Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Last month, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) OB/GYNs Malcolm Paine, MD, and Kimberley Sampson, MD, joined 700 OB/GYNs from across the country to advocate for the passage of three acts that would help prevent maternal deaths. The meeting was an effort of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Paine chairs SVMC’s Department of Obstetrics and ACOG’s Vermont Chapter. Sampson serves as vice chair of ACOG’s Vermont Chapter.

Vermont Business Magazine Bromley Mountain Ski Resort’s President Bill Cairns (left) presented $5,000 to President and CEO of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Thomas A. Dee (right) on Thursday, April 4, 2019, at Bromley. The donation—which was given in support of women’s cancer care at Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center in Bennington, part of SVHC—was raised through Bromley’s “Mom’s Day Off” events on Friday, February 8 and Friday, March 8. Two hundred mothers received a $25 lift ticket when they showed a photo of their child or children at the resort’s ticket window. The entire value of the ticket was donated.

About SVHC:

Vermont Business Magazine On April 16, in celebration of National Healthcare Decision Day (NHDD), the Ethics Committee at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) and the Vermont Ethics Network, encourages the public to take the time to plan for their future. From 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. on April 16 in the NVRH front lobby, trained volunteers will be available to assist people with completing an advanced directive and to discuss the importance of proactive decision-making.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont General Fund revenues bounced back in March, notably for the vital personal income tax, but uncertainty continues as to how refunds ultimately will play out in April through June, which will mark the end of the fiscal year. Complaints from taxpayers on problematic under-withholding on the federal tax tables, and changes in recent years on the state side, has led to uncertainty as to how much the state will ultimately take in. As of now, the state is showing slightly positive results for FY2019. The personal income tax alone gained nearly 23 percent in March, to just over $30 million.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) has entered into a Stipulation and Consent Order with the CMFG Life Insurance Company (CMFG) of Madison, Wisconsin, for improperly calculating interest amounts resulting in underpayments to approximately 200 life insurance policy beneficiaries. Under the terms of the settlement, CMFG will pay a $231,000 administrative penalty and implement a corrective action plan. CMFG has also paid the correct interest amounts to the affected beneficiaries.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) has identified eight cases of fraudulent activity in the Unemployment Insurance Claimant Portal system. Based on our initial review, this activity appears to involve individual claimant accounts, in which personal information was used to gain unauthorized access to the Unemployment Insurance system.

Vermont Business Magazine RiseVT, a primary prevention strategy of OneCare Vermont, has partnered with Springfield Medical Care Systems to bring health and wellness opportunities to the Springfield area as part of a massive statewide expansion to improve the health of Vermonters where they live, work, learn, and play. OneCare Vermont is the Accountable Care Organization for the state, working with providers to improve patient health and lower healthcare costs. Embracing healthy lifestyles is key to reducing chronic illness and RiseVT works to create the environments where people spend their days conducive to making the healthy choice easy, or even the default.

Vermont Business Magazine Dr Ana Gaillat has been named the Dean of Academic Affairs of Vermont Technical College, effective in May. Her candidacy was recommended by the college's search committee and approved by the president in March. Vermont Tech President Patricia Moulton made the announcement Monday.

Vermont Business Magazine A newly released report by The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law has found that automatic voter registration (AVR) has markedly increased the number of voters being registered, ranging in increases from 9 to 94 percent, in several states across the country that have  implemented it.

“Automatic voter registration is common-sense, good policy,” said Secretary Condos. “Not only has it been shown to increase voter registration rates and improve voter access in both red states and blue states, it helps generate more accurate voter registration data, and saves states both time and money.”

Vermont Business Magazine Heavy rain and snowmelt has caused sharp rises in rivers throughout the state. A number of state and local roads have been flooded and motorists are encouraged to respect all detours and stay off flooded roads. The Vermont Emergency Operations Center in Waterbury is activated to assist municipalities in flood response. Representatives from Vermont Emergency Management, Vermont Fire Safety, Vermont Search and Rescue, Agency of Transportation, Vermont State Police, National Guard, Agency of Human Services, and the Red Cross are working with towns.

“The health and safety of Vermonters is our number one priority today,” Governor Phil Scott said. “State personnel and our partners are working with local responders to that end, and the public can take simple steps to keep themselves safe – we are encouraging everyone to use caution and common sense around floodwaters.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment today releases a new report, “Improving the Cybersecurity of the Electric Distribution Grid” that address the growing threat of a cyberattack on our nation’s electricity distribution grid. The report was commissioned by Protect Our Power, a non-profit organization focused on grid security. The report identifies barriers to addressing the growing risk and presents best practices to assist state electric utility commissions and their regulated utilities to increase investment in enhanced security.

Leonine Public Affairs Last week started off on a very sad note with an announcement on the House floor from Speaker Mitzi Johnson that Representative Robert Forguites (D-Springfield) had died unexpectedly over the weekend. Throughout the week his memory was honored and his colleagues supported one another through their grief. He will be sorely missed. ​Week 13 marks the beginning of the final stretch of the 2019 legislative session. Revenue and spending proposals are starting to take center stage as the Senate hammers out its version of the budget and tax bills. One tax proposal, a two-cent per gallon tax on heating fuel to fund weatherization projects, passed the House but appears to have an uphill battle in the Senate and with the governor.