Heart Care Hits the Road

The earlier Gavin Noble, MD, can discover a problem with a patient’s heart, the better. But when that patient lives in a rural community, where specialty care like cardiology isn’t available close by, discovering that problem can be impossible. “From Ticonderoga, it’s more than an hour drive to  Read More

Taking Care of the Community, One COVID Vaccine Dose at a Time

Between late December and the end of April, UVM Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital (ECH) helped vaccinate more than 1,400 people in Essex County, N.Y. – an impressive feat for the small, critical access North Country hospital. At the heart of the effort were Chief Nursing Officer Julie Trom[...]

Surviving Stroke

Gayle Alexander started noticing the symptoms of a stroke in the first week of January, 2020. “I was at work and my back was sore, and I was having trouble reaching for my SHIFT key while typing. A couple days later I was losing fine motor control. I held my arm out and I asked my husband to push down on my arm and it went right down.&rdqu[...]

ECH steps up to provide COVID rehab care

When it comes to the hospitalization of patients with COVID-19, we hear a lot about intensive care units, but not so much about what happens after the ICU – and that’s a significant part of their recovery. Coming back from COVID is a long road, and patients need a tremendous amount of care and support after they are discharged from i[...]

Recovering from COVID

Rehabilitation Patient Gains Strength and Returns Home

On May 13, employees of the University of Vermont Health Network- Elizabethtown Community Hospital lined the hallway to send off a very special patient. Albert Laduke, the hospital’s first rehabilitation patient recovering from COVID, was strong enough to go home. The tearful farewell came four weeks after Mr. Laduke’s arri[...]

Family Sees Stroke Survivor's First Unassisted Steps Thanks to Telehealth Technology

There was not a dry eye in the hospital hallway -- or on the computer -- as Tom Delaronde took his first unassisted steps after surviving a stroke. Though unconventional, the virtual visit allowed Mr. Delaronde to share the recovery milestone with loved ones staying home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Just weeks[...]