Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, February 17, a group of Vermont National Guard members will depart for Thies, Senegal, to participate in a medical training exercise through the State Partnership Program. The training, part of the State Partnership Program, will run for about two weeks. The Vermont National Guard members, who are mainly assigned to the Garrison Support Command Medical Detachment out of Colchester, will be supported by Soldiers from Charlie Medical, 186th Brigade Support Battalion out of Winooski, and Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing’s Medical Group, will work alongside Senegalese civilian and military medical professionals for peer-to-peer medical collaboration in a variety of medical specialties. In addition to helping patients, Vermont and Senegalese will share best practices.

Vermont Business Magazine From January 2020 through the end of most states’ 2022 budget year, tax revenue outperformed its pre-pandemic growth trajectory in a record 32 states. Still, annual revenue growth rates slowed substantially during fiscal year 2022 and are on track for negative growth by the end of the current budget year amid looming economic uncertainties. According to Pew Charitable Trust estimates, New Mexico led all states, with 17.1% more cumulative tax revenue than it would have collected under its pre-pandemic growth rate. Idaho was second at 16.7% above the trend. Nationally, combined tax revenue at the end of the second quarter of 2022 was 4% above estimates of what might have been collected had the pandemic not occurred. Vermont ranked 11th at 5.6 percent, second best in New England behind Maine's 9.0 percent.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank System, Inc has reported fourth quarter 2022 net income of $52.5 million, or $0.97 per fully-diluted share and net income was $3.46 per share for full year 2022, down $0.02, or 0.6%, from $3.48 per share for full year 2021. This compares to $43.6 million of net income, or $0.80 per fully-diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2021. The $0.17, or 21.3%, increase in earnings per share was primarily attributable to an increase in net interest income and a decrease in fully-diluted average shares outstanding, offset, in part, by higher operating expenses, lower noninterest revenues and increases in the provision for credit losses and income taxes. The company is the parent of Community Bank NA with branches across Vermont. They subsequently declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.44 per share on its common stock. The dividend will be payable on April 10, 2023, to shareholders of record as of March 15, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Monsters would like to send best wishes for a speedy recovery to head coach Pete Wilk, who was recently diagnosed with Glioblastoma Brain Cancer and is currently undergoing treatment down in the Virginia/North Carolina area. A Go Fund Me page has been set up for Pete and his family as they "dig in" to fight this disease.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Young Professionals (BYP), a program of the Lake Champlain Chamber (LCC), presents the Greater Burlington Young Professional Community Report, which looks into what young professionals (YPs) want and need to continue to live and work in our community. The Greater Burlington Young Professional Community Report compiled data taken from over 215 participants. It aims to better understand the professional, civic, and personal lenses through which young professionals perceive our community and provides insight into how their perceptions drive their decisions and actions.

Vermont Business Magazine In the fall of 2021, Vermont received $4 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to make existing housing and community-based service facilities providing mental health services more accessible, safe, compliant with the ADA, or expand their capacity to provide services. The WCMHS community residence is one of 19 locations to receive funds, and recently completed long-needed repairs and improvements to the building using federal grant money allocated by the legislature and distributed through the Department of Mental Health (DMH).

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Jake “Body by Jake” Steinfeld, Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC), announced today that NFGFC has selected the State of Vermont for its 2023 DON’T QUIT! Campaign. To help reverse growing trends in mental illness and childhood obesity, the NFGFC will gift a state-of-the-art DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center to three elementary/middle schools. Applications for schools interested in receiving a fitness center will be accepted starting today until Sunday, March 26, 2023.

New Role for Former Director of Health and Resident Services

Vermont Business Magazine Wake Robin, a Life Plan Community and home to about 400 older adults, has named Meagan Buckley, of Richmond, as president and CEO.

Buckley has served as the director of health and resident services at Wake Robin for five years and held the interim president and CEO role prior to her appointment. She is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator who held leadership positions within the industry before joining Wake Robin’s staff.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced Tuesday that the panel will hold a hearing this Thursday, February 16, at 10 am titled, “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go From Here?” According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States will face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, including 48,000 primary care physicians. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 100 million Americans live in areas without enough primary medical health care providers and about 70 million Americans live in areas without enough dental providers.

Vermont Business Magazine Cigna has selected National Life Group as a recipient of their Gold level Healthy Workforce Designation for demonstrating a strong commitment to improving the health and well-being of its employees through a workplace wellness program. National Life is recognized for its deep and comprehensive suite of benefits that cover the physical, emotional, social, intellectual and financial aspects of a person’s life. Highlights include: world class health insurance options; onsite fitness centers; excellent paid family leave; generous paid time off; employee recognition programs; adoption assistance; 40 hours of paid volunteer time; education assistance; charitable gift match; pet insurance; life insurance and discounts on company products.

Vermont Business Magazine You may have seen lots of red recently, red hearts, red t-shirts, red ribbons and everyone wearing something red to kick off American Heart Month. National Wear Red Day is celebrated each year on the first Friday in February to bring greater attention to heart disease as a leading cause of death for Americans. It’s the second leading cause of death among Vermonters. At Community Health, heart health is a major focus for all of our primary care providers who use routine exams to determine your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), or heart disease.