Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has signed a proclamation declaring, once again, October to be Independent Country Store Month in Vermont, recognizing how important the state’s country stores are to the cultural, economic and social lives of Vermonters. In signing the proclamation, at the request of the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association, Scott acknowledged the integral role independent country stores have as an essential piece of Vermont communities and the tourism industry. He also highlights how they have played an integral role in supporting their communities during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine COVID-19 cases fell today, but deaths, hospitalizations and ICU patients increased. The Vermont Department of Health on Tuesday reported 132 COVID-19 cases (down 90 from Monday) and four more deaths for 339 statewide. There had been five consecutive days with cases over 200. There were 49 people hospitalized (up eight) with 16 in the ICU (up four). Cases in the Northeast Kingdom and the southern four counties have been relatively high in recent days.

From left: Debra Reardon and Reardon Family, Burlington Electric General Manager Darren Springer, Lund President and CEO Tricia Coates and Vermont Gas CEO Neale Lunderville. Courtesy photo.

Vermont Business Magazine Lund and community leaders broke ground today on a new pavilion at the agency's Residential Treatment Program. The pavilion, which will provide new, covered outdoor space for families and staff at the program, will be dedicated to the memory of James B. Reardon, a Lund board member and budget advisor to four Vermont governors.

"Jim cared deeply about all of Vermont's children. It's what motivated him in public service and what inspired him to work with Lund," said Lund President and CEO Tricia Coates. Lund is based in Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, joined representatives from Middlebury College, Encore Renewable Energy, Green Mountain Power, the state of Vermont, and the town of Middlebury on October 12 to break ground on a new five-megawatt solar project in Middlebury that will provide the college with about 30 percent of its total electricity usage. The collaborative partnership will help the college reach its climate goals while expanding local, renewable energy production in Vermont. Middlebury College will buy 100 percent of the electricity generated at the site as part of its ambitious Energy2028 initiative, which calls for the college's use of 100 percent renewable energy by 2028.

Vermont Business Magazine Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has announced that Hannah Bianchi has been named as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Hospital. Bianchi had served as MAHHC’s Director of Provider Practices since 2017. The announcement follows the retirement of Paul Calandrella, who had been the Hospital’s COO since 2012. As COO, Bianchi is responsible for overseeing daily Hospital operations and HR decisions, and for managing the administration of various departments and the entire Hospital.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network announced today additional measures to reduce delays in patient access to outpatient and inpatient care, and help ensure access to emergency care in the face of record patient volumes and other challenges. The Network’s Access Action Plan includes new investments in staffing, technology and infrastructure, and enhanced partnerships with health care institutions outside of the Network and with state and local governments. The Action Plan addresses three main goals: hire successfully amid national staffing shortages, reduce wait times for specialty care, and improve hospital inpatient and emergency capacity.

Vermont Business Magazine On September 27, 2021, Norwich University was awarded a two-year $18.5 million grant from the National Security Agency as the lead institution to continue to develop the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Institutes at the six Senior Military Colleges (SMCs). This grant builds upon the grant awarded in September 2020, designating Norwich University as the lead in establishing the DOD Cyber Institutes to create a pipeline of qualified cyber professionals in current and projected critical work roles. In Fall 2020, the six DoD Cyber Institutes were established at Norwich University, The Citadel, University of North Georgia, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and Virginia Military Institute.

Vermont Business Magazine By the side of a freshly painted Vermont historic barn on Pudding Hill Road in Lyndonville, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and the Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) celebrated the Vermont Barn Painting Project and the many partners who have collaborated to assist Vermont barn owners in preserving these historic structures on Vermont’s working lands.

Vermont Business Magazine Foliage season is in full swing and the summer heat is fast becoming a memory, but health officials want Vermonters to still be on the lookout for cyanobacteria blooms and avoid any they see. Cyanobacteria are tiny microorganisms that are a natural part of fresh water ecosystems. Under certain conditions – including warm, sunny weather – cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms on the water’s surface that can wash up along shorelines.

Vermont Business Magazine As of October 1, health care providers now have the ability to track a patient’s social determinants of health through new medical codes championed by Family Nurse Practitioner Sarah DeSilvey and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross). When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a suite of new medical codes this spring, it was the culmination of years of work and collaboration between Blue Cross and DeSilvey.

by Devon Green​, VAHHS Vice President of Government Relations With boosters now widely available in Vermont, we hope eligible Vermonters take advantage of this great opportunity to further protect themselves, their families and their communities. Signing up is easy and the Vermont Department of Health has done an incredible job to ensure access to Pfizer boosters for all Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of their ongoing fight for safe staffing at the University of Vermont Medical Center, The Vermont Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals held a live streamed Roundtable discussion on Sunday, October 10. Nurses and techs shared their perspectives and discussed potential solutions with Vermont policymakers. More specifically, they discussed the current staffing conditions at UVMMC, how we got to this point, the broader impacts that short staffing is having on the community, and both short- and longer-term solutions to this crisis.