Calvin Moen

HCRS, please reconsider AI software — especially for psych patients

DUMMERSTON-I am a psychiatric survivor. Since moving to Vermont over 12 years ago, I have been doing peer support, education, and advocacy across the state.

Recently, I learned that Health Care & Rehabilitative Services (HCRS), the largest provider of mental health services in Windham and Windham counties, has signed a contract with Eleos Health, an Israeli start-up company, to provide artificial intelligence (AI) note-taking software in its clinical programs.

I have serious concerns about this action.

Throughout my decades of involvement supporting other psych survivors and service users, a major theme has emerged that involves not only our civil and legal rights, but also our relationships with providers and the mental health system as a whole: that of informed consent.

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Businesses are not the victims here

Some actions would benefit all of us a lot more than public hand-wringing about people who dare to be visibly poor downtown

I'm no economist, but when I hear about downtown businesses blaming their financial woes on the presence of people on the sidewalk asking for spare change, I'm left scratching my head. It seems like if you're going to run a business, you'd want to know the basics of supply...

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Voices of mental health survivors/consumers missing in news coverage

Your coverage of the Vermont Supreme Court case Kuligoski v. Brattleboro Retreat is lacking an important voice: that of psychiatric survivors/mental health consumers. In news articles where you've published about the court's decision and its influence, you've represented two sides: that of the family bringing the lawsuit and that...

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