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VermontBiz Falling is not a normal part of aging, yet 31% of Vermonters ages 45 and older report experiencing a fall that results in injury. A serious injury ─ especially when you are older ─ can limit a person’s mobility and independence and increase social isolation, which can lead to additional health problems.

In 2020, 171 Vermont residents ages 65 and older had a fall-related death. To help reduce the risk of falls, state health officials and Falls Free Vermont, a statewide resource for fall prevention information and training, are urging Vermonters to know the simple steps that will help avoid falls and injuries.

by Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer Imagine this scenario: A police officer from a small police department is patrolling in his cruiser late in the evening when the dispatcher directs him to respond to a 911 call at a local residence. Little is known other than that the caller says a family member is threatening violence against the caller. The officer arrives at the home. The front door is open. After announcing his arrival and that he is an officer, the officer gauges the situation. An adult male is screaming at the top of his lungs, the caller is crying, and the adult male is now threatening the caller and the officer and begins to aggressively approach the caller... There may be no greater power granted by the State than that which it gives law enforcement to perform their public safety functions. With that power comes enormous responsibility.

Vermont Business Magazine The next guest on Medical Matters Weekly is Rachel Desautels, the executive director of Girls on the Run Vermont. The show airs on Facebook Live at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14. The show is produced by Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV). Desautels has been the executive director of Girls on the Run Vermont since 2019, before which she served as a statewide program manager, program coordinator for Northern Vermont, and a volunteer coach.

Organization opens application process for 2023-2024 awards and grants funding

Vermont Business Magazine The American Lung Association has announced the start of its 2023-2024 research awards and grants cycle. The organization is now accepting research grant applications from researchers across the nation with the potential to improve prevention, detection and treatment options for all lung diseases including lung cancer.

“Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are home to several wonderful research institutions and leading-edge researchers,” Trevor Summerfield, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Vermont. “The Lung Association is committed to supporting the best scientific minds to help develop solutions to alleviate the burden of lung disease. We encourage innovative researchers in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire to apply for these grants.”

VermontBiz Today, the Green Mountain Care Board completed its review and approval of the Fiscal Year 2023 budgets for Vermont’s 14 community hospitals.

“Like households and other businesses, Vermont hospitals have been challenged by historically high inflation rates, supply chain breakdowns, and workforce shortages,” said Jessica Holmes, Interim Board Chair. “The continuing impacts of COVID-19 have led hospital costs to outpace revenues, with 9 of our hospitals currently experiencing operating losses. Every year, we work hard to balance cost containment with the need to ensure that Vermont’s hospitals have the resources necessary to provide high-quality care in their communities. This year, we paid close attention to restoring the financial stability of the hospital system and preserving access to care.”

VermontBiz Special Olympics Vermont has announced that Brattleboro Union High School, a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, is receiving national banner recognition for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. Brattleboro Union High School is receiving this honor as a result of meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect. Brattleboro Union High School plans to celebrate the award throughout the school year with a kick-off event open to the community in the next few weeks.

Brattleboro Union High School is amongst a select number of schools to receive this distinction. They will be presented with a banner to hang in their school and be included on a list of other schools around the country who have achieved this distinguished status.

VermontBiz Creative Futures Grants, with $9 million in funding from Vermont’s last legislative session, will be available beginning Thursday, Sept. 15, to help the creative sector recover from economic losses due to the pandemic.

Grants of up to $200,000 will be available to creative sector non-profits and for-profit entities, including sole proprietors, that have sustained substantial losses from the pandemic. Losses include decreased revenue or gross receipts; financial insecurity; increased costs; and challenges covering operating expenses.

Grant amounts, which will be based on pre-pandemic operating revenue from 2019, may be used to cover a wide range of regular operating expenses, including payroll and office expenses; rent, mortgage, and utilities; and costs associated with ongoing Covid-19 mitigation and prevention.

VermontBiz The Attorney General’s Office today announced it charged four caregivers after Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division, found probable cause for multiple criminal charges. The charges, including abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults, are against David Mumley, 29, formerly of Swanton, Vermont; Heather Mumley, 30, formerly of Swanton, Vermont; Krystal Grenier, 30, of Milton, Vermont; and Nicholas Grenier, 29, of Milton, Vermont. The charges brought against the four caregivers are the result of an investigation conducted by the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit of the Attorney General’s Criminal Division.

David Mumley was paid to provide care to a vulnerable adult who lived in the home of David and Heather Mumley and was dependent on Mr. Mumley for feeding, toileting, and other personal hygiene necessities. David Mumley was arrested in Florida and has been charged with:

VermontBiz “We are extremely disappointed and concerned that the Green Mountain Care Board has dismissed the severity of the financial situation facing Vermont’s hospitals – and with it, our patients’ ability to access the care they deserve – with today’s decision to make deep, arbitrary cuts in the UVM Health Network’s carefully constructed FY2023 budgets for the UVM Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center.

These budgets included what was needed to protect critical services while continuing vital work to improve access. After finding reductions, tightening our belts, and significantly dipping into our reserves, these were the most responsible budgets possible given ongoing steep inflation in the cost of providing patient care.

VermontBiz The Vermont State Police is asking for the public’s assistance locating missing 81-year-old Beverly Ross. It is reported Beverly has dementia, along with additional mobility issues. Beverly was last seen at her home on U.S. Route 7 in the town of Ferrisburgh at about 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Her family reported her missing at about 9:06 a.m. Monday. There are concerns for Beverly’s welfare due to health issues.

Beverly is described as about 5 feet 5 inches tall and has mid-length reddish hair. Beverly was reported to be wearing a teal nightgown with half-length sleeves, white and pink socks, and brown slip-on slippers when she was last seen. Beverly also may be carrying a black purse. It is presumed Beverly left the residence on foot.

Anyone with information that might help investigators in locating Beverly is asked to call the Vermont State Police in New Haven at 802-388-4919.

VermontBiz After a decade of ownership, and successfully securing the collections of the Vermont Marble Museum, the Preservation Trust of Vermont has transferred ownership of the former Vermont Marble Company facility in Proctor to ZION Growers, a Vermont- based industrial hemp processing company.

“Our partnership with ZION Growers achieves the goals that the Trust identified when it stepped in to purchase the 52 Main Street building,” said Preservation Trust of Vermont President Ben Doyle. “As a result of our efforts, the building and collections of the Vermont Marble Museum will be preserved so that residents and visitors alike can understand the important history of the marble industry in Vermont. In addition, the Trust is proud to bring economic opportunity to Rutland County with a promising new business coming to Proctor.”