Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Johanna Beliveau, BSN, MBA, RN has been named Director of Quality, Patient Safety, and Compliance at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC). The newly created position is part of the Hospital’s Senior Leadership Team, reporting directly to Dr. Joseph Perras, CEO. As director, Beliveau will be responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of quality and patient safety initiatives, and ensuring compliance with state and federal healthcare regulations.

MtAscutney Hospital and Health Center Announces Johanna Beliveau, BSN, MBA, RN as Director of Quality, Patient Safety, and Compliance.Photo courtesy of MtAscutney Hospital and Health Center:

Vermont Business MagazineNational Life Group and Heartworks Preschools will celebrateon Wednesdaythe reopening of a day care on National Life’s campus. National Life has renovated the building at 24 Mountain View Street in Montpelier to make it more appropriate for modern day care. After seeking requests for proposals, National Life granted a lease to Heartworks to operate the Loveworks Child Care Center, which is already serving 21 children.

What:Celebration of opening of Loveworks Child Care Center

Where:National Life lobby, 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604; followed by tours of Loveworks, 24 Mountain View St., opposite the main parking lots at National Life.

When:Wednesday, March 8, 9:30 am.

Who:National Life Senior Vice President Sean Woodroffe and Lisa and Paul Zengilowski of Heartworks.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) released the following statements Monday after President Donald Trump signed a new executive order blocking immigration from six majority-Muslim countries and suspending admittance of all refugees.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Thomas JDonovan Jr, today provided municipalities with a guide should they consider a response to recent changes in federal immigration policy and enforcement. The guide, which is a pamphlet produced by the Immigration Task Force and the Attorney General’s Office, gives cities and towns an overview of current federal immigration policy and model policies for municipalities. The purpose of the document is to promote public safety and ensure local law enforcement can protect vulnerable communities and persons, while complying with federal law.

Attorney General Donovan said: “The relationship of trust between local law enforcement and the communities they serve is an essential part of safe cities and towns. This document is meant to protect that relationship and provide information to Vermont cities and towns as they review federal immigration policy.”

Vermont Business MagazineThe University of Vermont Health Network has announced the creation of a new grant opportunity that is open to any clinician or team employed by the network. The Safety and Value Grant program will award a two-year $50,000 grant to each of two winning proposals to implement innovative concepts that are designed to enhance safety and value across the UVM Health Network.

The grants will support multidisciplinary, cross-departmental or cross-organizational teams that identify areas of health care improvement. Proposals will be screened on criteria that include:

by David Coates, KPMG (retired) As promised in my previous commentary here, I will present in this article some possible solutions to the state'spension and retiree health care benefits crisis......and, yes,it is a crisis! Just to recap, as of June 30, 2016, the state and taxpayersare on the hook for $3.6 billion of unfunded liabilities for these benefit plans for around 32,000state workers and teachers.By comparisonthe state and taxpayers are also on the hook for about $650 million of bonds issued for basically infrastructure improvements that benefit our entire population of around 625,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Albany-based FirstLight Fiber, a leading fiber-optic bandwidth infrastructure services provider operating in the Northeast, today announced its intent to acquire Finger Lakes Technologies Group (“FLTG”), a subsidiary of Trumansburg Telephone Company (TTC). FLTG provides data, Internet and voice solutions to business customers in New York and Pennsylvania through its fiber network. FirstLight recently announced similar transactions with Oxford Networks and Vermont's Sovernet Communications.

by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos An open government makes for a better government. This is sunshine week and it is being celebrated all across the nation. In reality, it should be celebrated every week – not just this week – in Vermont and every other state. Here at the Secretary of State’s Office, our operations assume 625,000 Vermonters are looking over our shoulders as we go about our daily work – keeping us motivated and accountable.

In fact, this attitude comes straight from the Vermont Constitution:

That all power being originally inherent in and consequently derived from the people, therefore, all officers of government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them. (Chapter 1, Article 6)

Vermont further elaborates in statute on this pillar of constitutional accountability:

Vermont Business Magazine If you’re a loyal watcher of “Saturday Night Live” like me, here’s a conclusion you reach after watching the show: Republican presidents are dopes. From Chevy Chase portraying Gerald Ford as a stumbling goofball, to nowadays, when Alec Baldwin assumes the character of Donald Trump and plays him as a hapless fool, there is one thing for certain: On “SNL” if you’re a Republican president then you’re portrayed as stupid.

Ronald Reagan was made to look clueless when Phil Hartman played him. Dana Carvey dumbed-down George H.W. Bush while impersonating him. And Will Farrell, while portraying George W. Bush, constantly mocked his intellect. You may have a policy gripe with one or more of these recent Republican presidents, especially if you are a Democrat, but are they really stupid?

Leonine Public Relations The legislature takes next week off to allow elected officials to head home and attend Town Meeting Day events. As this week is the 9th week of the legislative session it likely marks the midway point of the 2017 legislative session. While there is no certainty the session will last 18 weeks, that has been the case over the past few years. Whether the session will run 18 weeks this year is difficult to predict since we have a new governor and new leadership in the legislature. However, assuming it does, this week marks the halfway point.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is holding a series of free workshops on using the recently updated online mapping tool, BioFinder. The workshops are aimed at town planners and conservation commissioners, but all members of the public are encouraged to attend. BioFinder is a mapping resource used to find the places in Vermont most important for maintaining biodiversity, even as the climate changes. It includes maps of Vermont's connected forests and waterways, locations of important ecological resources, and other information used for conservation and land use planning.

Vermont Business Magazine On February 22, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board preliminarily approved a total of 80 bulls-only permits for the October 2017 moose hunting seasons. Based on the Fish & Wildlife Department's recommendation, 63 bulls-only permits will be issued for the regular hunting season and 17 bulls-only permits for the archery hunting season.

Limited, regulated moose hunting through a permit system is proposed in 12 of the state's 21 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). After receiving public comment through emails, letters and public hearings, the Board will set the number of permits for Vermont's 2017 moose hunting seasons on April 5, 2017.