Current News

The State of Vermont has released an explanation of how the Medicaid cost shift impacts health care providers and how that in turn affects premiums. Governor Peter Shumlin in his Budget Address earlier this month said that a 0.7 percent payroll tax could raise $90 million a year to offset this cost shift. The governor said that all businesses would be required to pay the tax, which would thus reduce premiums for those businesses who currently offer health insurance to their employees.

Medicaid reimburses doctors and hospitals at only 40 to 60 cents for a dollar of cost. To make up for those losses, doctors and hospitals have to charge those with private insurance higher rates for the same services. That shift of costs from Medicaid to private insurance it what is referred to as the Medicaid Cost Shift.

WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?

The Diabetes Self-Management Education Program at Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has received official accreditation from the American Association of Diabetes Education (AADE). This certification is awarded to programs and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to the field of diabetes education by offering quality programming to support diabetes patients in self-managing the disease. Accreditation ensures that each program meets the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support.

Virginia Quinn, RD, CDE and Nancy McCullough, RN, CDE

Gifford Medical Center ranks above the national average for infant feeding practices in maternity care settings, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC). Gifford scored 91 of 100 points, performing better than 84 percent of facilities nationwide with a similar number of births per year (less than 250). Across Vermont, the average mPINC score was 88; the national average score was 75.

“Gifford has always been a leader in providing women’s and obstetrics services and supporting moms and babies,” said Alison B. White, vice president of Patient Care Services at Gifford. “This report reflects the excellent care programs embedded in our pregnancy and maternity care, which create an environment that promotes and supports health and nutrition practices.”

Cary Brown, Executive Director of the Vermont Commission on Women which works to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls, applauded news that Vermont’s most recent gender wage gap number is 91.3 percent. In several recently released reports on working women from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Vermont's was best in the nation.

The BLS reports, Highlights of Women’s Earnings and Highlights of Women’s Earnings in Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, are frequently used to provide comparison among the states for measuring women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s.

After at least four incidents involving VTrans plow trucks being hit today, Governor Peter Shumlin issued the following statement reminding Vermonters to take it slow as the snow continues to fall during the evening commute. Blinding conditions and numerous accidents on I-89 and on the southern section of I-91 have resulted in both highways being closed at least once each today. In addition, I-89 in South Burlington was also closed late in the afternoon because of a tractor trailer accident.

United Way of Chittenden County and Don Sinex of Devonwood Investors, LLC, the new owner and developer of Burlington Town Center, have announced a $50,000 challenge grant for United Way of Chittenden County which will help solidify the success of this year’s Community Campaign. If United Way can raise $50,000 before March 31, Devonwood LLC will make a campaign donation of $50,000. Sinex said he hopes the challenge will encourage other corporate and individual donors to give so United Way can continue supporting funded programs, advocacy, strategic work and volunteerism throughout the community.

Last week the Vermont House unanimously approved H4, a bill to ban the manufacture and sale of harmful plastic microbeads from personal care products and over the counter drugs. These plastic beads are problematic because they wash down drains, slip through wastewater treatment plants and end up in our waterways. Fish feed on this plastic junk food, mistaking the tiny beads for fish eggs. The plastics attract waterborne toxins which can be passed up the food chain to fish, wildlife and ultimately humans. Scientists have found high concentrations of plastics in US waterbodies. In 2012 researchers found microbead densities of 466,00 pieces per square kilometer in a section of Lake Erie. Microbeads have been found on Lake Champlain beaches.

Advantage Spectrum, LP was the high bidder for 124 licenses in the recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) AWS-3 spectrum auction (No 97) that concluded on January 29, 2015. United States Cellular Corporation's wholly owned subsidiary, USCC Wireless Investment, Inc, is a limited partner in Advantage Spectrum, LP, a Delaware limited partnership. The net license cost for the 124 licenses acquired by Advantage Spectrum amounted to $338.3 million. The one Vermont license in Addison went for $885,750.

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by Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Higher education in Vermont is working together to make the state the best place for farm and food education in the country. “First,” “Most,” and “Highest” most often describe the Vermont food system. On a per capita basis, Vermont has more local and organic farms, Community Supported Enterprises, and farmers markets than any other state in the country. The state is also the per capita national leader in direct sales to consumers, and ranks #1 among the top five states for new farmers to get their start.

With the foundation of Vermont’s leadership in sustainable agriculture, food systems development, and locally-sourced food products, our state’s educators in partnership with entrepreneurs, food producers, and farmers have formed a new collaboration to redefine farm and food system higher education in Vermont.

Vermont Teddy Bear, the nation’s largest producer of handcrafted teddy bears, announces the launch of its limited-edition “Fifty Shades of Grey Bear.” Approved by bestselling author EL James, the adult gift is designed for fans enthralled with the “Fifty Shades of Grey” book and left biting their lips in anticipation for the movie.

“I’ll just say it. We’re obsessed with Grey,” says Bill Shouldice, CEO, Vermont Teddy Bear. “Our entire team is thrilled to announce the Fifty Shades of Grey Bear – not only to the millions of fans excited to see Fifty Shades on the big screen, but for anyone who really wants to impress their Valentine this year. It’s sure to be one of our most popular Valentine’s Day Bears.”

People of color considering a move to Vermont can now access a website to learn about the experiences of others who have moved to the Champlain Valley Region of Vermont. The website, www.iamavermonter.org, is funded by KeyBank and features testimonials from individuals who have moved to Vermont over the past twenty years. Testimonials describe personal experiences before and after a move, and tips for making the transition work for spouses and family.

The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce’s website will feature a link to iamavermonter.org.

Sustainability is the new hot topic for project managers in the public and private sectors. GPM Global announced today the formation of a strategic alliance that will integrate their PRiSM sustainability methods with the PieMatrix Pie online project management platform. Where the project management of yesterday focuses only on inputs and outputs, sustainable project management takes into account benefits realization and the project's overall impact on society, the environment and the economy from an asset lifecycle perspective.

"It's about innovation, and taking ownership of the greater societal need one project at a time," according toJoel Carboni, President of GPM Global, developer of PRiSM (Projects integrating Sustainable Methods), a project management framework now available in over 140 countries.