Dr. Mark Levine, MD, Commissioner of Health; Wendy Walsh, RN, Public Health Nurse; and the Vermont National Guard Covid-19 Mapping Team will be recognized as Public Health Champions
Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, May 11, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm, the Vermont Public Health Association (VtPHA) will hold its Annual Meeting titled: “Vermont’s Mental Health Crisis: Opportunities and solutions for creating a better system of care.” Participants can attend in person at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier or virtually via Zoom.
Ken Allen, VtPHA President, states: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences on the mental health and well-being of Vermonters of all ages. In in order to inform Vermonters of this crisis, we have convened a panel discussion with a variety of stakeholders focused on the status of mental health and mental health services in Vermont, particularly as they relate to Vermont’s youth.” Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health, Alison Krompf will moderate a panel discussion and provide her perspective of the current status of Vermont’s youth mental health resources and give a realistic view of our system’s needs and opportunities for improvement.
In reference to the COVID – 19 pandemic, Allen states, “It is also well known that compared to the U.S., Vermont has fared relatively well during the pandemic. At the VtPHA we realize that responding to public health needs during this pandemic and other crises requires teamwork and coordination between government, non-governmental organizations, and individuals working across multiple sectors of the public health landscape. The VtPHA is honored to recognize some of those who have made extraordinary contributions to public health within the state of Vermont.”
The Mental Health Panel will consist of:
- Alison Krompf, MA, Deputy Commissioner, VT Department of Mental Health
Alison will moderate the panel presentations and provide perspective on the data we have about the current state of the VT mental health system of care and solutions on how we move forward.
- Kristy Hommel, M.Ed., Ending the Silence Coordinator, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Kristy will share her own personal story and her lived experience in the mental health system as both a child and an adult, as well as provide insight as a Program Coordinator for NAMI VT.
- Haley McGowan, DO, Co-Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consult service, The University of Vermont Medical Center
Haley will share about her role in helping patients and families navigate an overburdened mental health system while also improving quality of care and facilitating access to services through collaboration with community-based supports
- Katina Idol, MA, LCMHC, ARC Trainer, Lamoille Community Connections
With years of experience working with children and families in a variety of school settings, and supervising school-based clinicians, Katina will share her views on the mental health system with her unique clinical perspective.
This year’s Public Health Champion Awards will be presented to:
- Mark Levine, MD, Vermont Commissioner of Health, for his dedication and leadership to Vermonters during the Covid-19 pandemic, for his work toward addressing health equity, and of his vision of the future of Vermont’s public health systems during recovery from Covid-19.
- Wendy Walsh, RN, Public Health Nurse for the Vermont Department of Health for her 44 years of service to Vermonters and most recently as the co-lead of the VDH Outbreak Prevention and Response Team that coordinated dozens of public health nurses across the state to be the local points of contact and guidance for schools, businesses, non-profits, healthcare, or congregate living facilities as they navigated though the Covid-19 cases that impacted their organizations and facilities.
The Vermont National Guard Covid-19 Mapping team for their work in ensuring that Covid-19 information reached communities effectively and in a timely manner, thus minimizing the risk of new outbreaks.
The VtPHA is a statewide membership organization that seeks to positively influence the health of all Vermonters. The VtPHA does this by providing a strong, independent voice for public health in Vermont through advocacy, education, and community engagement, and by bringing together professionals, policymakers, and partners. Visit www.vtpha.org for more information on registration for the conference and membership.
