Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A recently published case study by researchers at the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy focused on the positive outcomes for Blue Cross members participating in an innovative program to improve treatment options for patients struggling with opioid use for musculoskeletal pain conditions.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee, on Tuesday introduced a pair of bipartisan bills aimed at improving the participation of Americans from all backgrounds in the patent system and ensuring that the public knows the true owners of patents.

Vermont Business Magazine The Montpelier Development Corporation (MDC) announces the launch of the “Montpelier Grows” grant, an exciting new program to recruit and/or support high-impact businesses to Montpelier. MDC will provide grants of significant amounts to businesses that commit to make Montpelier home, and those that plan to grow within Montpelier’s City limits. The objective of this grant program is to drive economic growth now and in the future, stimulate commerce, and enhance employment opportunities in Montpelier.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced a series of walk-in vaccination clinics that will be open at schools and other sites across Vermont this week for anyone age 12 or older. Just walk-in or visit www.healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine to make an appointment. You can also call 855-722-7878.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Board of Trustees of the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) received the name recommendation for the new institution unifying Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College. The recommended name is Vermont State University. The VSCS is seeking public comment on the name in advance of the Board decision on Wednesday, September 29.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Tuesday joined a rally with People’s Action at the headquarters of the pharmaceutical industry’s DC lobbying operation to protest the drug companies' relentless pursuit of profits at the expense of everyday people and their fierce opposition to the budget reconciliation bill that will lower the costs of prescription drugs.

by Lori Fisher, LCC Executive Director The state of Vermont is developing its Climate Action Plan and drafters need your input to produce a forward-thinking guidance document that addresses the climate emergency. Seven events to gain public comments will be held throughout the state beginning Tuesday and running through early October.

Vermont Business Magazine The Associated General Contractors of America named the Associated General Contractors of Vermont (AGC/VT) as the winner of the Small Chapter of the Year. The award was presented at the 2021 National and Chapter Leadership Conference on Sunday, September 19 in Orlando, Florida. AGC/VT is the largest construction trade organization in Vermont representing more than 170 general contractors, equipment and material suppliers, insurance companies, technology companies, bonding firms, legal firms, financial institutions, consultants, and other construction industry professionals throughout Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson—a weekly interactive, multiplatform medical-themed talk show—will feature Ayla Ellison, the editor-in-chief of Becker’s Hospital Review, on its September 22 program. The publication is a leading source of news for hospital executives. The show will air at 12 p.m. She will share her insights on hospital trends throughout the last year.

​Vermont Business Magazine The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross) was rated among the highest commercial health insurance carrier scores in Vermont. Blue Cross was rated 4.5 out of 5 in NCQA’s Commercial Health Plan Ratings 2021.

by John McClaughry For a moment let’s set aside a long list of national problems – crime, drugs, racism, election laws, epidemics, vaccinations, climate, and a perilous international situation – to focus on a truly critical issue lurking beyond the purview of the nightly news. To set the stage for this: the Federal government’s current debt owed to the public – before the net contributions to that debt from a pending trillion dollar infrastructure bill and as much as a $3.5 trillion dollar pending entitlement spending bill are added to the nation’s accounting – is $28.43 trillion. That is 102% of the nation’s total Gross Domestic Product, a level never approached since the final year of World War II.

Vermont Business Magazine To commemorate its 30th Anniversary, Ledyard National Bank is celebrating community partnerships by honoring ten local non-profit organizations who serve the Concord, Lake Sunapee and Upper Valley regions. Ledyard is doing this by hosting a contest in which it will donate a total of $30,000 across these participating organizations: The Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, The Hartford Dismas House, The Friendly Kitchen, The Good Neighbor Health Clinic, Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice, LISTEN, New Hampshire Children’s Trust, Twin Pines, The Upper Valley Haven, and West Central Behavioral Health.