By David Brody, MD

In aviation, as in life, and notably as in medicine too, there are circumstances in which we are faced with uncertainty – changing weather, a patient’s confusing presentation, a friend’s inscrutable moods – but action is required and we are forced to make a decision with incomplete knowledge. Perhaps this is even the rule. And in all such situations we are then faced with two competing positions that may not always align – what is most probable, and what we might prefer. How we navigate between these two poles can make all the difference.

I recently faced a dramatic and nearly catastrophic instance of the need for sound decision making as I was flying home from Laconia, New Hampshire. The weather on departure was essentially “blue skies” with occasional clouds, but as I headed north, it became apparent there was a front moving in. From Laconia I will usually fly the direct line route over the White Mountains and across Franconia Notch, but as I got on course I could see a cloud cover settling over the mountains, so I decided to head west towards Lebanon with a plan to dogleg it up the Connecticut valley, following I-91 and the river at a lower altitude, and then on up to the airport in Lyndonville.

There was adequate clearance as I started heading up the valley at 3000 feet, but I could see the oncoming front to the west darkening and thickening, and soon realized that it was going to be a matter of timing – which would make it to the airport first, the plane or the weather. My GPS is able to give me not only the distance to my destination but also the time and I warily kept an eye on the diminishing gap: 40 miles, 25 minutes; 15 miles, 10 minutes; then, with Saint Johnsbury off my wing, 10 miles and 6 minutes. Surely I can find a way across only 6 minutes I assured myself. However, conditions were rapidly deteriorating, with blackening skies and diminishing visibility announcing the arrival of the front. And then: a sudden hammering jolt of turbulence, a pelting rain opened up, the visibility went from bad to poor, and I hit a stomach-turning downdraft which slammed me against my seatbelt and plunged me 200 feet. This was trouble. No more time for thoughts of Maybe I should divert – it was now or never. 

Many thanks to all of the staff, volunteers, Corporators and Trustees who supported this year’s Gala…our first since COVID! 

On Friday, August 25, more than 210 people gathered on the hospital green (despite the drizzly weather) to celebrate NVRH’s first 50 years and the beginning of our next 50.

 More than $76,000 was raised to help support our new Career Advancement Program, which is helping us grow our own nursing workforce. The event featured posters of some of the first CAP class members, and our own Holly Charland, Maintenance Tech, spoke about her desire to become a nurse and how community support for the CAP program is helping her achieve that goal. 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Zaidi join our team,” VP of Operations and Medical Practices Laura Newell said. “She has a wide breadth of knowledge and skill, and we know that patients are going to enjoy working with her.”

Dr. Zaidi is interested in a variety of podiatric conditions such as bunions, wounds, and foot and ankle fractures. 

National Association of Community Health

Workers Conference

By Debbie Locke-Rousseau

The very first thing I learned was that the heat in Texas is just not for me. It was an oven even in the depths of every shadow and the still of the night, with hardly a hint of any breeze (“feels like”103-110 degrees Fahrenheit!). Heat like that calls for air conditioning, so much so that I found myself buying a sweater in Texas during their heat wave! I love Vermont… Now you wanted to hear about the conference though.

The session I would like to highlight was about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). The first speaker was a social anthropologist of sorts – I missed his intro as I actually left a training that was not of interest and joined in this talk a bit late. He was so excited about how the work he did, examination of cultures, was happening live, person by person, community by community within the CHW world that he made the decision to divert from his path towards a PhD and now works within CHW communities.

He spoke of how we all have biases, making us and each culture within our communities unique. He suggested we map ourselves and our identifiers - I am a mother, sister, wife, crafter, motorcycle rider – and find what we have in common. “See no stranger.” He spoke of equity as having the appropriate amount of resources for the needs, your community needs, an individual’s needs. Another presenter spoke of the “oops/ouch/whoa” approach to inclusion. The first mistake in language or meaning, in identifying a culture or person is an “oops,” a gentle correction. The second is an “ouch,” you are not learning, and that is hurtful. The third is a “whoa,” you really need to look within yourself to see why you are not learning. I am going to leave you with a resource given that may be new, may be a reminder: The Harvard Implicit Association Tests (IAT). You can take these on your own at any time. You must select “I agree” to continue to the tests, there are 15 tests. Click here.

Thank You,

Debbie Locke-Rousseau

CHT Lead for NVRH and supervisor of the CHWs out of Community Connections of NVRH.