This commentary is by Roz King, M.S.N., R.N., of South Burlington. She serves as the chief of research for the department of emergency medicine at the Larner College of Medicine. She is a clinical translational scientist whose work focuses on improving access to care and health outcomes in rural and underserved communities.
For families in Vermont’s rural towns, getting to a medical provider or clinic can be challenging. Long drives, limited transportation and busy work schedules often mean that health care takes a back seat, until a routine health need becomes something more serious.
As a clinical translational scientist and emergency medicine nurse, I see how these barriers affect people every day, and how creative, community-rooted solutions can make a lasting difference.
Navigating state-level hospital oversight and evolving federal requirements can be complex and, at times, frustrating, but it also creates opportunities for new ways of delivering care. Emergency medicine thrives on thinking fast and adapting under pressure. It is this same mindset that is well-suited to addressing Vermont’s rural health care needs.
Across Vermont, we are finding ways to deliver care beyond the four walls of our institutions, through libraries, mobile clinics and interprofessional student-community partnerships. Sometimes the toughest constraints spark the most impactful ideas.
One example of this community-centered innovation is VITAL VT (Virtual Integration for Telehealth Access through Libraries in Vermont) funded by the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships. In many rural towns, broadband gaps, unreliable internet, and discomfort with digital tools can make virtual care hard to access. VITAL VT responds by turning local libraries into telehealth hubs, giving residents a familiar, trusted place to connect with health care providers.
For some families this can mean the difference between delaying care and getting timely support. Consider a parent juggling work and three kids, living 45 minutes away from the nearest clinic. A telehealth visit from a local library can mean timely care and fewer missed days of work or school, and provide peace of mind.
It is not just about technology; it’s about meeting people where they are and supporting them in ways that make sense for their lives.
What makes projects like VITAL VT powerful is the partnership they create between communities, health care providers and students. University of Vermont students gain hands-on experience while helping their neighbors and libraries become central players in local health care efforts.
These efforts also strengthen the regional workforce pipeline: students are exposed to rural practice environments and gain practical experience in community-centered care, while counties benefit from the fresh energy and innovative ideas that student teams bring. This model not only improves access today but encourages the next generation of health care professionals to consider careers in rural Vermont.
Another example of Vermont’s innovative approach to rural health care is our mobile obstetric simulation program (supported by a UVM health safety and value grant, and a UVM Frymoyer grant). With the recent trend of obstetric units closing in rural areas, more emergency departments are finding themselves on the front line of maternity care, managing labor and delivery scenarios traditionally considered outside their usual scope.
This shift leaves providers with fewer opportunities to practice complex deliveries and neonatal emergencies in a controlled setting. By bringing high-fidelity simulations directly to community emergency departments, clinical teams can rehearse rare but critical scenarios, building confidence and readiness for moments when every second counts.
These trainings have already reached more than 100 health care professionals across the state, helping teams manage emergencies such as preterm births and postpartum hemorrhage. Programs like this demonstrate how Vermont’s health care system can respond creatively to gaps in access while strengthening local teams and improving patient outcomes.
National Rural Health Day doesn’t just remind us that rural health care challenges are part of everyday life here in Vermont, it highlights the new approaches that become possible when communities, providers, and students work together. From telehealth in local libraries, to hands-on obstetric simulations, Vermont’s small towns are full of innovation, collaboration and resilience.
By investing in community-centered programs and supporting local health care infrastructure, we can strengthen health care access for every Vermonter, regardless of geography. Every local initiative, every community partnership, and every effort to connect patients with care is a step toward a rural health care system that works for everyone.
