Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board, Vermont’s regulatory healthcare board, granted Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), a Certificate of Need (CON) for a $26 million project to modernize and expand its Emergency Department and renovate its main entrance and public areas on the ground floor. Traffic and parking improvements are also included. The regulatory approval was necessary to proceed with the project.

Vermont Business Magazine On December 22, Governor Phil Scott announced a small, temporary modification to restrictions on multi-household gatherings during the holidays. Between December 23rd and January 2nd, households may gather with one other trusted household. Governor Scott also announced youth sports may resume with no-contact practices. Effective December 26th, school-based and youth recreational programs may begin practices with individual skills, strength and conditioning. The Agency of Education has released full guidance for school-based sports.

Vermont Business Magazine There's no need to travel outside of the Castleton area for a blood test. Community Health Castleton's laboratory has received certification of compliance from the State of Vermont for the lab services provided in Community Health's Castleton practice in Bomoseen, Vermont. The Community Health laboratory handles lab work for Community Health's primary care patients as well as those from Castleton Express Care, and a separate outpatient lab service run by Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) serves not only Community Health patients but any community member with orders from their provider. RRMC's blood draw facility, located in a dedicated space adjacent to the waiting area in the Castleton practice, is staffed by RRMC.

Vermont Business Magazine Looking for fun, educational projects to keep the kids busy over winter break? Help them take the Good Citizen At-Home Challenge! This statewide youth civics initiative is organized by Burlington-based Seven Days newspaper and its parenting publication, Kids VT, with support from the Vermont Community Foundation. Since 2018, the Good Citizen Challenge has encouraged young Vermonters to learn about history, government and news literacy, as well as ways they can pitch in to help out their communities.

Conflict of Interest by Kevin Ellis MacKenzie Scott riled the world of philanthropy last week by donating $4.2 billion to a lot of non-profits doing great work. Good on her.

What raised eyebrows, and rightly so, was that she ignored the usual suspects - Ivy League schools for example - in favor of lesser-known colleges, food banks, Goodwill Industries, YMCAs, Meals-on-Wheels, and others caring for people in the pandemic who most need the money.

This giving raises a whole host of issues. Some great. Some very troubling.

Scott came by her money after her divorce from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Scott walked away with $38 billion that has grown to $60 billion in our stock market, and makes her one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

This wealth is a pittance compared to Bezos, whose Amazon stock rises on the opportunities presented by the pandemic. Get ready for three-hour delivery of your meds by Amazon very soon.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 92 new cases of COVID-19 statewide with three more deaths. Total cases appear to have stabilized, down from their peak from mid-November to mid-December when they were running well over 100 a day, but higher than in the early fall, summer and spring. There are 22 hospitalized and six in the ICU.

The VDH also has initiated a weekly dashboard on vaccine distribution. SEE BELOW. The VDH expects to get the full initial allotment of 34,000 doses before the end of December, despite some delays.

The 1A group of frontline health care workers and nursing home residents are expected to complete their regimen by the end of January.

VDH will continue to run the daily COVID dashboard. However, there will be no Daily Update on 12/24 or 12/25.

by Geoff Robertson, Business Assistance Director at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Over a seven-day period that she refers to as “Twilight Zone Week,” Abbey Duke, owner of Sugarsnap Catering in Burlington went from a full schedule of weddings and corporate catering events to a blank calendar. With large gatherings banned during COVID-19, her book of business vanished virtually overnight.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is ready to respond as forecasters say a regionwide storm will bring gusty winds and heavy rain to Vermont and all of the northeast Thursday. Rain is predicted to be heavy – up to three inches especially in the parts of central and southern Vermont that got heavy snow last week. Snow melt could add to waterways, and the National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Libraries invites Vermonters to celebrate our diverse winter celebrations with virtual poetry readings by Vermont state leaders. Vermonters can click here to view the Holiday Poetry Celebration. Traditionally, Governor Phil Scott joins Vermonters in multiple in-person holiday events, including the menorah and tree lighting ceremonies, and by reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore to children at the State House. Due to pandemic gathering restrictions, these events could not happen this year, so Governor Scott has shared a virtual reading for all to enjoy..

Vermont Business Magazine In response to President Trump’s disapproval of the $908-billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress on Monday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement: “In America today, millions of Americans are facing economic desperation and need help now. I have been calling on Congress for months to pass legislation to provide every working class American with $2,000 a month until the pandemic ends. Now that Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and President Trump have all indicated strong support for a $2,000 direct payment the ball is in Senate Majority Leader McConnell's court. I say to Senator McConnell: Let the Senate vote immediately on a stand-alone bill to provide a $2,000 direct payment for the working class and $4,000 for couples."

Vermont Business Magazine While total COVID-19 cases appear to have plateaued and there were only 79 yesterday, according to the Vermont Department of Health, there were five more deaths for a statewide total of 117. The Moderna vaccine is already being used to vaccinate residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Vermont. In the meantime, the VDH is urging patience in waiting your turn and also diligence in adhering to COVID health guidance: wear a mask; keep social distance; wash hands; quarantine if you travel; and stay home if you're sick. COVID testing is free. New guidance will allow you to have Christmas with one other "trusted household."

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement thanking the Public Service Department for its efforts to advocate for the reinstatement of the moratorium on household utility disconnects, and the Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) for approving the Department’s filing. The PUC order, announced Tuesday, reinstates the moratorium on involuntary disconnection on Vermont’s regulated utilities of electricity, telephone landlines and natural gas. The moratorium is in place until the end of March 2021.