The Challenge
It can often be too hard for people in Vermont’s rural communities to access basic healthcare services. There aren’t always enough medical professionals in these communities, and the distances to the nearest medical clinics can be too great. The result? People miss out on the preventative care and treatment services that can help them live longer, healthier lives.
Telehealth could help bridge this gap, but too many people in these same communities don’t have the technology that's needed to make this a reliable option.
The Proposed Solution
Project partners are exploring the potential of offering telehealth services in Vermont's rural libraries. The project is called VITAL-VT, or “Virtual Integration for Telehealth Access through Libraries in Vermont.”
The initiative leverages three important aspects of local libraries: They are already connected to the internet, they are centrally located in their communities, and they are trusted spaces that people feel comfortable visiting. In short, libraries might just be the perfect places to offer secure, reliable and easy-to-access telehealth services.
UVM medical experts and library staff are assessing that potential. The structured process includes community needs assessments, technical readiness evaluations, and staff training sessions. They are also preparing pilot programs in two rural Vermont libraries.
“We’re looking to find any way to make any of our community members in Vermont get access to care – easier, better, quicker. So we’re exploring if telehealth (hubs) might be the right answer for that, if we’re able to put it right in people’s libraries, right in their own towns.” - Roz King, Chief of Research for Emergency Medicine, UVM Medical Center
The Partnership
This project unites experts at UVM's Medical Center, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Larner College of Medicine with those at the Vermont Library Association, and several local libraries throughout Vermont.
In the News
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance featured this VITAL-VT project in a story related to Vermont's expanding fiber optic network.
WCAX aired a story about this project in January 2025:
Project Details
| Community Partner: | Vermont Library Association |
| UVM Partners: | |
| Amount: | $10,000 (Capacity Grant) |
| Primary Region: | Statewide. Rural pilot areas to be identified during project period. |
| Focus Areas: | Transit and Housing Solutions, Remote and Co-Working Practices, Access to Health Care in Rural Areas |