell, RN, Kara Lawrence, RN, Rachel Malachuk, RN.

Senior Professional in Human Resources: Human Resources: Betty Ann Gwatkin.

Trauma Nursing Core Course: Emergency Medicine: Ashley Malshuk, RN, Debra Smith, RN.

Special Recognition Vermont State Nurses Association: Clinical Educator of the Year: Carol Hodges, RN; StaffNurse of the Year: Deborah Keon, RN.

Laboratorians5 years 10 years

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Carol Hodges Marcia Littel, 40 years

AnnualRecognitionDinner

Grace Bengtson and Trustee Steve Nichols 30 years Rachel and Greg

15 years Lynn and Hilde 25 years

Investing Wisely Small cap, mid cap, dividends, shares, equities….understanding how to invest your money can be confusing! AllNVRH employees are eligible to participate in the 401K Retirement Plan which NVRH contributes to, but knowing how to makeit work most effectively can be a challenge. In September, Ron York, NVRH’s independent registered investment advisor willbe on-site for 20 minute one-on-one meetings with employees to answer questions and help you understand your investmentoptions for your 401K account. To schedule an appointment, please contact Laura in Human Resources at 748-7312 orl.malieswski@nvrh.org. If you are unable to meet with Ron in person, you can also contact him by phone at 508-281-8212 oremail him at ryork@e-pfg.com. Before you meet with Ron or any Investment Advisor, you should consider your investment goals including when youplan to retire, how much risk you are willing to take, what your current savings are, what your income needs will be whenyou retire, future major expenses such as college tuition, etc. The better prepared you are with questions, the more yourinvestment advisor can help you make the right decisions for your unique retirement savings needs. Information about your NVRH 401K Retirement Plan can be accessed at www.gwrs.com (Great West FinancialRetirement Services). The site also has a wealth of information about your investment options, fi nancial planning calculators,savings tips and more. We encourage you to check out the site and make the most of this benefi t. Your future self will thankyou!

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East Burke Artist and IllustratorHangs Exhibit at NVRH Gray Gallery

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital is pleasedto announce a new exhibit by East Burke artist MatthewGauvin in the Charles M. and Hanna H. Gray Gallery. Bornin Vermont, Gauvin graduated from St. Johnsbury Academyand earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at Massachu-setts College of Art and Design. Matthew Gauvin has always known he wanted tomake art. Prior to attending college, he was the recipient ofseven awards and prestigious honors, including the “Con-gressional Art Competition,” presented by U.S. Senator JamesJeffords. He also placed fi rst in the third annual “Art at theNational Examiner Contest.” Close to home, he has exhibited at the Burke Wine andArt Showcase in Lyndonville, Dream Scape Studios, St. Johnsbury and Lincoln Bond Gal-lery in Woodstock, and in the Vermont Capital Building, Montpelier. He also presentedwork at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild National Exhibition. An accomplished illustrator, Gauvin’s clients include Cobblestone Magazine, LeahyPress, Redmond Channel Partner Magazine, and Half Price Books, along with greetingcard companies, magazines, CD covers, murals, logos, and 18 books. One of Gauvin’sfavorite forms of painting is landscapes, whether from a photo in his studio, or watercol-ors produced en plein air (in the open), often with a quality of light that be described asspecial or magical. No matter where he fi nds himself, he is constantly looking for possiblelandscapes, and fi nds inspiration in the out-of-doors. During the past year, Matthew and his wife have created a new line of illustrated products called “Vermoosin’ “,featuring a moose named Kirby, who enjoys Vermont living. Some of the designs can be seen and purchased at http://www.zazzle.com/sneezingleopard. Matthew lives and works in East Burke, Vermont with his wife Barbara. For more information about the illustratorand his work, visit http://www.matthewgauvin.com/bio.htm.

One of Matthew Gauvin’s recent-ly illustrated children’s booksis Pigs! Under the Post Offi ce,in collaboration with Vermontauthor, Kristen Van Aken.

REAL TIME FEEDBACK--Jan Oliver, Nurse Manager Med/Surg

We all read the Press Ganey survey commentsand often see things we could have fi xed while thepatient was here. On Med/Surg we began a processto help us ensure the patient has the best experiencewhile they are here. In March we began seeking RealTime Feedback from patients. The purpose was to iden-tify and address patient concerns in a timely fashion.When we receive feedback from patients while they arehere, we can make sure we meet their needs. We canaddress their concerns and/or give recognition to staffwho get positive comments. Hopefully our patient satis-faction scores will improve. We developed a form that asks patients whatwe can do to make improvements, whether there is anemployee they would like to recognize. Nurses hand

them out to the patient. There is a box at the nurse’sstation where they are deposited. Jan Oliver checksthe box daily and addresses the issues. Since we began the process, the response hasbeen very positive. Almost every day, there are cardsreturned. By June, we had 33 cards returned and 3letters written. Seven departments (i.e. food service,environmental services, physical therapy, care manage-ment, etc.) received recognition and 24 employees werementioned by name. This feedback was provided to thedepartments and the individuals identifi ed. In addition to the positive recognition, therewere opportunities to improve our care to patients. Iwill share 2 examples. One patient commented thatour soap had a scent and that was a problem for them.

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We are a scent-free environment and I thought we hadtransitioned to a scent free soap some time ago. Ap-parently a vendor change resulted in scented soap. Wequickly corrected the problem. Another example was apatient who commented that our tub didn’t have grabbars located where they could use them. We have sinceadded grab bars in our tub and shower. The Real Time Feedback project has expanded tothe ICU. We will also be placing a collection box in the

day room on Second fl oor. Recently, a suggestion was made by a Med/Surg nurse to include the comments from Real TimeFeedback in our patient comment section in the Bright-look. I will be working with Hilary to do this. The fi rstquarter of Press Ganey and HCAPs scores showedimprovements in our satisfaction scores. We hope tocontinue the trend.

Did you knowthat we have this fi lm inthe Medical Library foryou to sign out? Takeadvantage of all that thelibrary offers! This fi lmis amazing.

A few of the Dan Wyand PT staff who organized and volunteeredfor the 5K Run on August 9th to raise money for the MelissaJenkins Scholarship Fund.

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Ahhh, I love the sounds of summer, which includes the voices of young people, as they explore their world. Suchwere the sounds heard at NVRH during our annual MedQuest experience, on July 16 and 17, 2014. A buzz, a hum, how canI describe it? The sound of excitement, barely contained. The second week in July is always exciting with MedQuest studentshere; each year is different from the previous years! For the sixteenth year, NVRH, North Country Hospital, UVM and Northeastern Vermont Health Education Center(AHEC) joined with local practices, individuals and providers creating a unique week-long summer program for studentswho want to explore health careers, during July. Students are always rising sophomores or juniors in high school. This year,students came from Caledonia, Essex, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans and Washington counties, fi fteen young women and fi veyoung men. MedQuest is an AHEC project in collaboration with local hospitals, health clinics and facilities, and local colleges.MedQuest is a structured, diversifi ed program. The program is funded through a variety of community partners, whichinclude: Vermont Women’s Fund, NVRH, NCH, Gifford Medical Center, UVM College of Medicine and VSAC . Theirmission is to improve the health of our communities through the development of the health care work force. The programallows students to experience a variety of health care careers, gain exposure to professional work environments, and build skillsand resources for health career pathways. Students stayed at Lyndon State College, providing possibly their fi rst experience ofresidential life. Why do students want to do this? The majority of them told me that they want to make a difference, to possiblyimprove the world. With over 50 applicants, 20 were selected to take part in this exploratory experience. Supervision andleadership were provided by four fi rst-year medical students from University of Vermont’s College of Medicine, workingas Assistant Directors. Assistant Directors were available 24 hours a day to the students. As a group, students learn aboutthings like basic fi rst aid, CPR, medical ethics, infectioncontrol, pathology, preparing for college, nursing dynamics,and cultural competency. At NVRH, they learned aboutdiabetes self-testing, CPR, virtual heart and lung sounds in theSimulation Lab , and experienced virtual IV techniques. Inaddition, students learned on a one-on-one basis during jobshadows with health professionals. Students had 40 job shadow opportunities in the St.Johnsbury area, and a like number at North Country Hospitaland Health Center (Newport). Their local experiences tookthem not only to NVRH and NVRH practices, but also toCALEX, Eye Associates of New England, and St. JohnsburyHealth and Rehabilitation Center. Altogether, a combined82.75 hours of observation was shared while students were atNVRH, utilizing 15 work sites, and 47 professionals.

Comments shared from students in the programincluded:

“I worked with a nurse, and got to understand some of what happens with patient care; just a wonderful experience”

“I was in the lab… they showed me the equipment and ‘stuff ’; it was fascinating.”

“I was impressed by the personal care…. given in the medical practice…”

“It was cool….it’s too bad I can’t come back tomorrow and see the results of this 24 hour test.”

“I’m taking AP courses this year…it’s exciting. I want to be a part of caring for people.”

“As a medical student, I observed that needs for care change, especially at different times in our lives. I am grateful for thisexperience; I want to know more about palliative care.” (UVM Medical Student, after observation at Norris Cotton CancerCenter-North)

The Sounds of Summer… MedQuest, Learning Through Exploration-Betsy Merrill

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Many thanks go out to the staff and others who provided 40 job shadow opportunities for this experience. Extraspecial thanks go to those department managers who created new opportunities, by “thinking outside the box.” One of thestudents who had such an experience left his quiet and reserved comfort zone. So excited, he talked about his experience allduring lunch. “It was really, WAY COOL! WOW! I never saw anything like that before! Focusing on math and science! Wantto be able to do that for people!”

There are a number of folks without whom this opportunity would not have been such a success:

Kim O’Conner, AHEC Health Careers Coordinator / MedQuest Director;

Carol Hodges, RN, Barb Byrne, RN, and Betsy Merrill (NVRH job shadow coordinator) make up the “in house planningteam”… working with all our NVRH staff;

VTC nursing students and graduates, who provided guidance and demonstration in the simulation lab activities;

All the NVRH staff and volunteers - in all their capacities;

Our bus driver…without whom we would have been “stuck”;

UVM, Lyndon State College and Springfi eld College staff & personnel;

All the staff members in all the settings

This year, there were six MedQuest programs offered in Vermont: inChamplain Valley at Fletcher Allen, in both Bennington and Brattleboro, in SouthernVermont and Northeastern Vermont locations. For more information aboutMedQuest experiences available in 2015, contact Kim O’Connor at NortheasternVermont AHEC, 802-748-25010 or email, koconnor@nevahec.org.

Meghan Breen was one of the four UVM Medical students in charge of the twenty Medquest students who visited andobserved at NVRH in July. Meghan is starting her second year at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. I have known Meghan for years, since she grew up a couple of miles down the road from me. We were at The RiversideSchool at the same time – she as a student and I as an employee. She graduated from Riverside in ’04, graduated from St. Johns-bury Academy in ’08 and from Williams College in ’12. She plans to graduate from Medical School in ’17. Meghan took a gap year in 2012-13 to work at Project Horseshoe Farm in Greensboro (population 2300), Alabama. “Working closely with our community, Project Horseshoe Farm was founded on the idea that we must come together as communitiesaround our strengths to meet the needs of our children, seniors, and adults with mental illness”. (website) Project Horseshoe Farm ismanaged by John Dorsey, MD, MBA. Meghan worked with six women, who lived at the residence. Theyall struggled with mental illness and/or addiction, ranging from schizophrenia, bi-polar, personality dis-orders and substance and drug abuse; Meghan loved her year at Project Horseshoe Farm. She learnedan “amazing amount about EVERYTHING,” she told me. She also did math tutoring and reading skillsfor grades 4-8 at the local school. One of the reasons Meghan chose to go to medical school is from her own experience of havingsevere scoliosis, resulting in back surgery after graduating from St. Johnsbury Academy; she had thesummer to recover before starting her freshman year at Williams. Meghan had a female surgeon, who,with her knowledge, skill and bedside manner, enticed her to think about attending medical school. Not surprisingly, Meghan loves medical school. But truthfully, as long as I’ve known her, sheembraces life and its experiences with open arms and an open heart. She starts her clinical rotations inMarch, 2015, completing the standards fi rst and then going for her electives. She loves human interac-tion, living in small towns and is very excited about becoming a physician. By Hilary De Carlo

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Safety Bulletin….NVRH Emergency Codes

By Pete Gummere

The Emergency Operation Planning Team (EOP) has been working quite hard on improving the ability ofNVRH to respond to both internal and external disasters. For many years, NVRH has had emergency codes in orderto communicate the specifi cs of emergencies as they emerge. Going back about two years ago, we recognized a needto revise the Codes and the actual responses to them. We even revised the colors associated with some of the codes –particularly the codes related to security incidents. The changes in code colors were made in order to bring NVRH intocompliance with standard colors used in many of the surrounding institutions. CODE PINK has replaced the old Code Purple. Some of the responses have changed while others remain thesame. The steps pertaining to most of the employee population remain similar to the steps in the old Code Purple. Ina nutshell, the majority of us are called upon to secure building perimeter- that is, all entry and exit doors need to becontrolled. Any person carrying a baby or a package which could be used to disguise a baby should be stopped. Thisincludes persons in typical hospital attire – i.e. scrub-suits. The sheriff should be notifi ed through the switchboard if thereare any problems.

Previously, incidents involving threatening behavior, violence or potential violence were called as “Code Green”.The response to such incidents is now fundamentally different from our previous response. Hence, Code Green was eliminated.

Instead, we have created two new codes, CODE GRAY and CODE SILVER. While the old Code Green calledfor generalized assistance from other departments, CODE GRAY and CODE SILVER explicitly call for staff from otherdepartments to stay completely away from the area in which the incident has arisen. The on-site sheriff will respond.Please note that Code Gray is to be called when disorderly, violent or threatening behavior arises. The Maintenancedepartment has been instructed to respond in assisting the sheriff.

However, if a weapon has been shown, or if the disruptive person can be seen to have a weapon on them, this is amore serious incident. This is when a CODE SILVER should be called. Again, DO NOT GO TO A CODE SILVER ORA CODE GRAY, except for Maintenance staff which responds only as a back-up to the sheriff in a Code Grey.

For information on how your own department should respond to any code you should locate the specifi cinstructions that were written for you and your department co-workers. These instructions are called Department Extractsin that they extract from the overall plan (Emergency Operations Plan) what your area needs to know in response to a codebeing called. Each department has a different set of instructions for their response to a particular code. Your departmentshould have a copy of these extracts for you to familiarize yourself with so you are prepared for the future. In addition, we have created two new Codes. Some of you may have already heard a “CODE D” paged. This is asignal to all employees that a potential disaster in underway and that they should return to their own departments. It is alsoa message to members of the Emergency Operations Team to meet in Conference Room 224, the location of the IncidentCommand Center during a major incident. If the Emergency Operations Team determines that the incident requiresactivation of a Code Yellow (disaster) or another response, that information will be announced via overhead page. IncidentCommand knows that there is a need to share information with all employees; hence, detailed information will be shared asneeded via e-mail. The second addition to the Emergency Codes is rather self-explanatory – LOCKDOWN. In Lockdown, allaccess to the building will be channeled through the Access Entrance. Lockdown is undertaken out of an abundance ofcaution, should actual circumstances require protection of the perimeter of the building. It should also be understood that aLockdown does not mean that the hospital is closed; we are limiting access and control for certain circumstances. Examplesmight include an actual or perceived security threat, an extremely large number of patients or visitors being expected orother events where access to the hospital needs more control than usual. In the coming weeks we ask that all employees review the Codes in the Emergency Operations Plan located on theNVRH Pulse page. Remember that all employees should have the NVRH Code Colors card with their ID card at all times.Your cooperation on this issue is absolutely essential to our collective success.

13

Several years ago MEMIC, our Workman’sCompensation Insurance carrier asked us to institutean Employee Safety Committee so that we could havea front line team that could provide the importantinterface of safety and observation. From its inception,it has been a highly successful group that saw theneed for change and was able to recommend and acton what needed to be done. In recent years we haveformed a core group of committed employees that arededicated to observing their work environment andmaking sure safety is in the forefront. At the same timewe have seen a few of our members retire or move toother locations. We need to replace those importantcontributors. The membership of the committee comes fromacross the spectrum of employees at NVRH. While itis important to have a varied membership, it is equallyimportant to have representation from our Nursing staff.They are important to have on the committee for manyreasons. They are relied upon for their clinical expertisebut also because they come in contact with so much inthe facility, both equipment and the physical plant, butalso with their contact with the many family membersand visitors. They are also the highest numberrepresented in the employee population of the hospital.

Employee Safety Committee Seeking New Members We are also looking for representation from themany other departments that make up our hospitalfamily. It is diffi cult for all of us to try to commit toone more meeting during a busy schedule. But I alsoknow how important it is to have employees who willvolunteer to work for a safe environment. I think it ispossible to maintain a busy schedule and allow for anindividual to take an hour or two every other month toattend a meeting and take part in some committee-oriented activities. In addition to hearing about recommendationsfor improving safety, our committee is also responsiblefor monitoring the safety in our environment by takingpart in surveillance rounds. For this, we are assignedan area of the hospital to inspect similar to what mightbe done by a CMS or OSHA inspector. We have a list ofitems to look for and sample questions to ask our fellowemployees, both of which measure our preparednessand response to safety issues. If you would be interested in volunteering forthe NVRH Employee Safety Committee please contactJim Coulson at j.coulson@nvrh.org or call x7380. We areplanning on meeting on Sept. 3 at 10:00 AM in room126.

Devin Harbin, currently at Dartmouth MedicalSchool stands with Dr. Joe Hebert, his preceptorat NVRH Corner Medical. Working at Corner Medical wasDevin’s fi rst clinical rotation and he enjoyed it immensely. Devin wasvery grateful to all of the physicians and healthcare providers he workedwith; he found everyone’s kindness, willingness and patience exceptional.He was impressed with the knowledge that all the Family Medicinepractitioners had, since they saw so many different issues daily. Dr.Hebert called Devin “a pleasure to work with.” Devin grew up in Houston, Texas. He received a BS in Biologyand a minor in chemistry from The University of Houston. Aftershadowing his aunt, a physician in San Antonio, TX working with underserved and underprivileged patients, Devin decided toapply to medical school. He spent time as a research assistant at Texas Children’s Hospital Emergency Center and at Dartmouth, researchingcystic fi brosis and septic conditions in pediatric patients. His next rotation is an elective research rotation in neuropsychiatry atDartmouth. The next two years are spent completing medical rotations in various fi elds, and although he has a real attraction toresearch, he enjoyed spending time with patients so much at Corner Medical, he may rethink the research aspect!

14

The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (A.T.O.D.) Prevention Task Force at NortheasternVermont Regional Hospital has gone through a lot of changes! We want the community toknow we are still here and a lot of work is happening to help people live a healthier life. On Thursday, August 21st from 2:00 to 7:00PM theATOD Prevention Task Force and Tobacco Cessation staffwill host an Open House to welcome community membersto our new space and answer questions about what we do.We are now located in the NVRH Dr. Bobs House at 297Summer Street in St. Johnsbury. The ATOD Prevention Task Force is made upof one full and two part-time paid staff and two or morevolunteers. Staff, volunteers, and more than twenty commu-nity partners meet monthly to plan and evaluate programactivities to ensure that goals and objectives are being met. Lee Loyer, was hired on July 1, 2014 as our newTobacco Grants Coordinator, taking over much of the workpreviously done by Rose Sheehan, Program Director. Leeworks 30hrs per week carrying out the goals and objectivesof the Combined Community Prevention grant, whichinclude initiatives aimed at preventing youth tobacco use,providing resources to people who want to quit, increasingsmoke-free spaces throughout the community, and educat-ing community leaders about the role of advertising andtobacco product types, such as the e-Cigarette on youthinitiation. Cheryl Glick is our Outreach Educator and canbeen seen throughout the community on any given day, ed-ucating community members about the programs we offer.She does this by disseminating program materials, hostinginformational booths at community-wide events, and talkingwith anyone that is interested. Because of her pleasantpersonality and her passion for helping people Cheryl isinstrumental in drawing individuals to our services. Severalpeople have reported they quit smoking as a result of beinginvited to a group by her.

All of our programs are directed by Rose Sheehan,who has worked for NVRH for twelve years. Over the pastyear Rose reduced her hours in order to take on new workin the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union as a guidancecounselor in two schools. She continues to oversee A.T.O.D.with the bulk of her hours spent helping adults quit tobaccouse, which is her greatest passion. To learn more about all the great work and theopportunities to get involved, please join us for the OpenHouse on Thursday, August 21, 2014 from 2:00-7:00PM at297 Summer Street in St. Johnsbury. Refreshments will beprovided.

The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention Task Force grew out of its55 Sherman Drive home and is now located at 297 Summer Street. Theyoffer free Tobacco Cessation Services and many other prevention initiativesto promote health and wellness in the community. To learn more pleasecontact Rose Sheehan, Director, or Lee Loyer, Tobacco Grant Coordinator at748-7532 or 748-8400.

Dr. Ken Danielson was recently re-certifi edby the American Society of Breast Surgeonsin Breast Ultrasound. He submitted documentation,as well as clinical case studies, and a panel of reviewerscritiqued his submissions. The American Society of BreastSurgeons, the primary leadership organization for generalsurgeons who treat patients with breast disease, iscommitted to continually improving the practice of breastsurgery by serving as an advocate for surgeons who seekexcellence in the care of breast patients.

NVRH Launches Online Patient Portalfor Easier Access to Health Information

With its launch of a new patient portal program called MyPortal.NVRH.org, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospitalnow offers patients the option to access select portions of their health records online, through the main hospital website atwww.nvrh.org. Signing up for the Patient Portal requires in-personauthentication, which can be done at your NVRH healthcare provider’soffi ce or at the Health Information Management offi ce (Medical Records)on the lower level of the hospital. Family members, caretakers or othersof the patients’ choosing can have access to your electronic healthrecord, provided they have the proper legal documentation for the HealthInformation Management offi ce. MyPortal allows patients to more conveniently view certain labreports, allergies, medication and condition lists, view health recordsand appointments, update personal profi le, view bills, read reports fromhealthcare providers and message your healthcare providers. Patientsare notifi ed by email if they have new information in their record; a reddot will be indicated on the pages that have new activity. Portal passwords are encrypted and URLs are re-written so thatthey cannot be copied and pasted. The patient and authorized familymembers are the only ones who can access the patient’s portal. Atimeout feature protects your information if you leave the Portal pageopen. Wanda Hawkins, NVRH Volunteer who recently signed up for theportal was thrilled. “I love it,” said Wanda. “I’m very happy that I can helpmanage my healthcare from home. It’s very convenient.” Ashley Bruno, Director of Health Information Management calls the Portal “a wonderful addition to patient care atNVRH. It can save patients time and energy and allow for greater communication between providers and patients.” If you have questions about signing up for the Patient Portal, please call 802-748-7362.

15

Ashley Bruno, Director of Health InformationManagement, assists NVRH volunteer Wanda Hawkinssign up for the Patient Portal.

NVRH Birth CenterWelcomes Little Rivers Obstetric Patients

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital’s BirthCenter welcomes obstetric patients from Little Rivers HealthCenter. Drs. Steve Genereaux and Fay Homan, from LittleRivers Health Center have been providing prenatal and postnatal care to patients, and delivering their babies for twentyyears. Cottage Hospital closed its Birth Center on July 31.“The NVRH Birth Center has welcomed us with enthusiasm.It’s clear that NVRH is an institution that supports thebroader community and we are proud and pleased to be apart of this great team,” said Dr. Genereaux. Post natal andprenatal care will continue to be provided at Little Rivers. The NVRH Birth Center emphasizes and encouragesthe strong bond between the mother and infant. Babiesare born in a quiet, private room with a warm home-likeatmosphere. The Birth Center is currently the only Vermonthospital designated Baby Friendly by the World HealthOrganization.

“We want to provide the patients of Little Riverswith a wonderful place to have their babies, and Drs.Genereaux and Homan are welcome new members of ourcaring team,” said Mindy Warren, Director of the BirthCenter at NVRH.

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Auxiliary/Volunteer

NEWSBy Pat Forest, Volunteer Coordinator

The NVRH Auxiliary will begin their meetings after taking our summer break. Our fi rst meeting will beon Friday, September 12th. The lunch will be in the Courtyard Café at Noon with the meeting to follow in rooms126 & 127. Our speaker will be our new Vice-President of Professional Services, Seleem Choudhury. He is bothentertaining and has a great vision for NVRH. We will then award the items for the Auxiliary Wish List. That isalways a great time as we give away all the funds that we have earned through our fundraising efforts throughout theyear. On Tuesday, September 9th Uniform Professionals will be at NVRH for their fall sale. Uni Pro sells afull line of uniforms, shoes and accessories for the health care professionals. They feature the latest styles, prints& colors for uniforms and work shoes from major manufacturers. The sale will take place from 7am – 4pm inconference rooms 126 & 127. They accept cash, check, credit cards and payroll deduction (available to employee’sof NVRH). Proceeds benefi t NVRH Auxiliary. I would like to thank our student volunteers. You did a great job for NVRH and we are very grateful.Thanks to Meredith Amsden, Kamie Flum, Victoria Gates, Sonja Bangeman-Johnson, and ElizabethWinchell. Have a great school year, and come back and see us. If you know of someone who would beinterested in volunteering at NVRH, please have them call Pat at 748-7310 or stop by the main information desk fora volunteer packet.

I would also like to thank our Upward Bound students who were at NVRH from June 23 – July 21. We arehappy that you were able to see aspects of the medical fi eld here at NVRH. Those students are Maranda Ruggles,Victoria Ballou, Brianna Gingue, Molly Leighton, Alyssa Cote, and Mael LeScouezec. The Birth Center,Diagnostic Imaging, Laboratory, Medical Library, Physical Therapy and the Emergency Room each sponsored anLSC Upward Bound student. Also in September, on Tuesday the 30th, we will sponsor a Red Cross Blood Drive. The drive will be heldfrom 11am-4pm in conference rooms 126 & 127. Each pint of blood we receive can potentially save up to 3 lives.What a great gift you can give to someone else. Please call Pat at X 7310 to sign up to donate blood or volunteerfor the registration desk or the canteen. These drives would not be a success without your assistance as a donor or avolunteer. We are looking for 40 blood donors and 10 volunteers. Come out and help us complete our mission forthe drive!

Ann Creaser, Food Service Production Coordinator and long-timeNVRH employee, recently donated 10 inches of hair to Pantenefor wigs for cancer patients. She had her hair cut at The Circleof Care Boutique, the only boutique for cancer patients and theirfamilies in the area.

17

Mandy Degre, RN recently completed a fi ve week clinical rotationin Women’s Wellness with Margaret Rowlett, ARNP. Already being a veryexperienced RN, “Mandy was an exceptional Nurse Practitioner student,” saidMargaret. Mandy is obtaining her degree (MSN) from Saint Joseph’s College, whereshe received her BSN in 2010. She received her Associate’s degree from NewHampshire Community Technical College in 2000 – she has been a nurse for 14years. She’s currently an offi ce nurse at North Country Primary Care and per-diemat NVRH Corner Medical. She’s worked on Medical/Surgical units, as an offi cenurse in a family practice setting and as a community health nurse and casemanager. For her nurse practitioner’s degree, she’s (almost) completed threeclinical rotations: in Primary Care (ages 18-60) at The Barton Clinic fromNovember 2013 to March 2014, Women’s Health at Women’s Wellness andPediatrics in Newport (March, 2014 to July) and currently older adults (60+) at theOrleans Clinic. Two hundred hours are required in each rotation. The rotation in Women’s Wellness was an intense one; normally theyprecept once a week, but this rotation was three days a week for fi ve weeks. Ittakes a great deal of organization and time from both parties. The advantage toMandy, according to Margaret was that her “women’s health/gynecological skillsimproved consistently and brilliantly each day. She made patients feel comfortable and at ease, which takes practice and agenuine commitment to patient care.” Mandy found Margaret a fabulous teacher – “Margaret is very thorough with a huge range of knowledge. Shemaintains her calm, has a great approach with patients, and listens and suggests with a wholistic approach (looking at theentire picture). She discovers layers in every day patient care and truly exemplifi es the profession.” Mandy’s goal as a Family Practitioner is to empower women to take care of themselves. She wants to focus onwomen’s health as well as Family Practice as a FNP. Mandy husband is Eric Degre, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Lake Region High School, as well as theVarsity baseball coach. Last year, Eric had some sudden and rather complicated health problems that required the two ofthem to search for specialized care in Nashville, Tennessee. As a nurse, Mandy’s knowledge and advocacy on behalf of Ericwas invaluable – she also learned a tremendous amount. She has two sons: Gage (12) and Sam (10).

Mandy Degre, RN,Completes Five Week Family Nurse Practitioner Rotation in Women’s Wellness

Dr. Joyce Dobbertin, Family Practitioner at NVRH Corner Medical and Board Certifi ed in PalliativeMedicine spoke at the June Corporator Meetings about Palliative Care at NVRH.Dr. Dobbertin and Dr. Mary Ready, also Board Certifi ed in Palliative Medicine, seepalliative care patients in the Bloch Building in the ENT Suite. Palliative Care iscentered around living better with a challenging illness; the goal is to make patientscomfortable and to honor their wishes. Drs. Dobbertin and Ready build a team(i.e. physicians/healthcare providers, family, caregivers) that meets regularly toevaluate, assist, implement and alter the plan of care to meet the patient’s needsand desires. Dobbertin also spoke about the need for everyone to fi ll out AdvanceDirectives and/or COLST (Clinician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment) formsto clarify what patients want in the event of failing health or an unexpected trauma.

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Karyn Patno, MD,to Speak at NVRH Childbirth Education Program about Newborn Care

Dr. Karyn Patno, long-time pediatrician at NVRH St. Johnsbury Pediatrics will bespeaking about newborn care on Wednesday, August 20th from 6-8 pm. All are welcome; thisprogram is free and open to the public and will be held in conference room 126 in the Businessand Conference Center at the hospital. Dr. Patno is an excellent speaker, with tremendous knowledge about basic infant careas well as Shaken Baby Syndrome. She has established a state-wide program in child abusepediatrics. Please call 748-7337 if you are interested in attending the class or have further questions.

Construction Update!The Moffett Building renovation and expansion is almost completed! Construction is 90% done in St. Johnsbury Pediatrics –they will be working on the last two exam rooms once the Physical Therapy Offi ces are completed. Dan Wyand PT has movedback into their St. J offi ce, and they’ll be seeing patients in their new offi ce on Monday, the 18 th.

The Community-Wide Grand Opening of the Moffett Building is Thursday, September 11th from 3-6!Food and Games

Tours: 3-4:15Food and Prizes

Raffl esMusic with Val Davis: 3-6

Buddy and Harmonie the clowns from 4:30-6Ribbon cutting at 5

There’s been some activity in the corner of Parking Lot E. We are planningto add 30 additional spaces with the debris from the sewer, water and stormdrain projects in St. Johnsbury.

Kingdom Internal Medicine construction will start in September; plantoperations will be working through the winter and we’ll have another grandopening in 2015. Stay tuned!

The Medical Arts Building, Suite 3 is fi nished. Dr. Van Straten (Neurology)andDr. Long (Behavioral Health) will be moving there within the next couple ofmonths.

Monique Paquette, RN and Emergency Room nurse for 32 ½years recently retired from NVRH. She is now a traveling nurse. Herfi rst assignment is in the Emergency Room at Union Hospital in Lynn,MA. Each traveling assignment is 13 weeks. Her bucket list includesworking in Alaska during the summer and Savannah, Georgia andFlorida in the winter. Good luck Monique!

This is how you’ll fi nd the new Medical Arts Building, suite3 entryway! The” lived in” window is for OccupationalMedicine. The two windows to the right are for BehavioralHealth and Neurology.

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A+ Standard of CaringMAY 2014

Ambulatory Surgery+ Communication with family members excellent - Theywere kept informed.+ Everyone knows their job and performs to a high level ofskill.+ Everything moved along smoothly in a well-coordinatedmanner.+ No delays or complaints.+ Thanks to Day Surgery staff Brenda and Paula - made mefeel safe & comfortable/thanks to Annika & Kate and to Dr.Larsen.+ Thanks to Deb Yonker - checking up on me a day or soafter.+ Not the greatest of procedures but under the circum-stances everything went well thanks to an excellent staff &doctor.+ Personnel make registration very easy.+ All made the procedure as good as possible.+ My experience was made as pleasurable as possible be-cause of your staff’s friendliness & expertise.+ I thank your excellent staff for all they did.+ The nurse (Audrey Stone) who started the IV did a phe-nomenal job. I told her she should get a raise!+ Very good staff that made me very comfortable both be-fore, during & after surgery.+ Very good experience and after surgery follow-up.+ Very good overall experience.+ Everyone was great.+ Nice, very clean.+ Very skilled and competent.+ Very pleasant and competent.+ All very helpful & encouraging.+ For my fi rst ever surgery, this was a fantastic experience.+ Doctor excellent at explaining to me everything he wasdoing during the surgery.+ He asked if I wanted to see my hand during surgery -which I did - and I appreciated that -+ Everyone was cheerful and informative.+ Cynthia, Leah and Debbie were excellent in their care ofme.

Emergency Department+ I had taken my medication just before coming to theemergency room so the diuretic was working - the nurse gotme to the rest room in a hurry which calmed me down!+ An EKG was done immediately and I was assured it wasn’tmy pacemaker acting up.+ Both the doctor & nurse made sure I had a soon appoint-ment with my primary-care doctor - he agreed with all theirfi ndings (it was his day off or I’d have seen him instead ofgoing to Emergency).+ Doctor was very nice - I had a great experience.+ I had a very good experience. The nurses made me feelvery comfortable. I loved the attention I got.

+ Debbie Smith was professional & polite.+ Dr. Mark Keller was professional & cautious to make adiagnosis.+ Jackie Zaun - professional - patient focused.+ My nurse was wonderful. Gen I believe was her name.+ Chris was our RN and he was excellent.+ Thank you Dr. Baker.+ Got right in because of chest pain -+ Nurses don’t get much better.+ You are a very well managed medical center!!!+ Loved the Weather Channel in the waiting room TV!+ Radiology - excellent.+ Doctor understood my condition and explained treatmentand helped as much as he could. Sinus congestion.+ Excellent team work.+ Excellent care, explained everything and asked if we hadany questions.+ Great response to the problem.+ Susie Duckett was excellent, caring effi cient & informa-tive.+ Dr. Baker was very kind and patient.+ Were very friendly and made sure I was comfortable whilewaiting.+ He was very nice and didn’t make me feel bad during thevisit.+ Answered my questions and listened well when I dou-ble-checked to make sure I understood.

Inpatient Department+ Kitchen staff was some of the best and the food was greattoo.+ All nurses were excellent.+ Made sure I was as comfortable as possible.+ All so pleasant and they would offer to help with my tray inany way I needed.+ They would come as soon as they could when done withanother patient.+ They were all so kind and did their best not to hurt me.+ All nice all the time.+ I felt very comfortable with him.+ Everyone was very professional, but very kind and caringat same time.+ Staff explained all. And if I had a question, they didn’tmake me feel stupid, even if it sounded it.+ Just the nicest group of staff, I’ve seen in long time. In-cluded kitchen staff, housekeeping.+ All the nurses were very pleasant.+ ... & feeling of confi dence, neighboring friendliness, yetprofessional in their patient associations. One has the feel-ing that he is in “good” hands.+ Great nursing staff!+ The person who brought me food was very nice to me.+ Food service is superb!+ Hospitalist was superb (Dr. Dobbertin).

+ Very, very nice hospital with very friendly staff, nurses,housekeepers, cafeteria and doctors.+ Everyone was very nice and caring took good care of me.Dr. David Brody is my doctor. He took me right to ER and Iwas admitted through the ER.+ Better than some other hospitals in the area.+ Good job - love that hospital - only place I will go to fromnow on.+ My hospital stay was exceptional in every way. Staffperfect -+ They took the time & made my wife comfortable as well.+ Every nurse I had was outstanding.

Kingdom Internal Medicine+ The service is very friendly.+ I am very happy with all the care I receive.+ Staff and doctor were helpful, courteous and cheerful.+ No delays.+ Best service.+ Staff is exceptional!+ Excellent nursing staff.+ Dr. Tom Ziobrowski does a tremendous job, as well as hisstaff. Thank you.+ Already recommended to 2 people.+ I tell everyone to go here.+ I am continually delighted by the prompt and effi cientprocesses in this practice.+ Jessica McLeod is an exceptional NP. She listens carefullyand clarifi es information.+ She is a real asset to KIM and NURA.+ I continue to be enthusiastic about KIM.+ It was a pleasure to move right through. I was feelingrather sick that day and needed to be seen.+ Everything went very well -- all is good. Thanks so much.+ Did a very good job very satisfi ed.+ I was there for an annual exam. The nurse was VERY thor-ough and personable.+ Jessica McLeod made sure I understood what I needed todo. She took my questions seriously and made some notesso I would remember my treatment schedule.+ I ALWAYS receive excellent, courteous treatment fromstaff at KIM.+ Even the student NP was courteous, professional & pleas-ant. I have a chronic illness (asthma) and have COMPLETEconfi dence in the staff at this practice.+ Jessica McLeod NP, is the best for me - she’s kind under-standing, careful with meds. plus polite. She makes me feelthe best I can! Always.+ An excellent group of people. A+.+ She gave up her lunch hour to work w/me!+ Excellent experience! MD himself conducted specialtycare - Outstanding effort!+ Great experience, really! 10 on 10.+ Everyone there puts you at ease.+ Just love Jessica. Like my best friend - so easy to talk with,concerned for my concerns.+ Came in for a scheduled visit. No waiting. The nursecame right in with me and the provider arrived as soon as Ihad changed.

+ I have already sent two people and got them in to see mydoctor - he is great.+ Very good experience. Scale of things is human and con-siderate.+ I am a long-time patient of this practice and like it verymuch.

Corner Medical+ I never have to wait an unreasonable length of time fortreatment.+ Joyce Dobbertin is my doctor - I cannot stress enough howmuch I think of Joyce and how much confi dence I have inher.+ I have lived in big cities and seen doctors there. I have justas much confi dence in our clinic. I am very proud of you all.+ Joyce Dobbertin and her nurse Amy are remarkable car-ing, and compassionate.+ I am very happy with Dr. Hebert as my doctor.+ Thorough, personable, very good efforts to insure my tran-sition into this practice was well-developed.+ Took care to get good over-view as well as current particu-lars.+ Well impressed with entire staff.+ Sandy is fantastic. She is the best.+ Dr. Erisman is simply the best doctor I have ever had -+ Corner Medical has a lot to be proud of.+ Dr. Broderick has always been very good in all respects.Making sure I’m able to leave offi ce and go to my car. Be-cause of the O2 they will take me in a wheel chair.+ We are very fortunate to have this clinic and the high qual-ity staff they have to service this area.+ On a normal visit, I usually have to wait, but the doctoralways gives me time to answer questions, check me, mymeds etc.+ Overall experience was excellent.+ I wish Dr. Gresser a long life & happiness in her retire-ment! Thank you.+ Extremely friendly and professional.+ Dr. Erisman is amazing. She’s wonderful, no complaintswhatsoever.+ Excellent all the way from start to fi nish. The above tenminute waits were NOT the norm and totally acceptable.+ Mary and Dr. Tom Broderick take excellent care of me.They work closely with my neurologist to coordinate my careand make fl exible choices to best meet my evolving medicalneeds.+ Mary continues her professional, caring manner.+ Dr. Broderick is still at the top of his game.+ Absolutely will recommend Corner Medical to others!+ Dr. Erisman is a talented and skilled physician. She isalways wonderful!+ I have a lot of confi dence in Corner Medical.+ Anyone I have come in contact with at Corner Medical hasalways been helpful and pleasant.+ Just love Sandy!+ Katie was great!+ Miriam is great! She always answers my questions fullyand makes sure I understand everything she is telling me.

20 continued

21

+ I never have any trouble getting an appt. If my doctoris not available they ask me if I am okay with a physicianassistant.+ Love Dr. Gresser!+ I’m glad my doctor does not talk down to me, expectingme to be uninformed or incapable of comprehending medi-cal situations or terms.+ She followed up with a phone call to me. I was very im-pressed with her concern (Ashley Gerrish).

St. Johnsbury Pediatrics+ I could not be happier! They all are wonderful, polite,helpful and nice!+ Dr. Stasney took as much care of me as she did my child!She knew how worried I was and really took the time tolisten and then reassure me! She called to check on us 3times over the weekend. Amazing care.+ We could not have a better practice here! We are soblessed!+ I called in the morning about needing an appointmentand was given an appointment that day (only an hour or twoafter my phone call).+ Dr. Kantrowitz is extremely attentive and thorough. Iwould highly recommend him.+ Love, love, love Dr. Josh!!

Womens Wellness Center+ Always greeted by cheerful knowledgeable people on alllevels.+ Very pleasant, and courteous.+ I am more than impressed with Dr. O’Connor - her profes-sionalism is always there; but, she has such a great way ofputting me at ease! Great sense of humor.+ Very conducive to relaxation and comfort.+ I did not feel rushed. The provider was calm, knowledge-able and reassuring.+ Staff is always friendly and kind. Everyone is patient andtheir demeanor helps to put you at ease. I always feel com-fortable in this offi ce.+ I had an excellent time with the doctor- went over all mypaper. A very good experience.+ I was treated as an elderly lady and Dr. Paul made mevery comfortable.+ Very thorough evaluation. Very genuine and kind.+ Very pleased with care and service!+ I was very much @ ease and comfortable.+ Everything went smoothly.+ Dr. Kenny is FANTASTIC.+ The staff at Women’s Wellness is always pleasant.+ Margaret is the main reason I come to Women’s Wellness.She is always professional but open and makes you feel likeshe’s known you for a long time.+ It was really good. I called and they got me right in thenext day.+ I love my doctor - she is awesome.+ Dr. Kenney was very thorough and relaxed and generouswith her time & knowledge -

Outpatient Departments+ Staff is very helpful & courteous.+ The person doing the MRI was very kind and patient. I hadno anxiety at all.+ I used to go to Dartmouth for testing - This is much quicker& easier.+ As usual NVRH treats with all of the care & concern that Icould possibly wish for.+ “Very” friendly & professional.+ Could not, would not ask for more.+ The best.+ I cannot say enough good things about the staff & howwell I was treated. “Everyone” went way beyond expecta-tions.+ Very professional and on time!+ Good and on time.+ Outstanding.+ I went from the doctor’s offi ce to the lab. Very easy andonly one person ahead of me.+ Very private area for waiting & tech explained things well.+ No complaints - wait time is none.+ A good job done by everyone.+ Very pleasant technicians and receptionist in the x-rayarea.+ Very easy process to go to the lab and have blood taken.+ Pre-registration - Excellent.