Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont School Boards Association (VSBA) has arranged for delivery of nearly 40,000 face masks to Vermont schools during the first weeks of classes. “As a member of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), we were able to offer free face masks to our members through the Masks for Kids Program,” explained VSBA Executive Director, Sue Ceglowski. Nearly one third of the state’s schools took advantage of this generous offer.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center will be connecting to the global world mental health movement and hosting its first annual community-wide recognition and celebration of World Mental Health Day (WMHD) on October 10 with a free and open to the public weekly speaker series throughout October. It’s an opportunity for community education and engagement to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and to connect to the global movement to ensure our communities have access to mental health supports when they are needed.

This year’s 2020 theme is Greater Investment Greater Access – Mental Health Supports for All—Everyone, Everywhere. In the coming months, we anticipate the pandemic will continue to exacerbate mental health and substance use needs in our community, and Howard Center wants to ensure that members of the community have access to the support they need.

Please join us for our free weekly speaker series:

Vermont Business Magazine A new $5.47 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine will fund the creation of the UVM Center for Biomedical Shared Resources. Larner Senior Associate Dean for Research Gordon L Jensen, MD, PhD, is principal investigator on the grant. The grant will fund completion of the Center's home on the first floor of the new Firestone Medical Research Building, which will be located on the south end of the Larner College of Medicine complex, connected to the current Health Sciences Research Facility. Groundbreaking on the new building is anticipated in the spring of 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Economic Development (DED) is pleased to announce that Brittany Nevins has been hired as the new Captive Insurance Economic Development Director. Nevins will be responsible for the marketing and business development of Vermont’s captive insurance industry, working closely with the Department of Financial Regulation and the Vermont Captive Insurance Association to continue to strengthen the state’s reputation as the premier onshore captive insurance domicile.

“Vermont has become an international leader in the captive insurance industry and we must work to continue to grow this industry in the state,” said DED Commissioner Joan Goldstein. “Maintaining a strong marketing and business development focus on this important sector is crucial and we are glad that Brittany has joined the team to continue our success in this area.”

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) announced today that its growing network of stored energy reduced about $3 million in costs for all GMP customers so far in 2020 by cutting power demand during energy peaks, especially during the hot, dry summer. This network includes home batteries, utility-scale Tesla Power Pack batteries at solar sites, and carbon-reducing devices like electric vehicle smart chargers. This builds on more than $2 million in savings over the last two years as GMP pioneered industry-leading battery programs in partnership with its customers.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan has announced that Vermont will receive an extra $10.5 million this year as part of a settlement 22 years ago with the tobacco industry. This is a payout from an agreement reached in 2018 that Vermont had negotiated considering disputes for 2018 and 2022. Research shows additional funding spent on prevention has a multiplier effect and saves states millions on health care costs.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Counties Health Care (NCHC) and Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) are pleased to announce the creation of a new partnership, Northern Express Care – St. Johnsbury. Northern Express Care will be a walk-in health center open to anyone who requires convenient primary care services. Located at the corner of Railroad Street and Eastern Avenue in downtown St. Johnsbury, Northern Express Care will offer evening and weekend hours, no appointment necessary, to provide community members with the care they need, when they need it.

Vermont Business Magazine Springfield Medical Care Systems and Springfield Hospital filed on September 18 a reorganization plan under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy code. The two organizations, Springfield Medical Care Systems and Springfield Hospital, propose restructuring as independent operating companies. This reorganization will focus the network of federally qualified health centers on core primary care capabilities, including medical, dental and behavioral health services. Springfield Hospital will continue operations, offering a full range of inpatient medical and psychiatric care, emergency and specialty care services, as well as its adult day care program. Although the two organizations will operate separately, they will continue to collaborate and coordinate healthcare for our patients as we have in the past.

Vermont Business Magazine “It’s incredibly important that people get flu vaccines this year,” said Community Health Director of Quality Tracy Upton, RN. So, Community Health has arranged weekday and Saturday clinics for adults and children, and offers an online appointment schedule for current Community Health patients. “Established patients can call to schedule an appointment or signup online on our website,” Upton said. "Flu vaccines are available to everyone, not only Community Health patients.”

Vermont Business Magazine OVR Technology, the Burlington-based leader in providing scent solutions for VR, AR, and other digital environments, will bring its newly released technology platform, the Architecture of Scent, to the VRARA Global Summit 2020, at which CEO Aaron Wisniewski will also be a featured speaker on October 1 at 2:30 pm EST. The Architecture of Scent combines hardware, software, and scentware to precisely replicate complex sensory experiences in the digital world. Since launching its cornerstone product in May 2020, OVR Technology has signed on to partner with a range of content developers interested in its innovative tool for creating multisensory VR/AR environments.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) announced Monday that three Vermont organizations have received $1.15 million in federal funds from the US Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The grants will enable financial institutions to provide business development support and increase lending and investment activity in low-income and economically distressed communities.

The CDFI Fund awarded $187.3 million in grants and loans to 357 community credit unions, loan funds and other financial institutions across the country that provide affordable financial products and services in economically distressed areas.

Three Vermont programs received funds through these awards:

· The Flexible Capital Fund, L3C, received $125,000

· Opportunities Credit Union received $375,000

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont department of Health is reporting today three new cases of COVID-19 and 14 new cases since Friday. The VDH is also reminding Vermonters that it’s more important than ever to get your flu shot this year ─ when both flu viruses and the new coronavirus may be spreading at the same time.