The University of Vermont Medical Center: A Comprehensive Overview of Services

The University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), formerly known as Fletcher Allen Health Care, stands as Vermont's academic medical center. It operates in conjunction with the University of Vermont College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Located in Burlington, UVMMC is a not-for-profit hospital that functions as both a regional referral center, offering advanced care to approximately one million individuals in Vermont and northern New York, and a community hospital, serving around 160,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties in Vermont.

A Hub of Comprehensive Medical Services

UVMMC serves as a comprehensive healthcare provider, offering a wide array of primary, secondary, and tertiary services that span nearly every major area of medicine. Among its notable distinctions are the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, The University of Vermont Cancer Center, and the only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Vermont. Furthermore, it provides comprehensive cardiovascular services and stroke treatment.

National Recognition and Commitment to Patient Safety

The University of Vermont Medical Center has garnered significant recognition for its commitment to quality and patient safety. It has consistently achieved high rankings, including a top 10 placement nationally among university hospitals for quality and accountability. Furthermore, it has been recognized as No. 1 in patient safety. U.S. News & World Report has designated the medical center a Best Regional Hospital. The magazine also named twenty-one physicians to its Top Doctors list and recognized five specialties as High Performing for 2012-2013. The five specialty areas ranked as High Performing are Orthopedics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Gynecology and Nephrology.

A Five-Campus Academic Medical Facility

The University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) operates as a five-campus academic medical facility under the corporate umbrella of the University of Vermont Health Network, anchored by a 562-bed hospital in Burlington, Vermont. The organization also encompasses more than 30 patient-care sites and over 100 outreach clinics, programs, and services throughout Vermont and northern New York, which include 11 primary care group practices.

The University of Vermont Children's Hospital

Within the larger UVMMC structure exists The University of Vermont Children's Hospital, a hospital-within-a-hospital. This specialized facility delivers comprehensive, family-centered primary care, specialty care, and neonatal and pediatric intensive care to children across the region.

Clinical Research and Advanced Technology

The Clinical Research Center at the University of Vermont holds the distinction of being one of 78 such centers in the United States and the only one in northern New England. The medical center is equipped with comprehensive surgical services, including neurological, cardiac, and pediatric specialties, as well as advanced imaging equipment.

The Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHWB)

The Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHWB) offers a comprehensive range of medical, mental health, health promotion, and wellbeing services to ensure students remain healthy, successful, and engaged throughout their time at UVM. The CHWB strives to deliver welcoming, individualized, and affirming care to students.

Inclusive Excellence at CHWB

The Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHWB) is dedicated to maintaining healthcare and health promotion experiences that are welcoming, equitable, and inclusive to individuals of all identities and backgrounds. These include, but are not limited to, sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, and age. Through inclusive excellence, CHWB focuses on addressing the barriers in health and collaborates with students to find solutions that reduce and remove obstacles that prevent individuals from fully participating in accessing care and their college experience. This approach is aspirational and always a work in progress, with CHWB dedicating time and energy to hiring staff who support and work toward fulfilling this mission.

Empowering Students and Addressing Social Determinants of Health

The CHWB works to empower students to be intentional about the ways in which they practice and engage with their well-being in their day-to-day lives. While many factors affect how students do this, such as social determinants of health, there are many ways in which students can inform positive decisions and practices that are right for them.

Services Offered at the Center for Health and Wellbeing

Services are available to all full-time UVM students, including PhD, masters, undergraduate, medical, and other graduate student programs. Services available to all students through the Center for Health and Well-Being that may be part of a gender-affirming care plan include:

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Ongoing clinical care, including laboratory monitoring (additional fee)
Beginning or continuing the use of prescription hormones (additional fee)
Referrals to specialists knowledgeable about gender transitions, including referrals for surgery, voice therapy, sperm or egg preservation, and hair removal
Full-spectrum sexual health care
Coordination with CAPS counselors
Coordination with other members of your healthcare team
Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching

Behavioral Health Services

The Center offers a variety of behavioral health services, including:

Sleep consultations
Stress management consultations
Substance use consultations
Nicotine Cessation (support in creating a plan to quit using nicotine products)

Nutrition and Dietician Services

Students can access nutrition and dietician services for:

Sorting through conflicting nutrition advice
Learning to eat for health and well-being
Forming a more positive relationship with food
Plant-based diets
Eating for athletic performance
Modifying your diet for disease prevention
Selecting food on and off campus

Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

The Center provides confidential sexual and reproductive health services, including:

Confidential screening and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV
Prescription and management of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention
Evaluation and treatment of pain, rashes, lumps, lesions, etc.

After-Hours Support

Students can access after-hours support by calling 802-656-3350 and following the phone prompts to speak with an after-hours nurse.

Counseling and Psychiatry Services (CAPS)

CAPS offers short-term, solutions-focused counseling to support as many UVM students as possible by providing more opportunities for access while also addressing student counseling needs. In these sessions, counselors and students work collaboratively to address immediate challenges. Counseling is typically offered every two weeks after an initial intake session. The number of sessions depends on the time it takes to address the immediate challenge. CAPS is also able to connect students with case managers who help them find care in the local area for those who are hoping to connect with a counselor in the Burlington community.

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Reasons for Accessing CAPS

Students access CAPS for a variety of reasons, including:

Relationship challenges
Academic stressors
Exploring new or developing identities
Feeling sad or irritable
Body image concerns
Adjusting to college life
Grief and loss
Anxiety and depression
Recovery
Family stress and support
And many more topics

Group Counseling

Group therapy provides a safe and trusting environment where you can gain support, share experiences, get feedback from others, and try out new skills. Appointments can be scheduled through the secure online patient portal, MyWellbeing.

Rest Stop

Rest Stop is a hub for The Center for Health and Wellbeing in the Davis Center. It offers drop-in appointments with CAPS counselors, wellness coaching drop-ins, substance use harm reduction resources, safer sex supplies, service dogs in training, and more.

Hope Works

Hope Works, Chittenden County’s sexual violence advocacy organization, provides confidential support to all members of the community. Hope Works offers a 24/7 hotline and a chatline to connect to confidential advocates. Services are available for survivors of violence and loved ones who are supporting survivors of violence. The 24/7 Hotline number is 802-863-1236.

Advocacy Services Offered by Hope Works

Advocacy services include:

Options counseling - medical options, reporting and law enforcement response options, etc.
Emotional support - accompaniment to appointments, medical exams, or interviews as well as getting questions answered about processes

Hope Works advocates host on-campus office hours in 215 Living Learning at specific times throughout the academic year.

Historical Context

Founded in Burlington in 1879, Mary Fletcher Hospital holds the distinction of being the first hospital in Vermont. In 1894, the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph established the Fanny Allen Hospital in Colchester, naming it after Fanny Allen, daughter of Ethan Allen, a nun who nursed wounded American soldiers in the War of 1812. In 1971, ten medical specialty practice groups joined to form the University Health Center (UHC) at the site of the former Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital (1924). In 2010, the Faculty Practice became known as the University of Vermont Medical Group, formalized through a joint affiliation with the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care.

The Renaissance Project and Subsequent Controversy

In 1999, responding to proposals from chief executive William C. Boettcher, the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA) approved a $118 million plan called the Renaissance Project for new construction at Fletcher Allen. In 2001, the commission approved an amended proposal (also known as a Certificate of Need or CON) for $173 million. This second proposal was later described as "fraudulent" by the United States Attorney for the district including Vermont. This description was based on the fact that at the time Fletcher Allen management was maintaining two separate project budgets in an attempt to keep a major portion of the costs from BISHCA (specifically the cost of the parking garage). The final version of the proposal, approved in 2003, was $364 million.

As of 2007, four former executives have been charged with crimes associated with the project. The former CEO, William Boettcher, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years on federal conspiracy charges. David Demers, a former senior vice president for planning, also pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy charges.

Quality and Safety Ratings

For inpatient conditions and procedures, there are three possible ratings: worse than expected, as expected, better than expected. For patient safety indicators, there are the same three possible ratings.

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