Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine Three new public trustees have been appointed to the UVM Board of Trustees, with another being reappointed. The board also added a new student trustee. Three legislative trustees were elected to six year terms by the Vermont General Assembly. They include Kevin “Coach” Christie, representing Windsor district 4-2; Carole Ode, representing the Chittenden County sixth district, and Samuel Young, representing the Orleans-Caledonia district. They succeed Anne O’Brien, Donna Sweaney and Jeff Wilson.

Vermont Business Magazine United Counseling Service has won a Governor’s Excellence in Workplace Wellness Gold Award from the Vermont Department of Health. Members of the UCS Wellness Committee attended the Worksite Wellness Conference held in Burlington March 21st to receive the award. The Workplace Wellness Award Program recognizes Vermont organizations that have demonstrated an established wellness strategy promoting healthy environments and supporting the well-being of their employees. 

“We deeply believe in the importance of staff maintaining a focus on their own physical and emotional wellness,” said Lorna Mattern, Executive Director of UCS. “The activities and initiatives our Wellness Committee develops for staff are creative, unique and dynamic and constantly evolve to meet the needs of our staff.”

This is the 6th consecutive year UCS has won the Worksite Wellness Award.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, awarded a total of $268,684 to nine Vermont farms in March through its most recent round of Water Quality and Dairy Improvement Grants. Five farms in Chittenden, Addison, Orange, Rutland, and Grand Isle counties received a combined $115,000 in Water Quality Grants. These grants leveraged an additional $427,000 for capital improvement projects to reduce runoff and improve manure management and soil health. These Viability Program grants are matched by the farmers’ funds, bank loans, and grant funding from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets.

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for board certification across the emergency nursing spectrum, announced today that University of Vermont Medical Center (UVM Medical Center) emergency nurse Travis Beebe-Woodard is the 2019 Distinguished TCRN Award winner.

Vermont Business Magazine We are proud to announce the formation and launch of the first association for Emergency Management in the state of Vermont. The association will provide a network for everyone involved in emergency management within the state to connect, find resources, share experiences and lessons and have a voice in the concerns addressing the state and our communities.
Emergency Management is the discipline that connects public and private sectors, families and businesses, corporations and communities with the common need and goal of mitigating, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from large scale emergencies and disasters. Vermont law requires each municipality to have an Emergency Management Director (EMD) most of which are volunteer. Other partners in Emergency Management include private companies, schools, community groups and religious organizations and Vermont Emergency Management.

Vermont Business Magazine Good News Garage, the car donation nonprofit based in Burlington, Vermont, is the recipient of a 2019 Governor’s Excellence in Worksite Wellness Silver-Level Award. The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports presented the award to Good News Garage’s assistant director of operations, Amy Barcomb, at the 2019 Worksite Wellness Conference on March 21, 2019. 

Amy Barcomb with Health Commissioner Mark Levine and Governor Phil Scott.

Vermont Business Magazine The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital LGBTQ+ Leadership Council and Green Mountain Crossroads are co-sponsoring two free screenings of GenSilent, a critically acclaimed documentary about the issues facing older LGBT people towards the end of life. This film follows the stories of several LGBT seniors in the Boston area as they navigate healthcare challenges and assisted living concerns. The screenings are free and open to the public, and will include a feedback session at the end of the film. Light refreshments will also be provided.

The screenings will take place in the Brew Barry Conference Rooms at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital at 5:30pm on Wednesday, April 3 and at 1:00pm on Sunday, April 7. 

RSVP is appreciated but not required.  Contact Johanna Staveley with RSVP information or any questions at 802-257-8314 or [email protected].

Vermont Business Magazine The Thrift Shop located at the Manchester office of the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (formerly Manchester Health Services) on 5468 Main Street Manchester Center, VT will open on the second Saturday of the month beginning April 13 and ending October 13. The Thrift Shop, run by volunteers and stocked with donated items, is an important source of revenue for the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, which serves thousands of patients in Bennington and Rutland Counties.

“We are excited to offer Saturday hours monthly,” said Christine Hoard, Director of Philanthropy at the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region. “The shop is such an important part of the community, we wanted to expand our hours so that all who wish to shop and support home health and hospice care can.”

The Thrift Shop is open Monday –Friday from 11am-4pm and from 10am-3pm on the second Saturday of the month.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to President Trump’s proposal to eliminate funding for the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) has rallied a bipartisan coalition in support of fully funding this vital program. 174 Members of the House of Representatives signed a letter to the House Appropriations Committee expressing the importance of this safety net program to struggling families.

“LIHEAP helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter months and the hot summer months,” wrote the Members. “LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country. For these households, LIHEAP funding has been a lifeline during challenging economic times. Access to affordable home energy is not a luxury—it is a matter of health and safety.”

Seeks 225 donors to unlock $350,000 in challenge funds

Vermont Business Magazine Marlboro College has announced Sugar Rush 2019, an Annual Fund challenge celebrating the sugaring season and culminating with a sugar-on-snow event on April 3. With a total goal of reaching 225 donors, the college stands to unlock $350,000 in challenge funds donated by generous trustees and friends.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan has joined 38 state attorneys general to send a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) criticizing the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force Draft Report. The letter was addressed to Dr Vanila Singh, chief medical officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

Farmers Encouraged to Review Spreading Rules Going Forward

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s winter manure spreading ban ends today, April 1st, but with another cold and wet March having brought adverse field conditions to most of Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is issuing a spring stewardship reminder to Vermont farmers and Custom Manure Applicators. VAAFM advises farmers and Custom Operators that water quality rules will restrict manure spreading activities until individual field conditions improve. The Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) prohibit the application of manure to frozen or snow-covered fields, as well as on saturated ground where field conditions are conducive to runoff into Vermont’s waters.