More than a Number: Rethinking High Blood Pressure

More than a Number: Rethinking High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects millions of people. Managing it takes more than monitoring your blood pressure readings. Clinical care, nutrition, lifestyle changes and every day challenges all play a role.  Alison Hobart, FNP, a primary care provider, and Rachel Lorek, RD, a clinical nutritionist and director of Food and Nutrition Services at Central Vermont Medical Center, explain why high blood pressure is one of the most common (and preventable) chronic conditions. They break down how lifestyle changes, medication and food choices can work together to reduce a person’s risk – and how small changes can make a big difference.  Vickie Delmas, an Occupational Therapist and Provider Outreach Specialist, and Amy Rainville, a Health and Wellness Coach and Tobacco Treatment Specialist, share practical strategies for building sustainable habits that support healthy blood pressure. From accountability and behavior change to find resources through community-based support programs, they highlight how consistency and small, positive steps can lead to lasting health improvements.  Guadalupe Martinez, director of Culture, Experience and Community Health, and Erin Armstrong, LCSW, director of Health Equity for UVM Health, explore the broader forces shaping blood pressure and cardiovascular health. They discuss how access to food, transportation, housing and financial stability influence blood pressure health and risks – and why addressing these needs is essential to improving individual health outcomes.

Missed Moments: Why (and when) We Should All Choose Hospice

Hospice Care is often misunderstood, feared or delayed – and the cost of waiting is measured in missed moments. In this episode of Living Healthy Together, explore hospice through the deeply personal stories of families and caregivers, and the insights of professionals who guide families and individuals through some of life’s most intimate and ubiquitous experiences.  Leendert Huisman, whose wife Johanna passed away at McClure Miller Respite House after a long battle with cancer, reflects on his wife’s end-of-life journey. He shares how hospice care brought calm, clarity and dignity along with skilled medical care, emotional reassurance and the presence of health care professionals who knew exactly what to do during the couple’s most difficult moments; underscoring the relief hospice can bring when everything feels beyond our control.  Annie Meredith-Mitchell, RN, MSN, CHPN, program director of Hospice and Palliative Care at UVM Health – Home Health and Hospice, explains what hospice truly is: holistic, interdisciplinary care for individuals and families going through the end-of-life journey. She addresses misconceptions and makes a powerful case for why we should all choose hospice when it can offer not just comfort, but time, meaning and agency during life’s final chapters.  Kristy Brown shares her experience as a caregiver supporting her best friend Ann through years of serious illness and, ultimately, hospice and at-home care. For Kristy and Ann, hospice served as a bridge that allowed Kristy to stop being a caregiver in crisis and be present for Ann as a friend through her final hours. She also reflects on the profound impact bereavement support services had following Ann’s death.  Ezra Lebowitz, MSW, a hospice medical social worker, and Jeannie Sullivan, LCSW, a bereavement counselor and licensed clinical social worker, discuss what families struggle with as they navigate loved ones’ end-of-life journeys; and how hospice helps normalize conversations about death, end-of-life planning and grief. They emphasize that hospice reframes death not as a medical failure but a human experience that deserves care, preparation and compassion.  Together, these stories reveal hospice not as surrender, but a deliberate, life-affirming choice that honors comfort, dignity and connection until the very end.

Stroke Signs We Miss – and Why They Matter

A stroke is a medical emergency in which every second matters. This week on Living Healthy Together, we explore how awareness, rapid treatment and coordinated care and clinical support can change everything.  Genie Denton of Central Vermont Medical Center shares her powerful personal experience surviving multiple strokes, joined by her husband, Steven Harnois, a firefighter and longtime EMT. Genie recounts the subtle and often confusing symptoms that nearly went unnoticed, and how quick action and timely treatment made a life-changing difference for her.  Christopher Commichau, MD, director of Cerebrovascular Disease, Neurocritical care and the Stroke Center at UVM Health, and Jenna Wydra, RN, Stroke Program manager for UVM Health, break down what strokes look like in the moment and discuss the importance of recognizing symptoms using the ‘BEFAST’ (“Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time”) framework. They highlight how a coordinated, regional system of care ensures patients receive timely, high-quality treatment no matter where they live. Tracy Madsen, MD, an emergency physician and vice chair of Research at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine, and Daniela Zambrano, MD, a vascular neurologist and stroke specialist at UVM Medical Center, discuss emerging clinical insights around maternal stroke risk. Their discussion emphasizes the importance of prenatal care and recognizing possible stroke symptoms during pregnancy.

Navigating Life with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unpredictable, often invisible and lifelong. For those living with this spectrum of conditions, every day can be shaped by pain, uncertainty and the need to constantly adapt.  We explore the realities of IBD through the decades-long medical journey of Joshua Peets, a North Country resident and Crohn’s disease patient, and the clinical expertise of members of the care team at the Chron’s & Colitis Center at UVM Medical Center.  Shruti Khurana, MD, a gastroenterologist and the founder/director of the Center, and Jeremy Dressler, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon, describe how IBD care is evolving to combine medical management, surgical interventions, nutrition guidance and mental health and pharmacy support. The goal: better manage a complex spectrum of conditions that impact a person’s whole body, not just their digestive tract.  Meta Surjaputra, PsyD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in gastroenterological psychology, explores the powerful brain-gut connection and explains why anxiety, depression and stress are closely tied to outcomes for individuals living with IBD. A member of the Clinic’s care team, she shows how psychological support can improve patients’ ability to manage their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life.  Kathy McGinnis, RD, a clinical dietician who specializes in gastroenterological disorders, discusses the role of nutrition as a critical tool for managing symptoms and supporting long-term health. She offers practical insight into diet patterns and common misconceptions around the causes and impacts of IBD in the kitchen.

Generations of Care: A Family Practice

What does it take to build a medical practice that lasts not just decades, but generations? Join us as we visit Green Mountain Family Practice in Northfield, Vermont, and explore the human connections and experiences that form the core of family medicine for the Sullivan family, over the course of a hundred years.  Craig Sullivan, MD, began caring for families in Northfield in 1983, practicing medicine in a small town where care extends beyond clinic walls and trust and lifelong relationships with patients defined family medicine. Dr. Sullivan shares stories and insights drawn from a career shaped by house calls, handshake agreements, and a sea-change that fundamentally reshaped primary care.   Matt Sullivan, MD, describes his own winding path to family medicine. From filmmaking to primary care and ultimately a journey home to practice alongside his father Craig. He reflects on how medicine has changed, the challenges keeping physicians from choosing to practice family medicine, and what it takes to preserve meaningful relationships in an increasingly complex and business-driven health care system.  Together they offer an intimate look at medicine as a vocation grounded in time, trust and presence within the lives of patients.