Dear Central Vermont Community Members,
Thanks to our dedicated CVMC team of professionals and with your support, we continue to provide high quality care and services to our community during this COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a brief summary of some of our efforts to date.
We launched our incident command center on March 8th – using this structure to rapidly implement new systems, services, and policies to assure we continue to deliver the care needed during this COVID-19 pandemic. Our priority is always the safety of patients, residents, and our CVMC team.
We are grateful that to date only four employees have tested positive and no employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past three weeks.
In our hospital we stand ready with a plan that will accommodate as many as 30 COVID-19 positive and 30 COVID-19 rule-out patients. To enable that plan, we now have 30 negative pressure rooms throughout our facilities. These spaces offer additional protection to our staff and patients when needed.
Our 23 practices, from the Mad River Valley to Barre, have come together to deliver services to patients in new ways. Together, these practices created and staffed a COVID-19 hotline (802-371-5310), a drive-up COVID-19 collection site, and a drive-through acute respiratory clinic for patients who need non-urgent respiratory care. Our team has made telehealth services available throughout CVMC’s practices. This enables our providers to complete a clinical visit while you stay safe in your home.
We know that older adults are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Our Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing team has been steadfast and vigilant in protecting our residents. We were among the first to screen all staff prior to entry into the facility and have taken other measures to assure the safety of our residents. We are very pleased to tell you that we have had no cases of COVID-19 among our residents. CVMC is also reaching out to help community care homes and assisted living facilities, supporting them in keeping older Vermonters safe.
Thus far, we have not seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Central Vermont. Thank you for following the “stay home, stay safe” directive from Governor Scott. We believe your actions have helped to blunt the curve of transmission, keeping your neighbors and our health care team safe.
We appreciate the outpouring of support from our community!
Visit #ThanksHealthHeroes to view some of the messages and photos that have been sent to us, and share your own!
None of these outcomes would have been possible without your support and the efforts of our incredible CVMC team of professionals. Every day, I hear and see how our staff are rising up to the meet the challenges presented by this pandemic.
As we navigate these uncertain times, I know that our team stands ready to support the health and wellness of the Central Vermont community.
On behalf of all of us, THANK YOU for supporting our health care heroes!
With Gratitude,
Anna Tempesta Noonan, RN, BSN, MS
President and Chief Operating Officer