Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Foliage season is in full swing and the summer heat is fast becoming a memory, but health officials want Vermonters to still be on the lookout for cyanobacteria blooms and avoid any they see. Cyanobacteria are tiny microorganisms that are a natural part of fresh water ecosystems. Under certain conditions – including warm, sunny weather – cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms on the water’s surface that can wash up along shorelines.

Vermont Business Magazine As of October 1, health care providers now have the ability to track a patient’s social determinants of health through new medical codes championed by Family Nurse Practitioner Sarah DeSilvey and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross). When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a suite of new medical codes this spring, it was the culmination of years of work and collaboration between Blue Cross and DeSilvey.

by Devon Green​, VAHHS Vice President of Government Relations With boosters now widely available in Vermont, we hope eligible Vermonters take advantage of this great opportunity to further protect themselves, their families and their communities. Signing up is easy and the Vermont Department of Health has done an incredible job to ensure access to Pfizer boosters for all Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of their ongoing fight for safe staffing at the University of Vermont Medical Center, The Vermont Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals held a live streamed Roundtable discussion on Sunday, October 10. Nurses and techs shared their perspectives and discussed potential solutions with Vermont policymakers. More specifically, they discussed the current staffing conditions at UVMMC, how we got to this point, the broader impacts that short staffing is having on the community, and both short- and longer-term solutions to this crisis.

​Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson—a weekly interactive, multiplatform medical-themed talk show—will feature Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s Director of Population Health Rory Price, MPH, on its October 13 program. The show will air at 12 p.m. She will share results from the Community Health Needs Assessment conducted earlier this year.

Vermont Business Magazine During a visit to the Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center on Monday, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) announced a $250,000 grant to make improvements to the center’s home at the Ethan Allen Homestead. On hand for the announcement were Dr. Fred Wiseman, whose personal collection of artifacts forms the main portion of the collection; Phelan Fretz, executive director of the Leahy ECHO Center; and Nick Warner of the Winooski Valley Park District (WVPD).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Monday reported 222 COVID-19 cases (up four from Sunday) and no additional deaths for 335 statewide. This is the fifth consecutive day with cases over 200. There were 41 people hospitalized (up seven) with 12 in the ICU (up three). Cases in the southern four counties which have been high in recent days fell back today. But cases were relatively high in Caledonia, Orleans and Washington counties.

by Jean Waltz, District Central School Board Commissioner, Burlington In 1997, in Brigham v. State, the Vermont Supreme Court concluded that the Vermont constitution requires the provision of substantially equal educational opportunity to all students. The court declared the state’s education funding system unconstitutional because it resulted in wide disparities in per-pupil expenditures.

Within months of this decision, the legislature created a new educational funding system that acknowledged circumstances that impede educational outcomes. Educational costs to address and counter effect these factors were, in good faith, projected. Monetary projections were “weighed” and assigned a percentage of funds reflective of an addition to the base “per pupil” cost—a funding effort that’s now referred to as “pupil weights.”

Despite this effort, legislators noted student performance disparities and, in 2018, commissioned a study.

Vermont Business Magazine For organizations getting the word out about essential programs, creating compelling press materials and working with media organizations has become a critical part of the success of worthy nonprofit endeavors. As part of the Media Mentoring Project, a series of workshops produced by Vermont Independent Media, publisher of The Commons, two professionals who have experience in doing so successfully will be available to coach workshop participants in creating communications that are accurate, professional, compelling, and — most importantly — effective.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University is honored to welcome Col Adam T. Rice, 158th Fighter Wing Vice Commander and Norwich University alumnus, Class of 1991 in a private ceremony Oct. 16 to dedicate an F-16 display at Sabine Field. This miniature aircraft display will commemorate 75 years of partnerships between the Vermont Air National Guard (ANG), Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 867, and Norwich University.

Vermont Business Magazine This morning, Lieutenant Governor Gray released the following statement on Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2021: “Today, across Vermont, we recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day. Across this nation, and here in Vermont, we commemorate the rich history and culture of Indigenous Peoples’ and recommit ourselves to enacting policies and practices that promote and respect cultural equity."

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets October is National Farm to School Month - an apt time to step back and appreciate all the farmers, supply chain workers, food service professionals, childcare providers, educators and administrators that have been carrying out the heroic work of keeping kids fed during this pandemic. From everyone at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, a huge thank you.