Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Senate Rules committee met to take the next steps on two proposed amendments to the Vermont Constitution. The Constitution requires that, following the initial adoption of proposed changes, in the next legislative biennium a new legislature must concur with the change in order for it to move forward. In the last biennium, the legislature passed two proposed constitutional amendments: Proposal 2 seeks to clarify that slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited; Proposal 5 seeks to ensure the personal reproductive liberty of every Vermonter.

Vermont Business Magazine The Patient Safety Movement Foundation presented The University of Vermont Medical Center with the Foundation’s 5-Star Hospital award for making commitments in alignment with the Patient Safety Movement Foundation’s evidence-based Actionable Patient Safety Solutions (APSS). The APSS address patient safety challenges that hospitals face daily and offer solutions designed to help hospitals eliminate preventable harm or death.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of healthcare worker and patient safety,” said David Mayer, MD, CEO of Patient Safety Movement Foundation. “We are excited to have the University of Vermont Medical Center on board in our commitment to eliminate preventable medical harm and death. Their efforts to improve their delivery of care can truly save lives, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside them.”

Vermont Business Magazine Laurel Road, a brand of KeyBank, unveiled today Laurel Road for Doctors, a digital bank tailored to physicians and dentists with products and services designed to provide the financial help and peace of mind they need through each career stage. The goal of the new digital bank is to help ease the burden for doctors of paying down student debt, finding more balance between work and life, and planning for the future—many of whom have worked tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic. KeyBank has branches across Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Several weeks ago GMP unveiled its pioneering back-up power system at the Vermont State House, designed to keep critical systems running during an outage. The Samsung Mega E2 battery system in the basement got its first chance at proving its capabilities when the State House power kicked off last Friday due to a major storm. The backup system performed successfully, powering the critical building safety systems selected by the state to be tied to the auxiliary power – systems like fire suppression pumps, and elevators.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced today that he has appointed James Pepper of Montpelier, Julie Hulburd of Colchester and Kyle Harris of Montpelier to the Cannabis Control Board (CCB). The CCB was created by Act 164 of 2020 for the purpose of safely, equitably and effectively implementing and administering the laws and rules regulating adult-use cannabis in Vermont. It is responsible for establishing, administering and regulating a cannabis regulatory system for commercial cannabis cultivators, wholesalers, product manufacturers, retailers and testing laboratories.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) Larner College of Medicine is proud to announce that its Master of Public Health Program has earned national accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the independent agency recognized by the US Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and public health programs.

by Dr Joshua Plavin Most parents have a memory like this: your child wakes up crying in the middle of the night with a blazing fever, a croupy cough that sounds like they are going to stop breathing, those pink cheeks and bright eyes, and tiny hands grasping your shirt as you snuggle them close. If you have health insurance, you don’t hesitate to reach for the phone to call your doctor. Just hearing that provider’s calm voice on the other end of the phone telling you what to do to help your child makes your racing heart calm and your worried mind slow down.

Vermont Business Magazine The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), has granted 3-year accreditation to the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center (SVRCC), part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC).

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 Stephen Leffler, MD, as a guest on its March 31 show. Dr Leffler is the president and chief operating officer of the University of Vermont Medical Center. The two will discuss the state of health care from the perspective of the state’s largest healthcare organization.

by Devon Green, VAHHS Vice President of Government Relations All the big spending bills have passed out of the House and are now in the hands of the Senate, including $650 million in spending of the COVID relief federal funding. As of now, we have limited information about the funding, and VAHHS will be keeping an eye out for further federal guidance.

Last Week

Budget: The House passed funding for the FY22 budget in H.439, including:

• $2.27 million in funding for nursing and primary care scholarships

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is initiating a comprehensive health assessment of the communities that it serves. Conducted every 3 years, the Community Health Needs Assessment process allows SVMC to understand the current health needs of its region, assess the services available to residents, and identify where and how improvements can be made. Information and opinions will be collected using a digital survey and virtual forums targeted to specific communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) will host an expanded childbirth education class online starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 22. Parents-to-be are invited to register for the 4-week series at svhealthcare.org/Classes-Events. Each class is live, virtual, and interactive. The new format allows families to get a thorough introduction to the birthing experience from the comfort of their own homes.