Rural Done Right

Choosing Kindness in a Divided World

Turn on the news, scroll through your social media feed or even sit down at a family dinner table, and it doesn’t take long to see how divided our world feels right now. The tension can be overwhelming, and it leaves many of us wondering what happened to kindness, and how we begin to heal. I’ve been reflecting on this a lot, both as a healthcare leader and as a member of this community. What I come back to, again and again, is the truth that we are more alike than we are different. Each of us carries our own story, our own perspective, our own burdens. And too often, those struggles are invisible. We don’t always know what trauma or heartache someone else is bringing into a conversation, a workplace or a community space. That’s why empathy matters. And kindness. Our words and actions may feel small, but they carry real weight — they can either heal or harm. At a recent Alice Hyde Medical Center and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital leadership retreat, Dr. Maiysha Clairborne, founder of the Mind Re-Mapping Co., spoke to our team about trauma, trust and transformation. She reminded us that trauma doesn’t just shape individuals; it shapes entire communities. And when we recognize one another’s humanity and approach our differences with compassion, we create the possibility for resilience and connection. In healthcare, we see this truth every day. The people who come through our doors are often facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. Illness, pain, fear, uncertainty — these affect not just patients, but families and entire support networks. Medicine alone is not enough. Healing requires listening, respect and honoring each person’s story. If healing requires compassion and respect, then our healthcare system must reflect those same values, reaching beyond hospital walls to connect people with the right support at the right time. The recently opened Champlain Valley Family Center Crisis Stabilization Center is a shining example of that approach and I’m proud we are partnering with Champlain Valley in this endeavor. At the Crisis Center’s Open House, I said I wanted the connection between our emergency room at CVPH and the Crisis Center to be “tight, patient-centered, community-centered and forward-focused.” I believe that deeply. By working together, we can build a system of support that meets people where they are, in moments of greatest need. Still, resources and partnerships are only part of the solution. What matters just as much is how we treat one another outside our hospital walls, in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and homes. Violence is never the answer. Division cannot be the path forward. The only way through is to listen, to seek understanding and to treat each other with patience and grace. We may not always agree. We may not always share the same beliefs. But we can choose respect. We can choose empathy. And in doing so, we remind one another that we are all part of the same community. Because at the end of the day, what binds us to us together is always stronger than what pulls us apart.

Michelle LeBeau, President Alice Hyde Medical Center and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital