Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Department for Children and Families announced today that many 3SquaresVT households will continue to receive a higher benefit in March and April. This extra help is part of the federal Coronavirus Relief Bill. It will not permanently change a household’s monthly benefit. It is a temporary increase from the federal government to help those affected by the pandemic. Households at a zero benefit will not receive a benefit. Everyone else will receive the maximum benefit for their household size.

Vermont Association of Hospitals & Health Systems As we hit the middle of the session and crossover week, I’m struck by how much has changed since January. Going into the session, I wrote a letter to key legislators laying out the fragile state of our hospital system and what we were up against with workforce and capacity challenges in addition to COVID. VAHHS appreciates the quick legislative action on extending COVID regulatory flexibilities and move to increase clinical slots for nurses, but the tone has massively shifted towards health care reform. This week, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee will be looking to quickly pass S.285, which provides the Green Mountain Care Board with $5 million to pay consultants to develop a process for establishing and implementing hospital global budgets.

Vermont Business Magazine Recovery Vermont is proud to announce that Senator Patrick Leahy was awarded the Peter Mallary Legislative Champion Award “for a lifetime of dedication to the health of Vermonters and for his national leadership in serving those with substance use disorder" at their annual Recovery Day at the State House, which was held virtually on February 16, 2022. The award’s namesake, Peter Mallary, served as the vice president for advocacy for the Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery and Recovery Vermont for more than eight years, as a legislator prior to that, and in numerous other capacities in service to Vermont for decades.

​by John McClaughry This year and the ensuing biennium are likely to be landmark years for the future of parental choice in education in Vermont. In June 2020 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Espinoza v. Montana that if a State offers education tax credits, it must offer them to students choosing sectarian schools as well as public schools. The Court said that excluding sectarian schools burdened the plaintiffs’ right to the free exercise of their religion. That ruling triggered at least three similar cases by Vermont plaintiffs seeking to use state tax dollars to benefit their children in independent and sectarian schools.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr Trey Dobson is pleased to welcome Adam Pruett, MD, MPH, at noon on Wednesday, March 9. He is a psychiatrist at Taconic Psychiatry in Manchester, VT, which offers treatment for ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, and trauma. It is among the first practices to offer ketamine-assisted therapy.

Vermont Business Magazine Recovery Vermont is proud to announce that we will be holding a Recovery Leadership Conference on April 4, 2022. The conference’s theme is: “It Takes a Village: New Approaches to Vermont’s Addiction Epidemic” This is an all-day event and will be held in-person for up to 128 guests at Jenna’s House in Johnson, Vermont. The event will simulcast via a Zoom Webinar for any and all who would like to join us for this very special day. You can learn more about the agenda and purchase tickets at https://recoveryvermont.org/leadership-conference/. The day will feature three renowned speakers as well as a special presentation by Recovery Vermont and Jenna’s Promise about the Recovery Village that is being created in the Lamoille Valley.

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank on Monday announced several steps it is taking to support humanitarian efforts currently underway for the people of Ukraine. In a message to employees, Chris Gorman, KeyCorp Chairman and CEO, including: KeyBank Foundation will give a $100,000 grant to the American Red Cross to support its efforts to provide food, water, and other essential items and services to the people of Ukraine. The Red Cross has teams on the ground in Ukraine and neighboring countries helping families and working to repair vital infrastructure, support health facilities with medicines and equipment, and support families with food and hygiene items. KeyBank Foundation will also make a $50,000 grant to UNICEF for its work supporting children and families impacted by the war in Ukraine.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network shared details Monday regarding the national search process to select a new President and Chief Executive Officer to replace John R Brumsted, MD, who retires in September 2022. A range of people from across the UVM Health Network has provided input that contributed to the development of a comprehensive job description to help identify and attract the best possible candidates. A 12-member search committee will work with the national executive recruiting firm, Spencer Stuart, to begin interviews this spring and narrow down finalists in the following months, with the goal of naming a new President and CEO prior to Dr Brumsted’s retirement.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 57 cases of COVID-19 for Sunday, down from Saturday's 95 and Friday's 131. The 7-day case average is 163. Hospitalizations and ICU stays have fallen dramatically the last few weeks. The CDC and Vermont are emphasizing serious health outcomes, such as hospitalizations and fatalities, and not overall cases, as the best measure of COVID's health impact at this time. There were no additional COVID-related deaths in Vermont since Thursday, for 607 statewide.

Vermont Business Magazine Commissioner of Financial Regulation Michael S Pieciak today ordered insolvent long-term care insurer Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania (SHIP) to immediately stop soliciting Vermont consumers to choose between unapproved benefit and rate changes. The Department is aware of more than twenty Vermont consumers with SHIP policies – some of whom may have purchased the policies from entities called Transport Life Insurance Company or American Travelers Life Insurance Company.

Vermont Business Magazine Framed by the Green Mountains blanketed in winter snow and the maple wood of Underhill, Vermont Governor Phil Scott kicked off the 2022 Vermont Maple Season by tapping the unofficial “first” maple tree at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC). While Vermont’s maple industry is celebrated for its world-renowned quality, taste and nationwide leading annual production, the event also celebrated the important contributions of the Underhill facility to Vermont’s maple producers over the past 75 years. Research has allowed for greater yield per tap as the state faces reduced output from warmer weather. Still, in 2021, total maple syrup production was down 21 percent from 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine On March 3, Vermont State Game Wardens and collaborating agencies seized seven firearms and approximately 3,000 rounds of ammunition alleged to have been illegally possessed, as well as approximately 880 bags of suspected heroin and fentanyl and a large amount of US currency. The seizures took place during execution of a search warrant for evidence of deer taken illegally and for the illegal possession of firearms in Athens, Vermont.