2017 | Live Well Lamoille

Diabetes Skin Care During Dry Winter Months

Dec 14 2017

By: Nancy Wagner

Your skin is the biggest organ in your body and it needs extra attention during the cold, dry winter months. Lower outdoor humidity and heaters in the home cause the air to become dry, which makes it more likely your skin will be dry. People with diabetes need to take extra care to avoid irritation, cracking and bleeding. What can you do to maximize skin health?

Hydrate from the inside – Drink plenty of water and avoid excess caffeine and alcohol.
Use a humidifier – At home and at work.
Control your blood sugars – Elevated blood sugars will pull moisture out of the body.
Moisturize – Use a heavier, oil-based moisturizer, ointment or cream in the winter months. Do not use moisturizer between your toes.
Keep hands covered – Wear gloves or mittens when outdoors.
Avoid wet gloves and socks – This could irritate sensitive skin.
Baths and showers – Avoid hot water and keep your bath/shower short.
Avoid irritating soaps, detergents and cleansers – Instead use mild ones and wear gloves when cleaning.
Pat your skin dry instead of rubbing – Rubbing can irritate. Be sure to fully dry between your toes. Leave your arms and legs slightly moist, then apply moisturizer.
Don’t forget your lips – Use lip balm frequently.
Keep warm – Getting cold can aggravate circulation problems. Dress in layers which can be taken off if you become too warm.

Nancy Wagner is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a Certified Diabetes Educator at Copley Hospital. She provides health and wellness to Copley employees through screenings, education and fun activities; educates patients regarding their nutrition and diabetes needs; and works with community members providing education to schools and businesses. Nancy enjoys helping others learn new things about nutrition, their health habits, and their chronic diseases.

A Holiday Safety Checklist….

Dec 12 2017

By: Jessica Bickford

It’s that time of year when we create lists to make sure that we don’t forget the important details of our celebrations. Today we’d like to provide you with a list for keeping yourself, your family, and your guests safe and healthy this holiday season.

Prescription Drug Safety – More information is available at https://www.healthylamoillevalley.org/prescription-drugs.

____ Lock or safely secure prescription drugs and other medicines. Talk to those you may be visiting to share this information with them as well.

____ Talk to younger children about NOT eating any “candy” without checking in with an adult first. Many medicines look like candy to young children.

____ Talk to children and teens about the importance of not taking medicines prescribed to someone else.

___ Remove unwanted or expired prescription drugs from the home by bringing to one of the three year-round prescription take-back sites in our region: Hardwick Police Department, Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, and Morristown Police Department.

___ If you have young children, sit on the floor or crawl around the places where they will be playing. It is not uncommon for a dropped pill to be unnoticed.

Alcohol

____ Offer fun, non-alcoholic drink options for guests. This helps youth to see that they don’t have to have alcohol to have fun and provides a nice choice for those who choose not to drink alcohol.

____ Monitor your alcohol. Serving or providing alcohol to minors is illegal and not good for them. Assign an adult to ensure that youth do not have access to alcohol. Lock up open bottles of alcohol such as rum or brandy. Did you know that youth who use a drug, like alcohol, before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to struggle with substance use at some time in their life? Not a pleasant holiday gift…

____ Monitor your guests. If you choose to serve alcohol, you are responsible to make sure that your guests are in a safe “state of being” to drive. Even “buzzed” drivers create fatalities.

____ Talk to your kids and teens about your expectations and the importance of waiting to consume alcohol until they are of age. Parentupvt.org has some great resources to help with these conversations!

Tobacco

____ Talk to your children and teens about the dangers of tobacco products. Tobacco products come in many forms (e-cigarettes, chew and smokeless products, etc), but none are safe. The tobacco industry targets youth with use of flavors. You can find more at http://www.counterbalancevt.com.

____ If you have guests who smoke, prepare a designated outdoor smoking area out of the way of passersby where others will not be exposed to secondhand smoke. Or consider asking them to not smoke while at your home.

____ If you have guests who use smokeless tobacco products and e-cigarettes ask them to refrain from using in your presence, especially around youth.

____ If you or someone you know is ready to quit or thinking about it… share with them our local Vermont quit smoking resource, http://802quits.org.

General

____ Create a family check-in system. Family and friends’ gatherings can be wonderful or stressful. For our kids, they can be a time of connecting or a time to be challenged to try risky behaviors. Develop a plan with your children and teens to check in periodically throughout the gathering and help them to have a plan to get out of tricky situations without creating an awkward situation. Sample ideas include a keyword or phrase; asking if they can help; an invitation to join in a game…

____ Bring age-appropriate games or activities for your kids with you. You can help bring the fun… creating a joyous and safe environment!

____ Check out tips for safe food storage ahead of time! http://www.healthvermont.gov/environment/food-lodging/food-safety-consumers

____ Plan to have some healthy food options. Even a simple plate of raw vegetables is a pleasant break between the abundance of sweets and heavy holiday foods.

____ If you have a live tree, water two times a day. Consider adding a teaspoon of sugar every three days to feed the tree and keep it fresher longer.

____ Check your holiday lights. If there are any exposed wires or broken cords, discard and replace.

____ Depending on the length of your gathering, consider planning some opportunities for physical activity such as sledding, skating, a snowshoe, or a simple hike.

____ Don’t forget to check on your vacation days from work. If you can take them, do! It’s healthy to take breaks from our work environments.

Jessica Bickford has worked as Coordinator of Healthy Lamoille Valley for a little over two years, where she has enjoyed writing for their blog. Writing for Copley’s community blog is a natural extension of this experience! Healthy Lamoille Valley focuses on making healthy choices easy choices, realizing that when we have access to healthy options we are less likely to choose behaviors that are harmful. Prevention is really a lifestyle of wise choices that enable us to live life to the fullest.

A New Community Resource: The Boardwalk at Barnes Camp in Stowe

Dec 05 2017

By: Lea Kilvádyová

Ribbon cutting and boardwalk opening ceremony held on Oct 27, 2017.

Last month, Governor Scott, Congressman Peter Welch, and members of the Smugglers’ Notch Partners celebrated the opening of the Boardwalk at Barnes Camp Visitors’ Center in Smugglers’ Notch at Stowe. The five-foot-wide Boardwalk is approximately an eighth of a mile long and is a universally accessible portion of the Long Trail. The Boardwalk is built on spiral piers over a wetland and offers stunning, and previously unavailable views of the Notch. The Boardwalk is situated near Barnes Camp –a historic building built in 1927 — which played a key role in the development of Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy before the advent of ski lodges and resorts.

Mike DeBonis, Executive Director of the Green Mountain Club noted, “Wheelchair users and through hikers alike can enjoy the unique wetland, interpretative panels and spectacular views on this fully accessible portion of the Long Trail.” DeBonis added that the relocation of the Long Trail portion that connects to the Boardwalk will be completed in the Spring and hikers will be able to park at the Barnes Camp Visitors Center to hike over the Notch.

Interpretative panels narrate the natural history of the area.

The Lamoille County Planning Commission served as project manager for the Boardwalk. Senator Sanders obtained a generous Federal Highway earmark that funded about eighty percent of the construction costs. The remaining funds were provided by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the Green Mountain Club, Spruce Peak Resort Association, Lamoille County Planning Commission and Lamoille Economic Development Corporation.

Lamoille County Mental Health: 50 Years in the Making

Nov 28 2017

By: Savi Van Sluytman, CEO, Lamoille County Mental Health Services

A half-century ago, Lamoille County Mental Health opened its doors to serve the community. Like you, we know that our neighbors have good days and bad days, ups and downs. It is our commitment that when our neighbors need help, we will be there to reach out a hand.

In the 50 years that we have been serving the Lamoille Valley, the way we respond to the needs of our neighbors has drastically changed. Much of our work happens right in the communities where our consumers live—in their homes, in their schools, in their child care programs, in their jobs. We know that the best path to health and wellness is the one that ensures a full, meaningful life. A steady job, success in school, strong relationships and good friends, good nutrition and healthy exercise, feeling the sun on our faces and clean, fresh air in our lungs.

Every day at Lamoille County Mental Health, we are taking steps to ensure that no one in our community falls through the cracks. We provide the safety net that so many Vermonters need at some point in their lives. Many of us live here because, yes, it’s a place of rare and often breathtaking beauty, but also because we hold common values: that when a neighbor slides off the road on a snowy afternoon, we stop to help. When someone is struggling with an internal battle, we reach out a hand. Every Vermonter should be able to live healthy, productive lives.

We provide the safety net that so many Vermonters need at some point in their lives. In a state such as this, no one should go hungry, which is why we have a food shelf that on any given week is stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, and non-perishable items.

If someone is struggling with the confidence they need to get back to work, we bridge that gap, empowering them to find and keep a job. We help them with every step where they need a guiding hand, and when they are ready to take the next step alone, we step back—but not away.

When someone is struggling with homelessness, we fight fiercely to find housing for them. When transportation is a barrier to work, our supported employment dispatch team ensures that they can get there. We combat isolation by bringing people together for music and yoga classes, lunch, Special Olympics teams and support groups. After a few athletes in our community expressed interest in creating a Special Olympics swim team this fall, we found a head coach and we are scouring the community for assistant coaches and swim partners to accompany athletes in the pool, as well as a sponsor to cover the cost of using the pool at Johnson State College—please reach out if you are interested!

As we look to 2018 and our 51^st year, we are thrilled to bridge community partnerships as we work to implement a capital campaign to support community needs. Our 2018 capital campaign goals are to:

Build an Imagination Center to benefit children with autism, behavioral and learning disabilities, as well as for elders with dementia;
Fund the Tiny House Project. Build four independent living “tiny houses” for people with developmental disabilities on the Oasis House property;
Provide matching funds to support the creation of affordable housing for people at risk of homelessness in community centers where it does not currently exist.

With these efforts, we seek to better serve the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. To learn more, visit www.lamoille.org.

The Link Between Childhood Trauma and Tobacco Use

Nov 21 2017

By: Scott Johnson, Lamoille Family Center

Perhaps you’ve heard about the impact of trauma on long-term health. In Vermont and here in Lamoille Valley there is a lot of attention being paid to the set of childhood experiences that are directly linked to challenges later in life. These experiences, called Adverse Childhood Experiences (see the list below), or ACEs, are traumatic events that, if untreated, can have significant negative effects. The most common of these ACEs in Vermont are: divorce/separation, parental substance abuse or mental illness, and extreme economic insecurity.

What may surprise you is the link between these ACEs and tobacco use. The chart below shows the number of ACEs and their relationship to early smoking onset, adult smoking rates, and the lung disease known as COPD. Here are some important statistics about those connections.

If you experience more than three ACEs you are more likely to use tobacco.
88% of Vermont smokers started before age 18.
In Vermont, forty percent of young adults ages 18 to 24 who have experienced more than three ACEs are using tobacco. That’s more than twice the number of users in that age range who have fewer than three ACEs.
Those individuals with four or more ACEs are 3x more likely to start smoking before age 18.

According to the Vermont Department of Health website, tobacco use is the NUMBER ONE preventable cause of death. In Vermont, smoking costs approximately $348 million in medical expenses and results in about 1,000 smoking-related deaths each year.

According to their own internal documents, tobacco companies try to attract new young smokers by targeting retail stores near schools and parks. (http://www.counterbalancevt.com)

According to the 2015 Youth Behavior Risk Survey, almost one-quarter of high school students in Lamoille County have reported using three different types of tobacco products: 27% tried electronic vapor products, 23% tried a flavored tobacco product, and 22% smoked a whole cigarette, with 11% of students reporting that they smoked within the past 30 days.

If we want to reduce the use of tobacco and improve health outcomes in our region we must do something to reduce exposure to those ACEs, or do more to help young people heal from the impact of those experiences before they start using tobacco. The annual focus on urging smokers to quit is called The Great American Smokeout, and it occurred last week on November 16^th. Maybe some of you participated in this event, and remain tobacco free!

The community has an important role to play in reducing the likelihood our young people will choose to smoke. The links between smoking rates and adverse childhood experiences tell us that solutions lie in community-level efforts that support children, youth, and families. Research shows that the kind of help that makes a difference includes community-level activities that:

Make sure all children are socially and emotionally supported, and
Assure each family has two or more people who can offer concrete support in times of need.

As you may have heard, Healthy Lamoille Valley (HLV), our community prevention coalition, has regained tobacco prevention funding and is charged with addressing prevention of initiation of tobacco use among youth, eliminating exposure to second-hand smoke, and increasing tobacco-free policies in towns, public places, workplaces, and college campuses. If you want to get connected to our local efforts, including our reestablished HLV Tobacco Prevention Task Force, contact the HLV Policy and Community Outreach Coordinator, Alison Link at alison@healthylamoillevalley.org. Check out the website at https://www.healthylamoillevalley.org/tobacco.

*ACEs include: mental illness, depression, or person with suicidal intentions in the home; drug addiction or alcoholic family member; parental discord – indicated by divorce, separation, abandonment; incarceration of any family member; witnessing domestic violence against the mother; child abuse (physical, sexual, emotional); child neglect (physical, emotional).

Scott Johnson is Executive Director of the Lamoille Family Center and has worked in Lamoille Valley in human services and education for nearly his entire career. The Family Center has served our community by encouraging, educating and celebrating children, youth and families for forty years.

Scott writes about early care and education, adolescent development and strengthening families that improve conditions of well-being.

7 Tips for Healthy Eating During the Holidays

Nov 14 2017

By: Rorie Dunphey

Traditionally, the holiday season is often full of rich, buttery comfort food shared with family and friends. Although it is important to celebrate and treat ourselves to the array of delicious food, it does not mean that binging on holiday favorites is the best idea. Holiday weight gain is common, but it can be minimized or avoided if you consider a few tips during the season.

Limit your indulgences, but don’t eliminate them all together: Sweet and savory treats during the holidays are abundant and inevitable. You don’t have to completely omit desserts and treats during the holidays, rather try to be selective and limit your portion size. You’ll find that even a small bite can satisfy your sweet tooth and may help stop a binge later on.

Enjoy the party fare, but don’t graze. Fill your plate with lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Once you have served yourself, move away from the buffet and enjoy the conversation! If you are the host, serve healthy options like whole grain crackers and salsa instead of chips, or fresh fruit and vegetables.

Be mindful of what you eat. Research shows we feel fuller with less food when we eat mindfully. Little unconscious nibbles throughout the day, like a piece of candy from a co-worker, a few ‘tastes’ of the cookies you baked, or those tempting food samples in the grocery store, can add up fast and prevent you from enjoying meal time. Here are tips to help you eat mindfully.

Pace yourself: When eating a meal with your family or enjoying appetizers at a party, slow down and eat consciously. Try not to race through the food on your plate. Instead, chew slowly – you’ll also be more aware when you’re feeling full.

Drink more water: Water is essential for healthy body functions, including metabolism. Dehydration negatively affects your muscle tone, slows the fat-burning process as well as inhibit digestion. Also, try to stay away from liquid calories.

Get enough sleep: Studies show that lack of sleep can cause hormonal changes, which can then lead to craving more calories per day. Although the holiday season is busy, don’t compromise your nighttime rest.

Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day: If you can’t possibly fit a longer exercise into your routine, try to split it up into shorter chunks of time. Also, mix aerobic activity with strength training and flexibility for a complete exercise routine.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Rorie Dunphey works under Vermont’s Blueprint for Health as the RN Chronic Care Coordinator at Family Practice Associates in Cambridge. She works one-on-one with people and also leads classes to promote health and help people better manage their chronic diseases. She also assists patients in accessing community and state resources to better coordinate their health and wellness needs. Rorie has a particular passion for promoting a healthy diet and exercise routine to inspire people to live their best life.

When Is 13 Not a Lucky Number?

Nov 08 2017

By: Wendy Hubbard RN, BSN, Vermont Department of Health

Many of us have heard the saying “Lucky Number 13.” When is 13 not a lucky number? Thirteen is no longer a lucky number when it is associated with the increased rates of 13 cancers. These cancers have been associated with being overweight or obese. The “Cancer and Obesity” report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on October 3^rd can be found on their website.

The CDC infographic discusses what communities are doing to encourage their neighbors to increase their physical activity and get healthy foods into their daily meal plan. I would like us to take a moment and look at the resources in the Lamoille Valley. There are many activities going on and simple, no cost ways we can encourage each other to have improved health.

Families, for example, can get out and walk or bike on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.Find a walking buddy to encourage each other and get out there and enjoy the fall air.

Local schools encourage breakfast and offer healthy meal choices for breakfast and lunch. There are summer meal programs for children in many areas. The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program offers food benefits, nutrition education, recipes and breastfeeding supports to families that meet the eligibility requirements. You can call 888-7447 for more information on WIC services.

The 3-4-50 website has Vermont specific data along with tips and strategies to reduce obesity.

The 3 represents the 3 behaviors that are the leading causes of cancer:

Tobacco use
Poor diet
Lack of physical exercise and obesity

These 3 behaviors contribute to 4 chronic diseases:

Cancer
Heart disease & stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Lung disease

These behaviors and chronic diseases are the cause of more than 50% of deaths in Vermont.

Education, Communication, and Safe Disposal Are Key to the Addressing Opioid Epidemic

Nov 06 2017

Copley Hospital Medical Staff Statement Regarding Opioid Prescribing

We at Copley Hospital are concerned about opioid overuse and the epidemic of opioid addiction in our community. Opioids, or narcotics (such as oxycodone or hydrocodone), are medications used to treat severe pain and are prescribed with caution. We recognize that these powerful medications, even if prescribed to treat pain, can lead to addiction or even death. We also recognize that there are alternative ways to control pain that may be effective and are often used first, to minimize and even avoid the use of opioids. Among these alternatives are: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen), acetaminophen, physical therapy, or alternative medicine.

Patient safety is our top priority. Vermont legislation to limit prescribing and increase education and communication is a key tool in an important statewide effort to address opioid addiction.

Patient education on the risks is formal, including printed materials and an in-person discussion of risks when prescribing any opioid for the first time. Patients will be asked to sign an “informed consent,” documenting that this important information has been reviewed. A co-prescription of Naloxone, a reversal agent, may also be required, depending on amount of narcotic given. Under certain circumstances, law requires that a patient’s prescription history be reviewed prior to a new prescription being issued.

In addition to periodic follow-ups, patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain will need an annual evaluation, risk assessment, and a completed Controlled Substance Treatment Agreement that includes functional goals for treatment, and information regarding safe storage and disposal of medication.

Many factors contribute to addiction; there is no simple answer. You can help by bringing any unused medications to a disposal drop box located at your town’s police station. If you are seeking ways to control pain, work with your provider and understand that every clinician wants to work with you to minimize your pain and keep you safe.

If you or a loved one is living with addiction or are concerned about addiction, we recommend you contact the following resources:

North Central Vermont Recovery Center 802-851-8120
Medication Assisted Treatment Team 802-888-6009
Rocking Horse Circles for Families Living with Substance Abuse 802-888-2581
Narcotics Anonymous (24-hour hotline): 802-773-5575
startyourrecovery.org

Copley is determined to be part of the solution to this terrible epidemic and your support is essential.

https://www.copleyvt.org/about-us/articles/medical-staff-statement-re-addressing-opioid-epidemic.

The Bigger Picture

Nov 03 2017

By: Emma Benard

What has been most helpful in my personal recovery, as well as in my work with others in recovery, is the concept of looking at the bigger picture.

The bigger picture includes those things outside yourself that make life exciting, fulfilling, and complex. The bigger picture includes family, friends, occupation, nature, and hobbies. The bigger picture includes your life, years and years from now, and your personal goals and aspirations. The bigger picture also includes hope, faith, and courage!

Remembering the bigger picture can help immensely when you may be feeling stuck in your recovery, afraid or hesitant to move forward and to move past or eradicate behaviors that are no longer serving you for the better. This is because it challenges you to see more clearly all life has to offer and all you have to offer to life!

The opposite of the bigger picture is what you could call your own inner world. This particular inner world I am speaking of may be fully or partially run by your addiction, obsession, disorder, negative self-talk, etc.

Though I do very much believe there are different kinds of inner worlds, some being very healing and positive, for this blog post I am focusing on the inner world that keeps you trapped in some way. This kind of inner world is often what blocks out any hope that is being offered by the bigger picture of life. This inner world is what keeps you focused on the things that in the long run, are making you feel miserable and stagnant. This inner world is focused on “me” and has trouble viewing the world apart from that focus.

When this inner world is in charge, life revolves around all of the behaviors and urges associated with your personal struggles in recovery. This often leads to feeling alone and terrified of change, especially positive change, because that is of a whole other realm. That means bringing in the bigger picture and allowing yourself to look past your troubles and to the possibility of change and personal growth.

I challenge you to honestly reflect on how you are currently living your life in regards to the bigger picture versus your inner world. Are they balanced or is one overpowering the other? What does the bigger picture mean to you? What do you really want for your life, considering the bigger picture?

My inner world wants to keep me small, wants to stifle my voice, wants to punish me, wants to control me. My inner world is currently run by fear, anxiety, sadness, and pain. When I take in the wisdom that comes through looking at the bigger picture, I suddenly and powerfully remember that I want to feel free, that I want to share love and compassion, and that I want to make a positive difference. This is the core of my recovery and keeps my light burning inside. This is what I hope for you to find and to nourish, your wisdom through the bigger picture!

How Childhood Trauma Affects Lifelong Health

Nov 01 2017

By: Jessica Bickford

Trauma… it’s the really horrific things that we go through as people… things that deeply impact us. For some, trauma is a single point in time while others experience ongoing trauma and instability.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary includes these concepts when defining the word trauma:

Injury caused by an extrinsic (outside ourselves) agent

Results in severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury

In many cases when we experience trauma as adults we have gained the tools and relationships to carry us through. When we experience trauma as children we do not necessarily have those resources or the brain development that gives us the resilience needed. The more trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that a child experiences, the greater the likelihood these experiences will have negative health impacts throughout their lifespan that can include obesity, heart disease, and substance use disorders.

The good news is that there is new science emerging that gives us hope that our negative childhood experiences do not have to be our destiny. The NEAR* sciences, as they are called, present a picture of hope. Come join Tricia Long** and Daniela Caserta*** at the upcoming “How Childhood Trauma Affects Lifelong Health” Workshops to find out more on how we can come together as a community and build this hope and change our health outcomes!

Join us for one of these evenings:

November 7^th, Hazen Auditorium – 6:00-8:00

November 14^th, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center – 6:00-8:00

You can pre-register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-childhood-trauma-affects-lifelong-health-tickets-38547319069. Pre-registration is not required, so grab a friend or neighbor and come out to one of these informative evenings! All are welcome!

* NEAR Science = Neuroscience, Epigenetics, ACEs, & Resilience

** Tricia Long is a clinical mental health counselor, and Director for Resilience Beyond Incarceration at the Lamoille Restorative Center, a program that supports children and families dealing with parental incarceration.

*** Daniela Caserta has been overseeing a variety of programs at the Lamoille Family Center and is transitioning to be the Director of Programs for the Washington County Family Center.

It is essential that you seek professional advice for all issues concerning your health. Do not take any of the information in this blog (either in posts or comments) as professional advice or official communication from Copley Hospital or any of the blog authors. Posts and comments on this blog are not intended to be professional advice, unless implicitly indicated in the blog post, and do not necessarily reflect Copley Hospital policy or corporate opinion. The opinions and/or views expressed on Live Well Lamoille represent the thoughts of the individual bloggers and commenters, not those necessarily of the organizations they represent or organizations affiliated with the blog.

All links to other Web sites found linked from Live Well Lamoille, Copley Hospital’s blog, and social media sites, are provided as a service to readers, but linkage does not constitute endorsement of those sites by Copley Hospital, and as such we are not responsible for the content of external Web sites.

Archive - 2017