Department of Pediatrics at Larner College of Medicine and University of Vermont Children’s Hospital Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
We recognize that we are enriched as a community and better able to serve children and families when we include voices from all perspectives. We value a compassionate and collaborative work environment that promotes diversity, inclusiveness, and cultural humility of our faculty, staff, and trainees. We are committed to advocacy initiatives that allow children and their families to thrive in safe environments free from bias and discrimination. We will work to reduce barriers to health equity for all children and families.
Federal Refugee Resettlement Program
Over the past 30 years, about 8,000 Vietnamese, Bosnian, Somali, Sudanese, Congolese, Bhutanese and Burmese refugees have resettled in the Burlington and Winooski area through USCRI VT, a federal refugee resettlement program. Since 2014, the Pediatric New American Program (PNAP) has provided domestic medical examinations and primary care to refugee children and other children in immigrant families with the help of a network of interpreters. PNAP strives to provide equity through a family centered medical home where special consideration and care is given to support acculturation and integration as well as advocacy. Providers have extensive knowledge of refugee health and adjustment and practice in a manner attuned to cultural humility and safety. PNAP is embedded within the UVM Children’s Hospital’s Primary Care at 1 South Prospect in Burlington and in the community at the Janet S Munt Family Room.
Residents in the UVM Pediatric Residency Program serve crucial roles both in the acute hospital setting for this patient population as well as primary care providers in the PNAP.
Residents and faculty have also been involved in establishing school-based health clinics in Winooski and Burlington.
#allarewelcome
The national election in 2016 brought fear to many immigrant families in Vermont. With the increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric, new Americans – refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers were distressed about their future in Burlington, Vermont, and the United States. What was going to happen to them? Would they be safe in America? Would they have to leave? Driven by the real fear she witnessed in her pediatric practice, Dr. Andrea Green reached out to Burlington High School (BHS) to see if she could support the students in feeling safe and welcome. Dr. Green partnered with BHS International Club to develop an “All Are Welcome” Symbol that would demonstrate support for our refugee population. The BHS students partnered with local graphic designer, Tyler Littwin, to develop the symbol of a dove sitting in a nest of hands symbolizing migration, peace, and welcoming.
The dove represents peace and immigration because birds migrate much like immigrants looking for welcoming place to live. The hands show that our community welcomes everyone, protects them, and ensures that they are in a safe place. Although their focus is the immigrant community, the students chose #allarewelcome in English because they did not want anyone of any background, affiliation, or identity to feel excluded. The goal of the project was to help refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers live in the United States without fear.
This symbol is on display at the UVM Children’s Hospital Pediatric Primary Clinic and in shops and schools throughout the state and now around the country. Dr. Green and Radhika Tamang, a BHS student, presented the symbol and the work behind it at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Annual Leadership Forum in 2017, where all 50 states are represented. As a result and with the support of the AAP Section on Pediatric Trainees, the symbol is now on display at hospitals as far away as California.
More About Diversity in our Burlington Community
We recognize that we are enriched as a community and better able to serve children and families when we include voices from all perspectives. We value a compassionate and collaborative work environment that promotes diversity, inclusiveness, and cultural humility of our faculty, staff, and trainees. We are committed to advocacy initiatives that allow children and their families to thrive in safe environments free from bias and discrimination. We will work to reduce barriers to health equity for all children and families.
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/tiles/City of Burlington 2019 EQUITY REPORT_FINAL.pdf
Burlington also has an active and welcoming LGBTQ community. The Larner College of Medicine, the University of Vermont Medical Center, and the Vermont Children’s Hospital all proudly participate in Burlington’s annual pride parade and festivities. Residents also have opportunities to participate in the multi-disciplinary trans youth clinic as well as volunteering at Camp Outright, a summer camp program for queer, trans, questioning, and allied youth.
Larner COM Office of Diversity and Inclusion: