Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Each year Rutland Regional Medical Center recognizes a Physician and a Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, or other Advanced Practice Provider whose contributions to our community, staff, and patients represent the highest ideals in health care. We are pleased to announce that our 2019 Physician of the Year is Stanley Shapiro, MD, FACC, FASNC and 2019 NP/PA of the Year is Michael Vooris, PA-C. 

Dr Stanley Shapiro, left, and Michael Vooris, PA-C

Following a nominating process, the awardees are selected based on the following criteria:

Vermont Business Magazine The UVM Health Network/Porter Medical Center has announced that Seleem Choudhury DNP, MBA, RN, CEN, FAEN will be its new President/Chief Operating Officer as of June 1.  Dr Choudhury will follow Dr Fred Kniffin, who has led Porter since March of 2016.  Dr Kniffin will return to practice in the Porter Emergency Department where he has served Porter since 1990. As Porter’s President for three years, Kniffin led the organization through the process of becoming an affiliate of the UVM Health Network in April of 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine Lake Champlain Chocolates (LCC) has received a 2019 Governor’s Excellence in Worksite Wellness Gold Level Award from The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the Vermont Department of Health. This award creates a standard of excellence for worksite wellness initiatives, and recognizes Vermont employers’ efforts to enhance productivity, bolster a healthy environment and improve employee wellbeing. 

by John McClaughry On February 10 VTDigger political columnist Jon Margolis declared that “the carbon tax is dead.” The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate have pretty clearly said “not this year, and Governor Scott has repeatedly promised a veto. Margolis wondered why the carbon tax opponents were so unwilling to declare victory, and move on.

Vermont Business Magazine Benchmark (www.benchmarkseniorliving.com), a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, today announced that its Arbors at Shelburne memory care community in Shelburne, Vermont, has raised $2,880 for the Alzheimer’s Association. The funds raised will go towards Alzheimer’s care, support and research. 

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (SVCOA) today announced its implementation of the HomeMeds Medication Safety Program, a nationally-recognized, evidence-based medication management model that is expected to generate a range of benefits for older Vermonters and the healthcare provider network in Bennington and Rutland counties.

“We’re excited to launch HomeMeds in our service area and anticipate the impacts to be significant for older Vermonters who are prescribed multiple medications, as well as local hospitals that often see repeat patient visits as a result of adverse medication interactions and other medication challenges,” said Dana McMahon, Rutland Aging Services Director with SVCOA. “With many older Vermonters living with multiple, chronic conditions, the risks for medication mismanagement, and subsequent, unintended health consequences, are substantial.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Health is making it easier for Vermonters who live in Franklin and Grand Isle counties to make sure their well water is safe to drink. While municipal water is tested on a regular basis, homeowners who drink water from wells need to test their own taps to find out if the water contains any contaminants.

As part of a new pilot project, homeowners in northwestern Vermont can now drop off water samples closer to home – at the St. Albans Local Health Office – which will then be taken to the Health Department Laboratory in Colchester for testing. Because many of these water samples must arrive at the lab within 30 hours, this free drop-off service will help customers avoid the cost of shipping the samples overnight or having to bring them to the lab themselves.

Municipal and recreational water samples can also be dropped off at the health office.

Vermont Business Magazine Mary's Nutritionals, one of the leading producers and distributors of cannabinoid-infused beauty and wellness products based in Denver, has announced that it has partnered with popular lifestyle brand, Free People, to sell a variety of its hemp-derived CBD products in the retailer's Palm Springs, Calif., and Burlington, Vermont, locations.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and Terry Bicycles (Terry) are teaming up again to launch Wellness Revolution, a program designed to promote healthier lifestyles for Vermont women through cycling. Registration for the five-week program begins on March 18 and ends on April 5. Space is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Terry Bicycles to provide access to health and wellness through bicycling,” says Megan Peek, director of community relations and health education at BCBSVT. “No matter how long it’s been since they’ve ridden, we help program participants learn all aspects of cycling, from basic bike maintenance and repairs to safety and mindfulness.”

Vermont Business Magazine Please join Mayor Weinberger and the Burlington Police Department Tuesday evening for a community conversation to discuss Burlington's recent progress in our fight against the opioid epidemic – and where we go from here. Burlington has begun to begun to make significant and hopeful progress in our fight against this epidemic: In 2018, opioid-related overdose fatalities declined by 50 percent in Chittenden County, even as they continued to rise in the rest of the state. While we are heartened by this news, we know that our work is far from done.

This Town Hall Meeting will feature three of the country's leading experts on this topic: 

Vermont Business Magazine The owner of a St. Albans brewing company is named the 2019 Vermont Small Business Person of the Year. Steve Gagner, owner and founder of 14th Star Brewing Company is being recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for employment growth, financial success, expansion and community involvement. The business plan for 14th Star Brewing Company was originally drafted on the back of a notebook by Gagner while he was serving in Afghanistan. Upon returning home to Vermont from deployment, Gagner and his best friend and fellow soldier Matt Kehaya, worked to refine the plan to make their dream of 14th Star Brewing Company a reality in 2012 (Gagner is majority owner). The brewery’s name signifies Vermont becoming the 14th state.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Systems, an employee-owned recreation management software company headquartered in Essex Junction, has received a workforce development grant of $150,353 through Department of Economic Development’s Vermont Training Program (VTP). The grant will be used to help train over 100 employees on their enterprise suite of software products.  Vermont Systems’ parks and recreation software solutions are installed around the world for the U.S. military and across the country for municipalities and universities.