Alice Hyde Medical Center

Francisco Herrera: Gratitude "My life was not easy. It’s different now, and I thank God for that. I grew up in the Dominican Republic countryside. My mother was just 16 when I was born and raised me and my brothers and sisters by herself. We had animals, a garden, but often there was not enough to eat. We would go out into the forest to find whatever we could. A mango, sometimes that was all we had. I didn’t go to school, it was too far away. I helped with the animals, with the garden. If my mother needed something done, we did it. My brothers and sister and I didn’t complain. In 1973, my mother moved us all to the city. I was 12 years old by then. I sold newspapers on the street, or bread, or sweets, whatever we could to make money. But it was dangerous there. There had just been an election, and young people were being killed. There were gangs on the street. When a boy tried to beat me up, my oldest brother protected me. My mother moved us all back to the country after that. I became a firefighter in 1982. I nearly died three times. Once, there was a fire on a ship. I went on board to fight the flames with two others, which is always how we did it, to keep each other safe. As soon as we went below, the ship exploded. I looked around and was suddenly alone. The two men with me jumped into the water and left me behind. I could feel the fire burning me. Thank God, another firefighter came and got me out. Later I became a fire investigator for the government, but there was a lot of corruption. My mother had always taught me to be honest, to tell the truth. But that was hard to do without getting in trouble. So I decided to leave. I came to the U.S. in 2008, moved to Vermont a few months later, and got a job at UVM Medical Center. I couldn’t believe how friendly everyone was. Everybody was saying ‘hi’ to me. And after everything I’d been through in my life, I was so grateful. I try to do the same for everyone I meet here." Francisco Herrera works in environmental services at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He’s been with us for 16 years.

Michael Dufort: Right to the Drums "There’s so much you can do with just a couple of sticks in your hands. On a very primal level, I like the different sound things make when you hit them and when you hit them with different amounts of force. I just think the way it varies is so cool. And I like how having various drums or percussion going fills out the sound of a band. I was a very big listener of music as a young child. I have older siblings who were always playing rock music, playing the radio, playing records, and I skipped over that little-kid music phase. I got right into, for example, Billy Joel when I was about 4 or 5. And I used to look at the band and know I wanted to do it. Drums were always something I picked out in songs. Everything I heard went right to the drums. And there are a few songs that really stick with me and inspire me as a percussionist. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 is one of the first songs I remember hearing as a kid and noticing the drum intro. The late Neil Peart from Rush is one of my drumming idols. I finally saw them live for the first time in college with a bunch of friends and often think of “Spirit of Radio.” I heard “Barrel of a Gun” by Guster for the first time in college and thought it was cool that their drummer exclusively played hand drums rather than a conventional drum set. And “Fool in the Rain” by Led Zeppelin is simultaneously one of the hardest drum beats to master – and most fun to play. After college, life got busy, and music slipped away for a while. I moved back to Malone in 2012 to help care for my Dad after he became ill. I went down to my cousin’s house to catch up with him and some friends and he said, “Hey, let’s jam.” It just came right back, and I’ve been in probably five or six bands since I’ve been back. Right now, I play in a band called Bluebird a few times a month. Music brought my family together. My wife and I have six kids between us, and everyone plays an instrument. It was our love of music that bonded us. And it will always be there for me and the people I love." Michael Dufort, RPh, FACA, is the director of pharmacy at Alice Hyde Medical Center. He’s been with us since 2013.

As part of ongoing efforts to manage crucial IV fluid supplies during a national shortage, UVM Health Network will reschedule certain elective procedures that require large amounts of IV and sterile irrigation fluid, starting this Friday. Patient safety will be the top priority in assessing each case, and patients will be contacted if their procedure is affected. Elective procedures scheduled from Friday, October 25, through Friday, November 1, that typically use large volumes of IV and sterile irrigation fluid will be canceled and rescheduled. Procedures will be evaluated based on urgency and patient safety. Not all procedures will be delayed – patients should continue to arrive for procedures and appointments as scheduled unless contacted by their provider. We are continuously monitoring and adjusting to the situation as cleanup efforts continue at a major IV fluid production facility in North Carolina, which was flooded by Hurricane Helene, causing a nationwide shortage of IV fluid.

Summer Collette: A Better Way "I’d be lying if I said I’ve been a die-hard environmentalist my whole life. But every day in the operating room, we use a lot of medical supplies: gowns, sutures, gloves, masks, drapes and countless other materials – all in the delicate care of our patients. Much of it is destined for the landfill, including medical supplies that have expired but could otherwise still serve a purpose. Years of watching all this material turn to waste changed something in me. I knew there had to be a better way, a way to be better stewards of the environment and the resources we use to care for our patients. A visit to my surgical colleagues at UVM Medical Center opened my eyes to a new possibility: We should donate this waste to people in need. UVM Medical Center was already working with Partners for World Health, a nonprofit organization that collects medical equipment and supplies for disadvantaged communities. It clicked for me: The waste we were creating at Porter could become something meaningful to people far beyond our operating room walls. This concept lit a fire in me, and I knew I needed to push for a change. So I started squirreling away everything I could. Early this year, Porter donated its first truck full of expired surgical supplies to Partners for World Health. Since then, units from across Porter are now talking about how they, too, can collect and donate supplies. It feels like we are all in this together, working in our own corners of this health system, trying to make things better. Breaking out of old habits has been an important lesson for me. We can always do things better. As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.”" Summer Collette is a surgical technologist at Porter Medical Center. She’s been with us nearly 20 years. Summer's story is part of The Mosaic Project, a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health Network.

There is currently a nationwide shortage of IV fluids after Hurricane Helene damaged a facility that produces around 60% of the country’s supply. Cleanup is expected to take months. In the meantime, while other facilities and companies ramp up production, we and many other hospitals are receiving only a percentage of the IV fluid orders we normally receive. Our primary aim is to limit the effect that the IV fluid shortage has on patient care. Right now, our guidelines are focused on not using IV fluids when they are unnecessary and limiting how much we use when it is unavoidable. Patients may experience minor changes to their care – specifically, specifically, when safe and appropriate, rehydration fluids and some medications may be administered orally rather than through an IV. No surgical procedures have been cancelled at this time. Patients should arrive for procedures as scheduled unless they are contacted by their provider.

Learn how to be a Super Sitter and put safety first while babysitting! Alice Hyde's Babysitter Safety Class is back later this month, with a session scheduled for 9 am - Noon on Saturday, October 26. This FREE class is taught by medical professionals, police and firemen, and teaches children ages 12+ home safety, fire safety, poison prevention and how to be a Super Sitter. Registration is required, and participants must be 12 years of age or older by Oct. 26. To register, contact our Education Department at 518-481-2247.

Tony Williams: Invisible No More "As a Black kid growing up in inner-city Queens, becoming a doctor felt impossible. I’d simply never seen a doctor that looked like me, except occasionally on TV. But in eighth grade, when some of my peers were joining gangs or getting pregnant, I decided to aim for the unattainable: I would become a doctor. I learned early that my appearance would shape how many people perceive me. I was 8 when I was first stopped by the police because I looked like another boy who had gotten into trouble. My father was 15 when he witnessed his friend, Randolph Evans, murdered by a police officer. “Don’t die today. Stay out of jail. Finish elementary school. Be invisible. Be invisible.” These are the things I told myself as I tried to make it out. I am privileged to have loving, supportive parents. They helped me believe I could achieve anything. I first volunteered at a hospital when I was 13, an experience that ultimately led me to medical school and, finally, residency. It looked like my dream was becoming a reality, but in these predominantly white environments, I found myself talking differently, being more conscious of my appearance and less likely to be open about what I knew or what I didn’t. I didn’t like to ask for help. I didn’t find it easy to be myself. Be invisible. It was holding me back: I twice failed my Step 2 examination – the “gateway” exam to becoming a doctor – before finally moving on to my residency. After the 2020 George Floyd murder, I began to find my voice. I realized that I would never succeed professionally, nor be able to support others, if I wasn’t open about my vulnerabilities and challenges as a Black man and physician. Today I proudly wear my life experience. It makes me a better doctor, helps me find common ground with my patients and be empathetic to the students. I still go to Queens regularly with my wife and kids to visit my family. It makes me grateful for where I have come from and hopeful that with the right support." Tony Williams, MD, is a physician at Colchester Family Practice and an assistant dean of admissions at University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine.

Jodi Gibbs: Community Champion "I love to organize. Plan. Help. During the holidays, I organize volunteers to ring the bell four or five days a week at our local Walmart to raise money for the Salvation Army. I’m the chairperson of the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors. I serve on the board of directors for the TrailNorth Federal Credit Union. And I volunteer at my church. I am a greeter every Sunday. It’s so much fun to see the same people week after week. They always tease me because I know almost every single person’s name who comes into the church. They always comment, “Oh my word, how can you possibly keep track of everyone’s name?” It’s just a little trick I have. I keep busy throughout the year. Everyone can use some help now and then, and that’s really all I want to do. There’s a sense of connection to my community that brings me joy. I’ve been on the planning committee for Memorial Day events for my hometown, Crown Point, for 30 years. We have a parade, fireworks, a carnival and music. Every year for my entire life, my family has gone to my aunt’s house – she lives on the main road and the parade goes right by – so we have lunch and watch. It brings me joy to see happy children, families and generations of people come together. It’s fun to be able to ensure that tradition continues. That’s a big part of why I keep volunteering. It brings such joy to my heart to help others with no expectation of a return. " Jodi Gibbs is the quality and population health assistant at Elizabethtown Community Hospital. She’s been with us for six years. Her story is part of The Mosaic Project, a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health Network.

Alice Hyde's Halloween Trick-or-Treat event is back for another year! Join us on Alice Hyde's campus from 5 - 7 pm on Thursday, Oct. 24, for a Trick-or-Treat event open to all ages. Visitors may park in the hospital's main parking lot, or in the Reddy Cancer Center Parking lot on Fourth Street and walk to our employee parking lot at the corner of Fourth Street and Pierpont Avenue, where Trick-or-Treat stations will be decorated by employees and departments from across our organization. Pre-packaged treats will be handed out. The event is free and open to the public.

We are proud to support the great work of Get Healthy North Country as they promote chronic disease self-management throughout our community! This FREE 6-week program is being held at Malone YMCA starting Thursday, October 10 can help you and your loved ones learn and discover a variety of strategies that can enhance your health and wellbeing. To sign up, contact Dan Sweet at dsweet@heartnetwork.org or via phone at (518) 891-5855 ext. 5509.