Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Foundation has appointed several local community members to lead its Annual Fund as co-vice chairs. They include Nancy Kimball of Manchester Center; Keith Michl, MD, of Dorset; Leslie Morgenthal of Pownal; and Marv Neuman of West Dover. Michael McKenna of Bennington was chosen to chair the fund last November.

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Emergency Management Agency has obligated $1.6 million to the Vermont Department of Public Safety to help reimburse eligible expenses the state has incurred as a result of its response to COVID-19. The grant funds, authorized under a major disaster declaration approved by the president on March 29, 2020, for the entire state will help reimburse the state projected eligible costs associated with the purchase of 80 ventilators.

Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator SheFly from Vermont and started by former Middlebury College students, has officially won a seat in Moosejaw’s Outdoor Acceleration program, thanks to popular vote. SheFly Apparel is a layerable line of outdoor pants for when women have to "go" outdoors. The diverse trio of female founders lent their real-life experiences as recreationalists to build a brand that focuses on gender, racial and size inclusivity.

Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator said in a statement that, "We've been blown away by the response to this year's Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator. We received over a hundred applications from amazing startups. Once we chose ten finalists, almost 10,000 customers and outdoor enthusiasts voted to choose their favorite startups to participate in the Accelerator. A heart-felt thank you for all who applied and participated in voting!"

Vermont Business Magazine GlobalFoundries (GF), the global leader in specialty semiconductor manufacturing, and Bosch will partner to develop and manufacture next-generation automotive radar technology. The chip manufacturing will be undertaken in Germany and the testing will then be conducted in Essex Junction, Vermont. Bosch chose GF as its partner to develop a mmWave automotive radar system-on-chip (SoC) for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) applications, manufactured using GF's 22FDX RF solution. ADAS applications help drivers stay safe by keeping a vehicle in the correct lane, warning of collisions, initiating emergency braking, assisting with parking, and more.

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 Specialist in Infectious Disease and International Health and Chief Quality Officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, Michael Calderwood, MD, as a guest on its Wednesday, March 10 show. They will discuss what the past year has taught them about pandemics and when they predict this pandemic will end. In addition, they will address other pressing topics in the field of infectious disease.

Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) and Community College of Vermont – Brattleboro (CCV) recently held a virtual graduation ceremony for the students enrolled in the college’s accelerated College to Career medical assisting program. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, students’ family and friends were unable to attend the in-person event, but watched via a live Zoom feed alongside several members of CCV and BMH administration.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies, including in Vermont, have joined the Rally for Recovery Commitment to protect employees, encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and educate staff and local communities on ways to mitigate the spread of the virus. The pledge was launched by the federal government and business leaders to encourage companies to take action to defeat the coronavirus.

by John McClaughry A majority of the Vermont legislature believes that “a climate emergency threatens our communities, State, and region and poses a significant threat to human health and safety, infrastructure, biodiversity, our common environment, and our economy.” (Act 156, 2020). Today’s climate warriors believe that because of our ignorance, selfishness and greed, human-caused “climate change” has put Earth in desperate straits, and only a desperate remedy holds any hope of fending off the “horrid future” facing our grandchildren.

by Jeff Tieman, VAHHS President and CEO With March now well underway, so too is the march toward a vaccinated Vermont. More than one fifth of Vermonters have received at least one vaccine dose. Nationally, the pace of distribution and administration quickens by the day. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine offers not only another source but one that can reach more populations, since it is not as challenging to store. This week, teachers and those with high-risk conditions will begin to be vaccinated in our state.

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Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) in Bennington 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.

“The past year has illustrated the importance of accessible health services and the need to reduce health inequities,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVMC’s chief nursing officer and vice president of Patient Care Services. “A wide range of voices from our region are needed to help guide SVMC in continuing to provide exceptional care and comfort for our community.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vaccination opened Monday to Vermonters ages 55+ with certain high-risk health conditions. About 8,300 appointments were made Monday through the Health Department’s registration system. also, today, Vermont health officials have confirmed detection of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 – the viral mutation first detected in the UK in the fall of 2020. This is the first lab-confirmed evidence of the variant in the state. There are enough appointments available for everyone who is eligible. Overall the VDH today reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 and a total of 208 deaths.