Current News
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by Dan Smith, President & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation We were FaceTiming with Grammy Sal recently and my three-year-olds started asking her about masks and the “co-wohna-vywus.” It brought home yet again how much life will shift as this course of events plays out and how much the lives of succeeding generations will be informed by it and molded by the efficacy of our collective response. There is a lot to think about right now.
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Vermont Business Magazine NEK Prosper, the Caledonia and southern Essex accountable health community, awarded the first-ever Healthy Cents Fund grant to Umbrella, Inc of St. Johnsbury as the lead organization representing a large group of community partners. The group will receive $58,000 annually for three years to create a community designed hub in St Johnsbury that connects community members to opportunities to build social and financial capital with the overall aim to increase financial security. Specifically, the grant will be used to engage the community to create a service hub and a pilot social enterprise, and develop a robust evaluation plan for both.
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Vermont Business Magazine Brownfield clean-up will soon be underway at the former Montpelier Granite Works (MGW) site. This clean-up is made possible by the revolving loan funds (RLF) of the Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD) and the Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC). Each is contributing $200,000 in clean-up funding towards the $500,000 total remediation cost. These loans were underwritten by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA). Both RLFs were capitalized by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has been awarded a grant from the US Department of Transportation for more than $2 million for the reconstruction of the runway at the Franklin County State Airport. The $2,222,222 grant is part of the FY20 Supplemental Appropriation for the Airport Improvement Program administered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The funds will enable AOT to reconstruct and widen the runway at the state airport in Highgate. The current infrastructure has reached its design life and requires reconstruction.
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by Suresh Garimella, President, University of Vermont On April 16, I shared with you plans for the formation of the UVMStrong—Fall 2020 Advisory Committee to guide the university’s planning efforts for the fall semester. The committee, chaired by Vice President for Operations and Public Safety Gary Derr, was tasked with developing strategies and protocols to prepare UVM for a safe return to on-campus operations. Some measures being explored include: Ongoing testing protocols coupled with contact tracing and plans to support quarantine and isolation strategies; Updated vaccination requirements to include the flu vaccine; Residence options that reduce density and provide for quarantine facilities; Revised class schedules to accommodate smaller class sizes.
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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Specialty Food Association (VSFA) has announced its Spring Meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, June 3rd from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, VSFA is launching an E-Commerce series will begin Wednesday, May 13th at 1:00pm to lead into the association’s spring meeting. The series is part of the association's ongoing effort to harness business education resources and develop and offer information and support through informational webinars for specialty food producers, retailers, and the small business community.
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Agency of Commerce & Community Development Governor Phil Scott announced Monday that retail operations can begin reopening starting Monday, May 18th. In coordination with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health, ACCD will develop and release guidance this week on how the phased restart will work. Stores will be required to follow all health and safety guidelines and will need to limit the number of people in the store to 25 percent of a store’s maximum legal capacity. The administration also clarified that the new health guidelines that allow for some outpatient elective procedures do not include things like dentistry and physical therapy.
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Vermont Business Magazine Ullico Benefit Solutions, LLC, announced an agreement to collaborate with Marathon Health, LLC, to provide access to near-site and on-site health centers to union members and their families. Drawing its history of serving the labor market, Ullico Benefit Solutions will promote the advantages of Marathon Health’s unique platform for providing primary and preventive care to multiemployer health and welfare plans. Winooski-based Marathon Health, a leader in operating workplace health centers nationwide, provides organizations with personalized and patient-centered medical services, including chronic condition management, health assessments and coaching, behavioral health and physical therapy.
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Vermont Business Magazine Healing Winds Vermont announces the appointment of Geri Ann Higgins as Executive Director of the organization. Healing Winds Vermont offers sailing excursions to cancer patients while they are battling the disease in an effort to provide some respite from the treatment and mental weight of what they are going through. Higgins began work at Healing Winds Vermont on May 4.
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by Jeff Tieman, VAHHS President and CEO A reporter recently asked me if I was proud of Vermont’s hospitals and their planning and preparation during the COVID-19 pandemic. My answer was an unequivocal “yes.” I am also proud of Vermonters, who have stepped up to help one another and the health care system by following guidance and staying at home. These steps assisted in avoiding a surge that could have overwhelmed our hospitals.
Together, it appears, we have passed through at least the first wave of infection. Hospitals and other health care providers can begin to return to a sense of normal and offer the services they put on hold in case all of their resources would be necessary to care for COVID-19 patients. It is important for people to get the care they need as soon as possible, and providers are ready to schedule procedures and other postponed visits.
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Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott said today that as of May 18 retail stores will be allowed to reopen to general sales as long as they keep customers at 25 percent occupancy. Data suggests that the state's mitigation efforts are working, evidenced further by the fact that as of today's report there were no new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths. Health Commission Mark Levine, MD, also said Monday that Vermont will be one of a few states the CDC has chosen to receive remdesivir as a trial. Levine also said that while he is hopeful that a vaccine for COVID-19 will eventually be successful (given its structural components), he would not expect one for another year if not two. Given that, Vermonters need to remain vigilant in adhering to mitigation measures like social distancing, hand washing and wearing of face masks in certain situations, like in gatherings and in stores.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation and its partners want to remind hikers to make smart choices that will protect public health and Vermont’s trails during the COVID-19 crisis and mud season. The governor’s recent “Play Smart and Play Safe” Addendum 13 to his Executive Order encourages Vermonters to participate in outdoor recreational activities that adhere to social distancing and hygiene requirements. Vermonters may leave home to get fresh air and exercise and resume limited social interactions and gatherings of 10 or fewer, preferably in outdoor settings. The public should also be aware that mud season conditions persist in many places and trail closures may still be in effect for several weeks.