Mental Health

The mind‑body connection shapes every part of our well‑being—our mood, resilience, productivity, and even our health‑care use. My two decades as a pediatrician have shown me how early experiences, strong families, and supportive communities build lifelong mental health. Fresh air, social interaction, recreation, and low stress helps save money in our use of health care. Strong communities support the mental health of their residents, especially older and low income Vermonters. Recreation, time outdoors, time with others, music, and working together boosts mental health and leads to better quality of life.

My role as a pediatrician lets me get inside how people live and stay strong. Having a sense of who you are and where you are going is so important and, if that falters, help should be there where you live and from a source you trust. I have led a team of experts on youth mental health through CHIMHP (Child Health Is Mental Health Partnership) which led to state policy on communication between different agencies surrounding mental health.

We have some great facilities in Vermont for folks who struggle with mental health, but definitely not enough and not the right type of care. In the last twenty years of practicing medicine in Vermont, the number of places to go have dwindled and many folks end up out of state for care which costs the state millions of dollars. We need addiction care, psychiatric inpatient care, and intensive outpatient programs for all ages. The state needs to prioritize this and make it happen. Appropriate care leads to less costs and negative outcomes in the justice and healthcare systems.

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