Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, (VNAHSR), one of the state’s largest providers of skilled home health and hospice services, recognized Jeff Leake, PTA as Clinical Employee of the Quarter and Melissa (Missy) Brown, HR Generalist as Non-Clinical Employee of the Quarter. Employees of the Quarter are selected from nominations submitted by peers and acknowledge employees who go above and beyond their typical job duties and best reflect the agency values of honesty, excellence, accountability, teamwork, leadership, and helpfulness.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s child welfare system strives to promote the safety and well-being of children, youth and families. Act 129 of 2022 created the Office of the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate to add transparency and accountability to our state systems. This Office will center racial justice and uplift the voices of children, youth, and families impacted by the child welfare, juvenile justice, and related mental health systems. The Oversight Commission on Children, Youth, and Families announced today the appointment of Matthew Bernstein as the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate by Governor Scott. As director of Vermont's first Office of the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate, Matthew has extensive experience advocating for those impacted by the child welfare system and has demonstrated the ability to work with state agencies, legislature, advocates, and the community.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont will continue to support primary care practices who deliver essential care to our members and will continue the per-member-per-month (PMPM) care coordination payments for attributed members for all of 2023. In a statement, BlueCross Vermont said, "Our primary care providers need and deserve financial certainty. We recognize that making the difficult decision to forego a contract with OneCare Vermont for 2023 should not come at the expense of our provider community."

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Police troopers and members of DMV Enforcement are on the scene of a collision between an Amtrak train and a tractor trailer on Quarry Road near Vermont Route 14 in Sharon. No injuries have been reported in the crash, which occurred at about 11:45 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, when the train struck the tractor trailer’s trailer section. The flatbed trailer was carrying a load of stone from the nearby quarry. The trucking company involved is Lajoie Brothers Transport of Charlton, Massachusetts. The Amtrak train is being brought down the tracks to White River Junction with the passengers aboard.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), announced Monday that the panel will hold a hearing this Thursday, March 2, at 10 am ET titled, “Community Health Centers: Saving Lives, Saving Money.” Today, 30 million men, women, and children – including nearly 400,000 veterans – receive high quality primary health care at community health centers in 14,000 neighborhoods throughout the United States. In Vermont, nearly one out of every three people are now receiving their primary health care through a community health center across 73 sites – the highest per-capita use of community health centers in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont fell 4 cents per gallon last week and are now $3.42/g, according to GasBuddy. They are down 11 cents from last month and are down 19 cents from the same time last year. The lowest price in Vermont is $3.12/g in West Dummerston and the highest is $3.67/g in Pittsfield. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.32/g today.

Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS As we head into town meeting week next week, the countdown to crossover has begun. Things are starting to move fast! Regulatory Flexibilities: The House Health Care Committee voted out a bill that would extend certain COVID regulatory flexibilities, including health care provider licensure for an out-of-state provider in good standing at a facility when a provisional license is not available. The legislation includes a new section that requires this type of “deemed” licensure to be considered a Vermont license to address concerns that some health insurers are not accepting this form of licensure.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Are you an early childhood educator or after school program looking for creative ways to support local farms and promote nutrition, food access, or culinary education for the children and families that you serve? The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Grant, offered by the Farm to School and Early Childhood Program of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, will partially reimburse childcare providers or after school programs for CSA or farm shares purchased from Vermont farms. The maximum grant award for this funding opportunity is $1,000. The grants will reimburse programs for 70-80% of the cost of a CSA or farm share.

by Joy Choquette, Vermont Business Magazine Businesses throughout Vermont have worked to regain their footing after a tumultuous few years. What are businesses and nonprofits in Lamoille County struggling with now? And where have they seen the most success? The region is best known for its famous tourism locations, Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers’ North Resort, with its namesake mountain pass. And while it is well known and well photographed, the county boasts manufacturing and finance, higher education and entrepreneurship. Tourism and medical services are the most prominent industries in the county, followed by higher education and a mix of B2B businesses. Some of the largest employers in the area include Stowe Mountain Resort, Copley Health Systems, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Northern Vermont University and a mix of other for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Construction is in the final stages on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, a 93-mile route from Swanton to St Johnsbury that will add another piece to the growing network of multipurpose trails across Vermont — and New England. In addition to the LVRT, the Vermont Agency of Transportation announced Jan 30 that it received $1.44 million in federal funds to rehabilitate the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail through earmarks secured by US Senator Bernie Sanders. The project will improve one of Vermont’s critical rail trails and create economic development opportunities along the corridor. The fully rehabilitated trail will connect to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail and Canada’s trail network, creating one of the largest regional trail networks in the northeastern United States. Due for completion this winter, the state-owned trail will offer opportunities for a short jaunt or a major trek to both locals and tourists — joggers, walkers, cyclists and equestrians in the warmer months, and snowmobilers, skiers, snowshoers and mushers in the winter.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Most Vermont food cooperatives that have survived since the counterculture boom of the 1970s have done so by developing a niche market in the natural-and-organic sector of the grocery industry. But exceptions exist – such as the Onion River Co-op, City Market, which also sells conventional products, in accordance with its original 2002 lease with the city of Burlington, which then owned the store property on South Winooski Avenue. Then there's the South Royalton Market, which places the same story in the setting of a small village not unlike many another rural American community that has withered in this age of all things big.