Current News

Successful behavioral and mental health treatment relies on understanding the status of a patient's physical health as well. In order to make more informed decisions about patient care, Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc (NCSS) Behavioral Health Division recently joined 1,000 other Vermont providers who utilize a secure portal to access their patients' health information. The provider portal, known as VITLAccess, was developed by Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc, the legislatively-designated operator of the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE).

Vermont will receive over $179,000 as its share of an $8 million consumer protection settlement reached between 22 States and Classmates, Inc, Florists Transworld Delivery, Inc and FTD.com Inc. The multistate investigation into the misleading advertising and billing practices of Classmates and FTD focused on the companies’ relationship with third parties who used “negative options” to sell third party membership programs to consumers doing business online with Classmates and FTD. A negative option is an arrangement where goods or services are charged to you automatically unless you tell the seller you do not want them.

“This settlement will result in important protections to ensure that Vermont consumers are not deceived into paying for unwanted goods or services through negative option marketing,” said Attorney General William H. Sorrell.

A report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) confirms that Vermont continues to be a national leader in the fight to end childhood hunger, especially during the summer months when free school meals are not available. The “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” report shows the largest nationwide positive increase in participation in summer nutrition for children since 1993, with an average daily participation increase of 7.3%. The national Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which has made outreach on summer nutrition a priority along with state partners such as Vermont’s Agency of Education and Hunger Free Vermont. Vermont ranks 4th in the country for utilization of this program.

The University of Vermont Medical Center's Frederick C Binter Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders is one of just 29 centers in the US to be named “Centers of Excellence” by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) for 2015. Other designees include Stanford University, Duke University, the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins University. Centers were cited for "an exemplary commitment to bringing more comprehensive care" to Huntington's Disease (HD) patients and families.

(l to r) Nancy Binter, MD, Bela Ratovits, MD, and James Boyd, MD, director of the Binter Center at The University of Vermont Medical Center, celebrate the "Centers of Excellence" designation by the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

Southern Vermont College in Bennington has announced that its Baccalaureate Nursing program has recently been awarded accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). SVC President David Evans made the announcement with a statement to the College community praising the program and SVC nursing leaders--Division Chair Mary Botter, Ph.D., and the faculty and staff, who developed the new BSN program and shepherded the accreditation process. “This Division is committed to excellence in nursing and has worked diligently to meet the standards of a rigorous nursing and health care program,” Evans said.

RAVNAH Hospice has recently launched “Veterans’ Voices”, a program that honors current active duty and former military members – and the families who support their service. It gives veterans, service members, and military families a chance to share their stories about their lives and their experiences, and leave an enduring legacy behind.

We record participants as they are telling of the accounts of their lives, pivotal moments and everyday memories. Once recorded on DVD, we preserve these recordings, give each participant a DVD and archive a copy at the Folk Life Center in Middlebury, VT if desired by the family. Their stories, told in their own voice, can be shared with current and future generations.

American Health Centers Inc (AHCI) has donated $2,000 to the Last Mile Ride, Gifford’s annual fundraiser to support services for those with advanced illness or needing end-of-life care at the Randolph-based hospital. AHCI brings affordable mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units to community hospitals throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. MRI is a safe and painless test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the body, and differs from a CAT scan because it doesn't use radiation. The AHCI mobile magnetic unit serves patients at Gifford health centers in Randolph, Sharon, and Berlin.

“American Health Centers has been bringing services to Gifford patients since 2001,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Donald N. Sweet, who visited the hospital to deliver the donation. “We are very pleased to be able to honor this partnership by supporting the unique end-of-life services funded by the Last Mile Ride.”

For the Greater Burlington YMCA, Wednesday night’s annual meeting was as an opportunity to highlight not only their own achievements, but to honor another area non-profit for its contributions to create a stronger community. The Y recognized Howard Center with a special award for their years of service to their clients and the impact of their work. Y President and CEO Mary Burns noted the longstanding partnership between the Y and Howard Center. Burns remarked that she did not remember a time during her 29 years with the Y that the two organizations did not collaborate.

“Each day, Howard Center’s compassion and commitment to improve the well-being of all in our community changes thousands of lives,” said Burns. “The Greater Burlington YMCA, time and again, has witnessed the immeasurable impact of Howard Center’s work.”

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Health Connect is still a long way from the seamless, on-line health insurance sign-up product it's supposed to be, but a major system upgrade should go a long way to toward enabling it to get there eventually. Governor Peter Shumlin announced this morning that the VHC system was successfully upgraded this weekend to update the so-called change of circumstance functionality, which will allow customer service staff to process requested changes more quickly.

The Vermont Cheese Council (VCC), a non-profit trade association committed to the promotion and advancement of quality cheese production in Vermont, signed its 50th principal member to its membership roster. “It's a great milestone with a lot of history behind it,” said Jeremy Stevenson, cheesemaker at Spring Brook Farm/Farms for City Kids and former VCC president. “It is very encouraging to see the VCC growing with the community of cheesemakers and working with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to facilitate growth and stability into the future.”

Founded in 1996 with 19 original members, the Vermont Cheese Council helped to establish the Vermont brand in the cheese industry through quality production, safety training and the promotion of Vermont cheesemakers.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Saturday welcomed news that the US Postal Service quietly backed off a self-defeating plan to shutter nearly all of 82 mail sorting facilities which were on the chopping block this year. Sanders had led an effort in Congress to keep the Postal Service from closing the plants as part of an ill-considered cost-cutting plan by the money-making mail service. Word of the Postal Service decision came in a low-key formal notification yesterday to members of Congress.

“I am pleased that the Postal Service has decided not to shut down virtually all of the 82 mail-processing plants this year,” Sanders said, “but much more needs to be done to ensure that Americans throughout the country receive their mail in a timely manner.”

Lake Champlain Committee Before adjourning for the year the Vermont House and Senate agreed on the terms of a key water quality bill. The legislation was a major LCC priority and we thank Governor Shumlin, Vermont environmental agencies, legislators and activists that helped bring the water quality bill to fruition this session.

The bill raises $7.5 million in new revenues. The money will come from a 0.2% increase in the property transfer tax, an increase in the cost of a variety of water quality related permit fees, and a $30 per ton levy on nonagricultural fertilizers. The property transfer tax surcharge raises the most revenue. The surcharge excludes the first $100,000 of value of property and properties purchased through certain low interest loan programs. The legislation repeals the surcharge in 2018.