Current News

Bruce D Baker, Professor in the Department of Educational Theory Policy and Administration in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Wendy I Geller, Data Administration Director at the Vermont Agency of Education, jointly published a research brief exploring efficiency and equity in Vermont public schools, the Agency announced today. in part, the brief states that, "Very small Vermont school districts face both elevated costs & elevated tax rates."

The past several Vermont governors have attempted to find a way to reduce costs by getting school districts and or schools to consolidate in an effort to decrease overhead. This brief suggests that not only is cost elevated with very small districts, but that educational opportunities are lesser in such districts.

Preliminary analysis of data on Vermont school districts shows that Vermont school districts experience a combination of:

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont manufacturing employment declined slightly in 2014, according to Illinois-based Manufacturers’ News, Inc. According to data collected by MNI, Vermont lost 605 industrial jobs, or 1.3 percent, from December 2013 to December 2014, in contrast to the 1.7 percent national average gain reported by the Labor Department for the same time period. Manufacturers’ News reports Vermont is now home to 1,363 manufacturers employing 43,777 workers.

The Vermont Department of Labor, using a slightly different data set (nonfarm, nongovernment, unadjusted, actual workers), still had similar, relative numbers for 2014. For the VTDOL, manufacturing employed 31,200 (9.8 percent of the nonfarm workforce) in December 2014, down 700 from December 2013, with electronics losing 800 workers and non-durable goods (food showed zero change) adding 100 workers, for a net loss of 2.2 percent.

BioTek Instruments been nominated for the 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award (commonly referred to as the "Freedom Award") by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense (DoD) office. The Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the DoD to employers for their support of National Guard and Reserve members.

On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, ESGR runs the annual award program, which has presented the honor to 205 employers since 1996.

BioTek was named the Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year for 2009. VBM file photo.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed its Cancer Center Support Grant to Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) at Dartmouth, continuing NCCC's designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Comprehensive Cancer Center" is the top designation given by NCI for the highest quality patient care, cancer research, cancer prevention, and education of oncologists and researchers. NCCC is one of only 41 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States and is the only such center in New Hampshire or Vermont.

March 30, 2015 marked the annual observance of National Doctors’ Day, a day to recognize the contributions, dedication, and care of physicians around the country. This year, Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) celebrated Doctors’ Day in their own way — by making a donation to the Windsor food shelf in honor of their physicians.

Woodridge has consistently been rated at four stars by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in their Five Star Nursing Home Quality Rating System. In November 2014 Woodridge was raised to five stars, according to Ursula Margazano, Administrator for Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently made three significant improvements to the Five Star Nursing Home Quality Rating System:

*Incorporated the two nursing home quality measures for antipsychotic use into the Quality Measure Rating.

*Increased the number of points necessary to earn a Quality Measure Star Rating of 2 or more stars.

*Changed the scoring method for the Staffing star rating.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont President and CEO Don George has been recognized for his leadership in developing a culture of health and wellness at BCBSVT and, by example, for other workplaces in Vermont. George received the Business Leadership Award from the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at the annual Worksite Wellness Conference in Burlington on Wednesday, March 25.

“Health and wellness is part of the everyday culture of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont,” said Governor Peter Shumlin, who presented the award. “What Don’s been doing as an insurance executive isn’t being done by any insurance executive in the country.”

Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Board of Trustees elected three new members at the Board’s spring meeting on March 20, 2015. Troyen A (“Troy”) Brennan, MD, MPH; M. Brooke Herndon, MD, MS; and Charles G (“Charlie”) Plimpton were unanimously elected to the 20-member volunteer board, joining colleagues from around the nation as well as from the Upper Valley in the leadership of New Hampshire’s largest health system.

“We are delighted and honored to welcome Troy, Brooke, and Charlie to our board,” said D-H Trustees Chair Robert Oden, PhD. “Their experience, and their passion for health care and for Dartmouth-Hitchcock make them all welcome additions. I look forward to their leadership as we continue to chart the future of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock system, creating a sustainable health system to improve the lives of the people and communities we serve for generations to come.”

The Brattleboro Retreat received a Governor’s Excellence in Worksite Wellness award at the 2015 Worksite Wellness conference held on Wednesday, March 25, at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington. The award, which is presented by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, was given in recognition of the Retreat’s efforts to promote employee health and wellness.

The Retreat has a robust Wellness Program that has supported its approximately 870 employees in focusing on areas including personal goal setting, stress management, nutrition, and physical exercise.

“The overarching goal of the Retreat’s Wellness Program is to support the hospital’s employees in creating a healthy balance in their lives,” said Natalie Audette, benefits manager. “We started by surveying staff to better understand their needs, and the results have helped guide the kind of training and education we offer. I think this has been a key to our program’s success.”

With an initial gift from Board of Trustees member Bill Conaty and his wife, Sue, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock health care system proudly announces the formation of a new institute dedicated to developing health care leaders who can help create the future model of care - a sustainable health system. The Conaty Institute for Transformational Health Care Leadership will deliver programs aimed at current and future executive leaders to learn about the constantly evolving state of health care delivery, and how to inspire and manage teams with vision, inspiration, and emotional and social respect for others.

With over 1,500 Vermonters without housing on any given night and families with children now making up half of all people in emergency shelters, Governor Peter Shumlin and Human Services Secretary Hal Cohen today announced a statewide strategy for ending child and family homelessness in Vermont by 2020. The governor and secretary made the announcement while celebrating a grant of more than a half-million dollars to rehabilitate and increase the number affordable housing units in Chittenden County, helping to relieve a shortage that affects all of those who face homelessness.

“Even with serious budget challenges, we are fortunate in Vermont to have many of the programs and partnerships already in place to support an ambitious initiative,” Shumlin said. “We can build on these foundations to achieve the goal of ending childhood and family homelessness by 2020.”

Twenty-four Vermont Agriculture and Forest Products businesses will receive financial assistance to attend trade shows as part of Vermont’s new Trade Show Assistance grant program. A total of $25,000 in matching funds was awarded. The Vermont Agencies of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) and Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) announced the winners today.

Thirty-four grant applications were received for a total request of $45,916. Of those, twenty-four grantees were selected to receive $25,500 in grant funds, leveraging an additional $93,000 in private investment. Grant recipients will attend 15 different trade shows in 10 different states. Selections were made by a review committee consisting of state agency staff and representatives of the forestry, specialty food, and dairy sectors.