Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Congressman Peter Welch issued the following statements Monday after President Donald Trump announced he is nominating Brett Kavanaugh to be an associate justice on the US Supreme Court.

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) will hold hearings open to the public concerning the proposed 2019 Vermont Health Connect insurance rates on Monday, July 23^rd (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont) and Tuesday, July 24^th (MVP Health Plan, Inc.) in Room 11 of the Vermont State House beginning at 9:00 a.m. each morning.

Vermont Business Magazine In partnership with Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Avera Health, a national leader in telemedicine services, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) will launch eICU CARE, an around-the-clock monitoring service for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The new capability will allow patients with certain conditions that would have required a transfer to larger medical centers to be treated here.

“Our hospitalists and Magnet nurses provide excellent care for intensive care patients,” said Trey Dobson, MD, SVMC’s chief medical officer and medical director of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians. “With additional support from these partners, we will be able to expand the options available to patients experiencing serious illnesses in our community.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Family Network (VFN) is pleased to announce the election of three new members to its Board of Directors. Kevin Kelleher, UVM Medical Center and Tom Borys, OneCare VT were elected onto the Board in January 2018, and Vasanthi Meyette, Champlain Valley School District, was elected at the organization’s Annual Meeting last Thursday, June 14. The following VFN Board members were unanimously elected to Executive Committee roles: President; Ellen Zeman, Champlain College, Vice-Chair; Craig Giles, Husky, Secretary; Kim Keiser, Turrell Fund, Treasurer; Tom Stretton, McSoley and McCoy.

Laurie Gunn, UVM Medical Center, stepped down after six years of service on the VFN Board, and was recognized for her many contributions to the organization as Board Secretary.

Vermont Family Network is a state-wide non-profit organization that empowers and supports all Vermont families of children with special needs.

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont has received a decision from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) terminating regional center designation for the Vermont Regional Center (VRC). The July 3, 2018 decision was received by the VRC on July 6, 2018 and will be available on DFR’s website.

UPDATE: Late Monday night UVM Medical Center President Eileen Whalen sent the following statement: “We negotiated face-to-face with the nurses’ union tonight for several hours. The discussions were productive and we will resume negotiations Tuesday at 4pm. We will do our best to reach a fair agreement and avert a strike.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office announced today that a record 17,665 unclaimed properties totaling $6.7 million were returned to their rightful owners in the fiscal year ending June 30. The number of dollars paid out rose 24 percent over the previous year, setting a new record. With a growing list of Vermonters claiming their missing money, Treasurer Beth Pearce reminded residents that it only takes moments to visit MissingMoney.Vermont.gov to check to see if you or a loved one have unclaimed property.

Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of State Jim Condos announced today that the United States Department of Labor has awarded the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) $450,000 to support occupational licensing reform. OPR, a Division of the Secretary of State’s Office, protects the public by regulating 50 professions and approximately 60,000 licensees.

Secretary Condos stated, “Vermont has been at the forefront of national efforts to modernize and streamline occupational licensing. With bipartisan support from the Legislature and Administration, we have undertaken ambitious efforts to cut red tape, making it more convenient and less expensive for qualified professionals—from the beauty professions to the medical sciences—to live and work in Vermont. Federal funding for these efforts will be a huge help.”

Vermont Business Magazine Richard Cowart, President of the VEIC Board of Directors, announced today the appointment of three new board members. Colin Owyang, Ellen Zuckerman, and Nick Richardson, will begin their terms as VEIC board members in July 2018.

The VEIC Board provides independent, continuous, and permanent leadership for the organization. The members establish strategies, policies, and priorities in the context of the VEIC mission to enhance the economic, environmental, and societal benefits of clean and efficient energy use for all people.

Colin Owyang has served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) since February 2016. Colin previously served as Deputy Attorney General in Massachusetts and worked for nearly eleven years at National Grid. Along with his strong legal and regulatory background, Owyang brings deep public service experience to the VEIC Board.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) hosted a sold-out crowd of more than 420 people at Centennial Gala on June 9 at the Hubbell Homestead in Bennington. The date was chosen to correspond with the eve of the hospital’s 100^th birthday.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council, in partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center, presents “New American Artists: Celebrating Tradition and Culture” opening July 10 in the Spotlight Gallery. The exhibit is a tribute to the work of Gregory Sharrow, who established the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program during his 30-year tenure at the Vermont Folklife Center. The program ensures the cultural retention of Vermont’s traditional arts — including those of new Americans — by providing support to master artists working with apprentices in their communities.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center and the union representing the Burlington hospital's nurses are back at the bargaining table Friday evening. They hope to avert a 48-hour nurses strike that is planned to start at 7 am July 12. Beyond that, the nurses said they would work without a contract, at least for the time being. While much of their contention is with staffing levels which have left about 170 positions vacant, much of the discussion has been about wage increases. UVMMC has proposed an overall 13 percent wage increase over a three-year contract while the union has proposed a 24 percent increase. US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) also weighed in on behalf of the nurses in a rare press conference.