Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Living Well Group, Inc, a non-profit organization with residential care homes in Burlington and Montpelier, is proud to announce their new executive director, Beth Hammond.

Hammond brings a wealth of experience in non-profit management and program development to the organization’s strong management team. Hammond’s experience includes positions at Cathedral Square/SASH, Boston Senior Home Care, the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman in New Hampshire, and most recently executive director of Heineberg Community Senior Center. Under Hammond’s leadership, the Center reinvented itself to become a vibrant destination and resource for hundreds of older adults throughout greater Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center’s Chittenden Clinic program is very pleased to announce that it has received a Certificate of Recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) process as a recognized Patient-Centered Specialty Care Practice (PCSP). NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. It is noteworthy that in 2015 we were the very first program in the country to undergo the review and be acknowledged.

by John McClaughry The Vermont legislature is moving swiftly into its final six weeks. A major issue, as always, is parceling out revenues to cover the $8.1 billion Fiscal Year 2023 general plus transportation fund budgets. That process is eased this year by the tsunami of federal dollars rolling into the state, allowing the solons to fund programs and causes that in ordinary times, with normal state revenues, would not make the cut. A major feature of next year’s spending bill is the Climate Action Plan’s imperative to put an astounding 170,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030 - 164,000 more than the state has now. To race down this pathway, the state will spend $10 million to install charging stations and pay people $12 million to buy EVs.

Vermont Business Magazine In an effort to distribute health and lifestyle information in an accessible and interesting way, Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has launched a quarterly magazine called Healthy+. The publication is free and available wherever the Vermont News Guide is distributed. The magazine topics are based on those identified by the community health needs assessment, a triannual process that includes a wide-ranging health and wellness survey and regional focus groups. It was conducted last year.

Vermont Business Magazine As a retired nurse practitioner, current state representative for Windham-3, and member of the health committee, Leslie Goldman has a unique perspective on health care. Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson is pleased to welcome her on the show at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6. The show is produced by Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV).

Vermont Business Magazine During the 2021 holiday season, Community Bank N.A. challenged the public to help low-income Vermont families heat their homes in conjunction with Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity’s (CVOEO) WARMTH program. The bank generously pledged to give $17,500 to WARMTH if the communities in which CVOEO operate could raise $30,000 via online contributions between November 16 and December 31. Thanks to Community Bank’s partnership, online donations to CVOEO for WARMTH exceeded $34,000 between November 16 and December 31, which is an increase over last year’s online donations during the same timeframe. Impressively, statewide donations to the WARMTH program equaled $746,269 for the entire year.

Vermont Business Magazine With the addition of Dr. Coombs to our team, Affectionately Cats in Williston is now proud to offer acupuncture for our feline friends. There are several benefits to acupuncture for cats. It is used for the treatment of chronic and acute painful syndromes as well as osteoarthritis, tendinitis, spinal injury, disk disease and more. It directly releases muscle tension and stimulates endorphin release throughout the process providing relaxation to patient while increasing blood flow and regeneration of tissue in damaged areas.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 43 cases of COVID-19 for Sunday (141 Saturday, 168 Friday, 158 Thursday, 171 Wednesday, 200 Tuesday, and 87 last Monday.) The VDH reported two additional deaths Sunday for 619 statewide. Both fatalities were in the 80+ age range. VDH has also reported that March (15) had the fewest COVID-related deaths since last July (2).

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS The Senate passed S.204, licensure of freestanding birth centers. Senator Hardy noted that, like many births, it was a long and painful process. The point of contention was whether birth units should be required to go through a Certificate of Need process. As passed, the bill includes freestanding birth centers in the Certificate of Need process, but directs the Green Mountain Care Board to conduct a needs assessment and make recommendations by April 1, 2023.

​Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC) announced today the launch of their new survey to assess the needs of small businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in Vermont. As part of a national initiative introduced by President Biden and Vice President Harris, Vermont Professionals of Color Network and the Main Street Alliance are thrilled to partner with Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) as they begin to engage in the Small Business Administration’s Community Navigator Pilot Program.

​Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has appointed Hazel Brewster of Stowe to serve on the Vermont Commission on Women (VCW), the state’s non-partisan commission working to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls. Born and raised in Morrisville, Brewster is a 2019 graduate of the University of Vermont and has since earned a master’s degree in public policy and global affairs from the University of British Columbia. During her undergraduate career, she also studied at the University of Edinburgh, where she worked with Members of Scottish Parliament and researched the outmigration of women in rural Scotland.

Vermont State Police The investigation into the death of an inmate at the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury is continuing Monday, April 4, 2022. The inmate is identified as Dustin Dunkling, 29, of St. Albans. He was booked on March 24 for a violation of probation on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Preliminary investigation indicates the victim was alone in his cell and died by suicide. An autopsy is pending at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to confirm the cause and manner of death.