Honoring a Champion for Community Health
Inaugural award recognizes Nurse Practitioner Marissa Patrick's impact on substance use care.
For more than a decade, Marissa Patrick, NP, has worked to expand access to substance use treatment, reduce stigma and connect patients with the care they need. In recognition of those efforts, University of Vermont Health's Culture, Experience and Community Health team named Patrick the inaugural recipient of its Community Health Champion Award during National Community Health Improvement Week.
The award honors employees whose work advances community health beyond the scope of their traditional job responsibilities. An adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner at University of Vermont Health – Central Vermont Medical Center, Patrick helped create care pathways for substance use treatment in both primary care and emergency department settings while advocating for patients who often face barriers to care.
Eva Zaret, program manager for Central Vermont Medical Center says Patrick was the perfect candidate.
“Marissa leads with empathy by meeting people where they are and seeing their potential rather than their challenges. She consistently advocates for individuals who are often marginalized, stigmatized or overlooked within healthcare systems. In her clinical practice, she welcomes patients with complex substance use and behavioral health needs and works tirelessly to ensure they receive compassionate, person-centered care,” says Zaret.
I think that it's amazing when community comes together and builds connections face to face to help solve problems. Together we can help provide better care to our patients.
Changing the conversation around substance abuse
For Patrick, the work begins with changing how people think about substance use disorders.
“This is a chronic disease, no different than diabetes, and we need to be able to offer these people support and the medical care that they need.”
Patrick serves as the clinical lead for the Central Vermont Prevention Coalition where she collaborates with healthcare professionals, treatment organizations and community partners from across Central Vermont to address substance use and identify opportunities to improve care.
“I think that it's amazing when a community comes together and builds connections -- real human connections -- face to face to help solve problems. Together we can help provide better care to our patients,” says Patrick.
Among her accomplishments, Patrick helped expand harm reduction kits by making them available in offices across the region, contributing to a 400% increase in their use. She also launched Resources and Options for Alcohol Drinking, a program that improved primary care providers’ ability to treat patients struggling with alcohol use.
The Community Health Champion Award includes a $500 charitable donation to an organization selected by the recipient. Patrick chose the Central Vermont Turning Point Center, a peer-led recovery organization that provides coaching, support groups and resources for individuals and families affected by substance use disorders.
“We shouldn't just ignore people struggling with substance use. They are humans, just like us,” Patrick says. “We need to be able to advocate for them and help them through this difficult time in their life. We all have situations in our lives that are difficult, and we need to come together as a community to help support everyone.”
