Current News
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Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care, has attained its fifth designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program. SVMC was the first hospital in Vermont to receive the designation in 2002. This fifth consecutive recognition places SVMC in an elite community of only three five-time hospitals in New England and only 28 five-time hospitals worldwide.
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Vermont Business Magazine Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Richard Durbin (D-Ill), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) Tuesday praised President Biden’s restoration of full federal funding for National Guard missions responding to COVID-19. The executive order of January 21 re-implements 100 percent federal cost share for these missions, a step the senators had proposed in legislation introduced last August as coronavirus cases again began to surge.
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Vermont Business Magazine TD Bank will be closing 6 percent of US branches in the United States in April. This includes two in Vermont, in Richmond and Waitsfield. "In reaching a decision to close specific TD Bank stores, we consider many business factors, including the number of customers visiting our stores, transaction volumes, the location's proximity to other TD Bank stores and the number of customers who use multiple store locations. We have already begun notifying impacted customers. Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible for them."
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Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan announced recent environmental actions taken by his office to protect Vermont’s environment and issued the following statement: “Vermonters should know that my team will continue to protect our environment. We also know that the climate crisis is real and the time to act is now. We are glad to again have leadership in Washington that believes in science and protecting our natural world for future generations, but our work here in Vermont will continue.”
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by Devon Green VAHHS Vice President of Governmental Relations Sometimes legislative resolutions have so many “whereases” and words that the sentiment can get lost during the formality. This was not the case last week, when the full House and Senate passed a simple resolution recognizing the unwavering dedication of Vermont’s health care workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. More importantly, both the legislature and administration have supported this sentiment with regulatory flexibilities and funding throughout the entirety of the pandemic.
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Vermont Business Magazine Better known as a health supplement with energy-enhancing effects, MitoQ – an advanced form of the popular CoQ10 – can be absorbed directly into the mitochondria within human cells. For the first time, this antioxidant is going to be studied in a pilot clinical trial to determine if it can provide improved airway function in patients with asthma and obesity. This research builds on recent studies suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction may be particularly important in contributing to poor asthma control in obesity.
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by John McClaughry In July 2019 the legislature instructed the Public Utility Commission to recommend what the legislature must do to adopt “a multi-pronged approach to address Vermont’s greenhouse gas reduction and weatherization goals.” The PUC has now delivered its report. It can be summarized in two words: “More Funding!”
“If Vermont is to make progress toward its energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions goal and commitments, the State will need to identify appropriate, stable, and robust funding and program options outside the traditionally regulated sectors of electricity and natural gas.”
Translation: “Let’s find something to tax, to bring in the robust tax dollars required to pay, and keep on paying, for the Green agenda. More Funding!”
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by Jeff Tieman, VAHHS CEO The last couple weeks have shown how the COVID-19 fight continues and evolves. On the concerning side: Vermont has recently experienced more patients hospitalized with COVID than at any time in the pandemic. New virus variants around the world—already finding their way to the U.S.—can make COVID even more contagious and dangerous.
On the positive side: Vermont’s vaccine rollout continues moving forward effectively and is protecting more people every day. Even with the federal supply still so blurry and unpredictable, nearly 11 percent of state residents have received their first dose of a vaccine. That keeps Vermont near the top of the list when it comes to administering vaccine.
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Vermont Business Magazine TLC HomeCare, a senior home care provider with offices in South Burlington, Berlin, and West Lebanon, is proud to announce that it has been honored as a SeniorAdvisor.com Best of Senior Living 2021 award winner by A Place for Mom, Inc (APFM). APFM is the largest senior living referral service in North America. The Best of Senior Living honor represents the best of the best in-home care, assisted living, and other senior living providers. This award is determined by the reviews of seniors and their families on SeniorAdvisor.com, the nation’s largest ratings and reviews site for senior care and services. Earning this exclusive designation means TLC HomeCare ranks among the top three percent of senior care providers across the United States and Canada.
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Vermont Business Magazine Marathon Health, the Winooski-based leader in onsite, network, and virtual health centers for employers of all sizes, has announced its expansion into Columbus, Ohio, with the opening of its newest network, including three health centers. The first location, based in Grove City, is open now, with two more locations opening in Hilliard and the Easton area by June. All Marathon Health Network health centers share the same focus: to provide exceptional, personalized care for employees and their families while reducing the overall cost of healthcare for employers.
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Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is pleased to announce the launch of a new weekly interactive digital presentation called Medical Weekly with Trey Dobson, MD. The show will be produced with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV). The show will air at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays starting February 10. Medical Weekly will be available to view on area public access television stations and on both the health system’s and CAT-TV’s Facebook pages. Those viewing on Facebook will be able to contribute questions through the chat function.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today that there have been 434 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday and two deaths for a statewide total of 183. Also, if you gathered with people you don’t live with this past weekend, it’s important to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19. Please quarantine and get tested right away — and again on day 7 or later. If the test you take on day 7 is negative, then your quarantine can end. (Otherwise, quarantine is 14 days).