February 21, 2023

NEED TO KNOW

If you are receiving this for the first time, it is because we just updated our group emails and you are a Vermont Medical Society Member!

Legislature Tackling Multiple Priority Health Care Issues This Week  - Take Action!

The Senate has passed the FY23 Budget Adjustment and will begin their Fiscal Year 2024 budget work. Both House and Senate policy committees are working hard to finish work on bills within the next 3 weeks, in order to meet "crossover," the date bills must pass out of their committees to advance. This week the VMS Policy team is testifying on multiple health care priorities across all spectrums of health care and public health. We invite you to weigh in as lawmakers are tackling everything from the shield bill protecting clinicians providing abortion care and gender-affirming services, workplace violence, COVID flexibilities, the forensic facility bill, primary care rate increases, suicide prevention, harm reduction for opioid use, THC potency caps, medical cannabis program changes, and the flavored tobacco bill. Take action by emailing these Committees on these bills (the link below has each Committee's member emails):

• House Health Care: Increased Medicaid Rates for Primary Care: The current Governor’s proposed FY24 Medicaid budget includes NO increase for the physician fee schedule, which with current inflation rates and 2023 Medicare cuts provides inadequate support to primary care practices. Please email both the House Appropriations and House Health Care Committee members to urge them to include at least a 3.8% inflation increase in the FY24 RBRVS fee schedule. Click here for email addresses.
• House Government Operations: H.270, a bill making changes to Vermont's cannabis laws: Please email the House Government Operations Committee and urge them NOT to expand qualifying conditions for the medical cannabis program to conditions lacking evidence, such as autism and Alzheimer’s disease, and NOT to increase the package serving size for commercial products from 50 mg to 100 mg. Click here for email addresses.
• Senate Judiciary: H.72, a bill to remove THC potency caps: Contact the Senate Judiciary Committee to urge them NOT to remove the 60% potency cap on solid cannabis concentrates and to prohibit the sale of liquid concentrate cannabis products. Click here for email addresses.
• Senate Health and Welfare: S.18, a bill to prohibit flavored tobacco products: Urge the Senate Health and Welfare Committee prohibit flavored tobacco products including menthol, to stop people from starting a dangerous nicotine habit. Click here for email addresses.

Thank you for your participation. VMS Advocacy is strengthened by you sharing your experience on these important health care matters. Contact Jill at jsudoffguerin@vtmd.org if you would like to weigh in or testify on these or other pending legislative items.

2023 VT Educational Loan Repayment Open For Applications - Up to $50,000 

The 2023 Vermont Educational Loan Repayment (Recruitment/Retention) Program for Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, & Physician Assistants application is now available.

Application and corresponding documents can be found here. This year employer matching funds are encouraged but not required.

The 2023 application deadline is Friday, March 31^st, 2023.

View the full flyer here.

Reminder: Premium Pay for Workforce Recruitment and Retention Grants Open through Feb. 27

In March 2022, Governor Scott authorized $60 million for certain health care and social service employers to provide premium pay for workforce recruitment and retention. These funds have been made available to the State of Vermont through the Federal Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act.  A second round of funding is now available to applicants, including primary care practices.  Applications are open between February 8 and February 27, 2023.  Practices can receive up to $2000 per FTE, which can then be distributed in a flexible manner, up to the equivalent of $13/hr additional pay per eligible employee.

Program guidance, FAQs and informational webinars are available at: Premium Pay for Workforce Recruitment and Retention | Agency of Human Services (vermont.gov) 

MISC.

Application Open: Apply for an Intranasal Naloxone Vending Machine

In an ongoing effort to provide evidence-based harm reduction resources to rural communities, UVM CORA has been authorized to distribute five intranasal naloxone vending machines to qualifying health organizations in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Northern New York.

The overarching goal of this program is to increase access to harm reduction materials for emergency uses and individuals who may not otherwise engage in services. The vending machines provided through this program will be placed in centralized locations in rural communities in Northern New England to provide convenient access to intranasal naloxone.

For more information and to apply, click here.

Commissioner of Health Public Health Update on March 2nd

The next Public Health Update call with Commissioner of Health Mark Levine, MD will be on Thursday, March 2nd at 12:30 pm. Hear about the the most pressing public health information affecting the state and nation and have the opportunity to submit questions to Dr. Levine who will answer them, time-permitting.

You can join the zoom meetings here.

EVENTS

The UVM CORA Clinician Office Hours

Weekly on Thursdays from 12pm to 1pm ET

This program offers free and confidential consultation from addiction medicine-certified physicians focusing on substance use evaluation and management. Information shared will be general in nature and should not be considered as case-specific medical care.

The UVM CORA Clinician Office Hours program is intended only for healthcare providers or others directly serving people with substance use disorders in HRSA-designated rural areas.

Please complete the form here to register for the Clinician Office Hours sessions held weekly on Thursdays, 12:00 -1:00 pm ET.

Registration will close weekly on Wednesdays at noon.

Indigenous Historical and Intergenerational Trauma Training

for Health/Mental Health Care Providers

February 22, 2023

Virtual

This training will provide a general overview of indigenous historical and intergenerational trauma and

how this trauma directly impacts the indigenous community’s overall health and wellness.

The presenters for this training will be Kheya Ganguly, the Director of Trauma Prevention and Resilience

Development for the Agency of Human Services and Dr. Frederick Wiseman, a citizen of the Abenaki

Nation of Missisquoi and Coordinator of the Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center.

This training is for all community health and mental health related providers and first responders

View the flyer here.

Click here to join the February 22, 2023 meeting from 1pm to 4pm.

Future Health Best: Practices for Advancing Care

March 31, 2023

Virtual and In-person at Waltham, MA

Join physician leaders and health care experts from the Northeast for a signature event to share knowledge and research that advances equitable, sustainable, patient-centered, and best-in-class health care.

You can view the full flyer here.

For more information about the speakers, program, CME accreditation and to register please visit here.

Note: You can use the discount code of FHB23NE when registering for this event 

Save the Dates - Preparing for and Delivering Value-Based Care in Rural Communities

April 4th, May 2nd, June 6th, and June 27th, 2023

View the topics of the webinar series here.

Look for more information and registration details in February 2023 

More conferences from UVM CMIE are expected this Spring to include these topics: Anesthesia, Cardiovascular/Vascular Disease, Geriatrics and Family Medicine. Sign-up to get updates via email for topics that are of interest here

Vermont Medical Society

134 Main Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

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