Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has proclaimed September 12–18 the inaugural Vermont Workplace Safety Week in Vermont, celebrating safe workplaces and promoting participation in workplace safety programs. The Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) will hold in-person and virtual events in commemoration of Vermont Workplace Safety Week.

Green Mountain Care Board Please note that presenters and Board Members will be participating remotely through Microsoft Teams tentatively through October 1, 2021. Members of the public can attend all meetings at the physical location 144 State St, Montpelier, VT 05602, through the Microsoft Teams application, or via the call-in number.

by Jeff Tieman, CEO, VAHHS Good news alert! I feel the need to open with that announcement given the barrage of challenges we face in health care and the unending pandemic twists and turns we continue to manage. Good news in health care can easily be dwarfed by stories of heartache and sorrow, yet if you simply look around, there are hopeful signs all around us.

Last week, a positive and optimistic story emerged regarding our state’s health reform initiative. The headline is that in 2018 and 2019, Vermont made measurable and meaningful progress toward a value-based health care system where the primary focus is on prevention, care management and coordination around each patient.

The report recognizing Vermont’s progress was from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that oversees the implementation of our state’s All Payer Model (APM) reform plan.

Vermont Business Magazine Common Good Vermont is now accepting applications for its Nonprofit Management (NPM) Certificate Program. The NPM Program provides immediately applicable training in the core competencies of nonprofit
management and emerging nonprofit issues. Designed for active practitioners and leaders in Northern New England’s vibrant nonprofit community, whether you are currently in a leadership position or are new to the sector, this program is for you.

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 the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s Director of Emergency Nursing Jill Maynard, RN, on its September 15 program. The show will air at 12 p.m. She will share news about SVMC’s upcoming Emergency Department renovation and expansion.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott signed a proclamation designating September 15, 2021 as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers Day in Vermont, a collective campaign celebrating the contracting successes of the businesses who have benefitted from training and technical assistance from their local PTACs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Monday reported 108 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death, which now stand at 288 statewide. There are 38 people hospitalized (up 5 from yesterday) and 9 in the ICU. Hospitalizations have remained relatively high but steady the last few weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, PhD, a faculty member in Geography and Geology at the University of Vermont and the State of Vermont Climatologist, will serve as an author for the national Water chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). In 2016, Dupigny-Giroux was named regional lead of the northeast chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment.

Vermont Business Magazine Performer, healthcare clown, and Healthy Humor co-founder Deborah Kaufmann ’74 is the 2021 recipient of Bennington College’s Elizabeth Coleman Visionary Leadership Award. This annual award recognizes a distinguished Bennington graduate, faculty or staff member, or an individual from the larger Bennington College community whose innovative and inspirational leadership is advancing civic and cultural life and improving the lives of others.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets If you operate a maple business here in Vermont, be sure to check out the free series of webinars from University of Vermont Extension that will offer expert advice on everything from business management and legal agreements, to tapping practices and land-use tax programs. The series covers a wide range of important topics designed to help Vermont's maple enterprises thrive by increasing profits and improving forest health.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine From the Kool-Aid stand on his folks' front lawn 'til now, when he seems to be everybody's favorite commercial real estate broker, Bradford Worthen, the vice president of commercial and business brokerage for Burlington's Pomerleau Real Estate, has proved to be the consummate salesman.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine “No one here has the bandwidth to talk with you,” said a Chittenden County contractor politely declining an interview. Contractors regularly spin multiple plates to take a project from design to completed build. This summer, the side effects of COVID-19 have heaped on additional ingredients. Extras like a backlog of projects rescheduled from last year’s industry shutdown as part of the state’s pandemic response.