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  Pamphlet of Preventative Immunization and Screening Recommendations for Adult Women

  Annie Glessner-Fischer

  This project seeks to consolidate common immunization recommendations and preventative screening recommendations for adult women 18 years and older, based on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. This resource should be offered to patients of the primary care office, with the goal of providing information in a concise and approachable manner that allows patients to review general recommendations on their own, generate questions or express concerns about their health, and encourage patients to advocate for their own health and well-being. With this intervention, the broader goal is to increase immunization rates and adherence to recommended screenings in order to catch and address preventable health conditions sooner.

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  Promoting Music Therapy Referrals for Neurodivergent Children

  Benjamin M. Glickman

  Music therapy is perhaps an underutilized, underfunded, and undervalued part of the tool kit available to physicians, parents and children with ASD and other developmental disabilities within Clinton County. There are opportunities to increase referrals for music therapy for children receiving care at the CVPH Family Medicine Center and within the county.

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  Provider Education on Annual B12 Levels in Patients on Metformin

  Callan Gravel-Pucillo MMS

  Education of primary care providers about the current recommendations, guidelines, and caveats surrounding obtaining annual B12 levels in patients on metformin to screen for deficiency. Education was based off of informal survey results assessing providers' current practices and the preferred medium through which they wanted to recieve educational content. Educational content was presented in a flowchart format for ease of use and distributed at both practice sites for providers to hang at their workstations.

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  Addressing Distinct Health Needs of People with Disabilities

  Tyler A. Harkness BS

  One in five adults (21%) in the state of Connecticut is living with a disability of some kind, whether it be intellectual or physical. When compared to people without disabilities, people with disabilities are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression; are more likely not to be able to see a physician due to cost; and have worse self-rated health. Barriers to addressing these disparities are two-fold: primary care physicians lack sufficient guidance on health needs of people with disabilities, and caretakers, who are often either family members or conservators, find themselves stretched thin with responsibilities. To address these two groups of individuals, an interactive infographic was created using the online tool called Venngage. Infographics have been shown to be an effective way to communicate health information to wide populations of people. The infographic features introductory text, key statistics on disability health in the state of Connecticut, and hyperlinks to resources for health care providers and caregivers. Qualitative interviews confirmed the need for such an infographic as a way to close equity gaps and improve health education. The infographic is published online and available to local healthcare providers and community organizations. Next steps include validating the infographic via surveys and focus groups.

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  Contraceptive Education and Resource Provision in Male-dominated Rural Family Medicine Clinic

  Christine E. Horn

  Many women, particularly adolescent women, are uncomfortable discussing sexual health and contraception options with male providers and prefer to see female providers; however, in rural areas, there are barriers to seeing female providers including low physician density, long travel distances to clinics, and long waitlists. The project's primary goal was to bridge the knowledge gap surrounding contraception among adolescents in a rural area of Vermont, the Mad River Valley, while ensuring that healthcare providers at the local male-dominated family medicine office, CVMC Mad River, are equipped with up-to-date information regarding contraception prescribing recommendations. The project entailed 1) creation of a handout for patients with easily comprehendible information regarding contraceptive options as well as additional educational resources, 2) presentation of the current recommendations regarding contraceptive prescribing practices to the physicians at CVMC Mad River to increase their comfort as well as the quality of their recommendations for patients. Special attention was given to ensuring that the content was age-appropriate, inclusive, and culturally sensitive, catering to the diverse needs of the target demographic.

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  Travel Medicine in Primary Care

  Morgan Howlett

  Many people will choose to travel at some point in their life. Primary care providers can be well suited to care for patients prior to travel, however this is often a less common component of their day-to-day work so they may be less familiar with travel related resources. This project aimed to evaluate available resources and create an informational handout and an EPIC dot phrase for providers to utilize when providing travel related care.

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  Weighty Words: Addressing Weight Bias in Primary Care

  Jharna Jahnavi

  Weight bias in healthcare impacts a great proportion of patients. ­In some ways, weight bias often goes unaddressed compared to other forms of discrimination and spans across diverse groups of people resulting a double burden of bias in patients with intersecting marginalized identities. It is essential that providers and healthcare workers are better trained in building inclusivity for patients of all weights and body types to improve healthcare access and acceptance. Patients who experience weight bias in the office are less likely to return for routine preventative care and less likely to feel safe and comfortable with their providers. This project addresses issues in cultural competency as well as medical practice transformation (AHEC scholars core topics)

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  Expanding Awareness of Penicillin Skin Testing and Downstream Effects from Reported Penicillin Allergies

  Alia Johnson

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  Healthy Food Access and Education

  Elizabeth Kelley

  Providing resources and educational materials to families about healthy foods

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  Addressing Non-Emergent Medical Transportation Barriers For Rural Vermont Patients

  Casey D. Krueger

  Access to transportation is a Social Determinant of Health, yet many rural Vermonters face barriers to adequate transportation. Consequently, patients face difficulties accessing primary care and completing recommended health screenings. Destigmatizing ride programs and effective communication are key components of connecting patients with transportation resources. This project sought to develop a reference tool for clinic staff to improve communication about transportation barriers with patients and ultimately improve health outcomes.

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  Empowering Providers to Treat Menopause

  Aranshi Kumar

  This project created a brochure designed to empower providers to sift through the myths surrounding prescribing for the treatment of menopause.

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  Improving Retinopathy Screening for Patients with Diabetes: Optometrists Accepting New Patients On Medicaid +/- Interpreter Services

  Kassondra M. Little

  For patients with diabetes, screening for microvascular complications like retinopathy requires annual retinal photography or dilated fundoscopy to identify and mitigate processes that can cause preventable blindness. Yet, by measures at the state and federal level, the percent of patients achieving this care is below target. At the Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB), the barriers responsible for this include uncertainty among patients and providers about which local optometry offices accept Medicaid, are scheduling new patients and have interpreter services available. This project aimed to improve retinopathy counseling, the achievement of retinopathy screening and the time burden placed on providers and other CHCB staff by creating a list of optometrists in Chittenden County that are currently providing diabetic retinopathy screening, accepting new patients on Medicaid, and whether or not interpreter services are available on site. This list was then distributed to CHCB providers and practice managers to reference in counseling patients.

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  Dinner Table Talks: How healthy eating behavior and body positivity start at home

  Megala Loganathan

  Body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and unhealthy eating behaviors all share a large sociocultural component. A family medicine practice is the perfect place to start educating patients about their attitudes surrounding food and how the effects of their relationship with food and their bodies can be felt in the home environment. Hearing many patients share that their mental and physical health struggles stemmed from how they learned to perceive things as children inspired me to take advantage of the trickle down effects of patient education. The goal of this project is to make and distribute a pamphlet that addresses ways to improve eating culture and body image and to recognize and separate nutrition and emotional eating. I hope that this intervention not only educates patients but promotes a healthier home environment for the rest of the members in a household/community.

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  Safer Prescription Opioid Use in the Greater Danbury Area

  Ying K. Loo

  Opioid use disorder continues to be a major public health concern worldwide, with over 16 million people affected, and is associated with increased health care costs, reduced quality of life, lost productivity, and loss of life due to opioid overdose deaths. The neurobiology and susceptibility for opioid dependence and addiction is not well-understood by patients, and the lack of understanding of the safe use of prescription opioid regarding its intended effect of pain-relief versus other potential side effects and withdrawal symptoms may lead to misuse. This community health improvement project aims to empower patients and their family members to better understand indications for opioid use, improve awareness of potential for addiction, how to recognize signs and symptoms of misuse, and how to manage their opioid use through safe storage and disposal practices.

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  Patient Education for Proper Inhaler Administration in Richmond, VT

  Jessica M. Lucas

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  Improving Polypharmacy and Medication Review in the Elderly

  Caleb P. Maness

  Polypharmacy in elderly patients increases risk of adverse drug events, which can cause health and functional impairment, necessitating considerate medication review. Many patients do not remember the names or doses of their medications when asked in the office. To successfully deprescribe and avoid adverse drug events, we need accurate medication information. By asking elderly patients to bring all of their medications to each visit, we can ensure the most accurate information possible.

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  Managing Constipation: A Community-Level Intervention in Newtown, CT

  Weida Ma

  The prevalence of chronic constipation in adults is 10-15%. Constipation is associated with a lower quality of life and poorer psychological well-being. This goal of this project was to perform a community-level intervention by creating a pamphlet detailing first-line lifestyle modification and over-the-counter laxatives for the treatment of consitpation to be handed out at a primary care office in Newtown, CT.

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  Community Doula Resources in Vermont

  Grace Merritt

  Doulas are an important but underutilized resource in the perinatal period. This project explores the benefits of doula care and provides resources for patients and providers at the UVMMC Family Medicine - South Burlington clinic. The result of this project was to produce an Epic dot phrase that providers can use and share with patients. This project concludes by addressing limitations of doula care and provides suggestions for follow-up and future projects.

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  Increasing Provider Awareness Around Siblings of Individuals With Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability (IDD)

  Louisa Moore

  Siblings of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are not often thought of as a group that needs support in the primary care setting. However, the literature on siblings demonstrates that they have a variety of needs, including support with future planning, caregiving, and their mental and physical health. This project aims to increase awareness of the unique experiences of siblings as well as suggest changes that can be implemented in primary care to provide better support.

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  Interpreting Your Cholesterol Panel – A Patient-Centered Infographic

  Kadi Nguyen

  While lipid panels are a staple of lab work for patients receiving annual wellness exams, many patients struggle to interpret their results and understand how cholesterol levels play a major role in their health. This project will center upon the creation of an easily accessible, straightforward infographic/guide designed to educate patients on the purpose of a cholesterol panel, the meaning of the results they receive, and recommended lifestyle modifications to optimize lipid levels.

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  Xylazine as an Emerging Risk in Vermont: Harm Reduction for Primary Care Providers and Patients

  David J. Patlak

  Xylazine, a sedative primarily used in large animals, has emerged as an increasingly prevalent adulterant in the illicit opioid supply in the state of Vermont. Xylazine use poses significant health risks to individuals who use illicit substances due to increased risk of overdose in conjunction with opioids and chronic injury, especially skin ulceration and necrosis. This project focused on increasing education and awareness around xylazine in opioid user populations and primary care providers who work with these patients. The project's outcomes and effectiveness will be evaluated through assessments and feedback from healthcare providers. By equipping healthcare professionals and patients with knowledge and resources, this intervention will contribute to reducing the adverse health outcomes associated with xylazine use, thereby improving patient care and public health in the state of Vermont.

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  Assisting Rural MAT Patients Through Peer Social Support

  Anthony Plochocki

  Throughout the COVID19 Pandemic, there has been a spike in opioid relapse and opioid overdose related death. This problem, though multifactorial, can be attributed to lack of social outlets for MAT patients. Now that different social support groups are reopening, there is a greater emphasis placed on groups for patients suffering with alcoholism rather than those suffering from opioid addiction. This project hopes to plant the seeds for group therapy for MAT patients, giving them a social outlet with the hopeful outcome assisting patients with forming non-user networks.

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  Community resilience in Vermont after the 2023 flooding event

  Alex Poniz

  Between July 10th-11th 2023 Vermont experienced catastrophic flooding after receiving prolonged heavy rainfall of up to 9” over 48 hrs. Damage from the 2023 event rivals the historic destruction of Hurricane Irene in 2011 and is exceeded only by the Great Vermont Flood of 1927, an event predating modern flood controls. We collected oral histories from Vermonters to better understand their lived experience of the flood and its impacts, and identifed common themes related to community and individual resilience.

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  Implementing a Patient Resource Guide on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) at a Connecticut Primary Care Practice

  Mahima R. Poreddy

  Intimate partner violence is an ongoing public health crisis in the United States. According to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, nearly 39,000 victims were served in 2021, which was a 5% increase from the year prior. As intimate partner violence continues to affect numerous lives in Connecticut and across the nation, the risks of seeking assistance in these situations prevent those experiencing domestic violence from accessing support services. The cost of intimate partner violence can range from an increase in health care utilization to restricted access to safe housing. The Ridgefield Primary Care practice does not currently have educational materials or resources displayed regarding domestic violence or sexual assault. By designing a brochure on intimate partner violence, primary care patients will have increased awareness of local and national services. The patient resource guide highlights how to identity intimate partner violence, including emotional abuse as well as physical or sexual abuse. By increasing awareness on this subject and including contact information to access support, patients are better equipped to seek assistance safely and connect with their medical provider.

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  Improving Primary Care Competency in Gender Affirming Care

  Kae Luci Ravichandran