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Members of the Town of Bennington staff were in Burlington earlier this month being recognized by the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport for Bennington’s workplace wellness initiatives. One of 99 businesses considered for the award, the Town touted its annual employee wellness challenge, staff awards for wellness and free flu shot clinics paid for by past wellness awards, along with other efforts. In the end the Town received the bronze award along with other businesses such as Johnson State College, Essex Town School District and the City of Burlington.

New Hampshire Thrift Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: NHTB), the holding company for Lake Sunapee Bank, fsb, has reported consolidated net income for the three months ended March 31, 2014, of $2.1 million, or $0.25 per common share, assuming dilution, compared to $2.1 million, or $0.27 per common share, assuming dilution, for same period in 2013, an increase of $92 thousand, or 4.49%. The weighted average numbers of common shares, assuming dilution, were 8,231,992 and 7,060,234 for the three periods ended March 31, 2014, and 2013, respectively.

Central Vermont Medical Center Pharmacy Technician Linda Eastman was named Pharmacy Technician of the Year by the Vermont Society of Health-System Pharmacists (VtSHP) at their annual meeting in Colchester.
The VtSHP Board chose Linda from a group of nominees. She was recognized for her strong work on the 340B prescription program and for kick starting the Community Health Pharmacy Prescription Assistance program at CVMC.
Central Vermont Medical Center Pharmacy Technician Linda Eastman (center) was named 2014 Pharmacy Technician of the Year by the Vermont Society of Health -System Pharmacists. Shown here with Frank Foti, Pharmacy Director (left) and Ty MacWalters, Pharmacy Tech Operations Supervisor, VtSHP Officer (right). Photo courtesy of Central Vermont Medical Center.

Gifford Medical Center’s mammography and nuclear medicine departments have both been awarded three-year reaccreditations by the American College of Radiology. The American College of Radiology calls their recognition the “gold seal of accreditation” and notes it represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety.
Members of Gifford’s breast care team pose in this file photo. They are, from left, certified breast sonographer Terri Hodgdon, certified mammogram technologist Cheryl Jewkes, board certified radiologist Dr. Scott Smith, certified breast sonographer Kim Nelson and patient care navigator Brittany Kelton. Gifford’s mammography system was one of two in the radiology department to earn national accreditation. The other was nuclear medicine. Photo courtesy of Gifford Medical Center.

Southern Vermont College (SVC) has announced that it will award the Honorary Degree of Humane Letters to Dr Jane Altes, former Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim President of Empire State College, and Daniel B. Ginsberg, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Washington, DC, at its 87th Commencement on Saturday, May 10.

SVC President Karen Gross said that the school wishes to honor leaders who have encouraged civic engagement through government service and through their own community service work. “Education’s mission, above all else, is to develop thoughtful and engaged citizens in our democratic process,” Gross said. “These two individuals are the embodiment of that mission, serving our nation with extraordinary talent, honor and pride.”

Members of North Country Hospital’s Worksite Wellness Team were presented with a Gold Worksite Wellness Award from the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports in conjunction with the VT Department of Health at a ceremony on March 27 in Burlington. North Country is one of 91 Vermont worksites that applied for this honor. The award honors worksites for providing a culture of wellness for employees that includes innovative strategies promoting health and fitness.
Dr. Harry Chen, VT Commissioner of Health (left) and Governor Peter Shumlin present a Gold Worksite Wellness Award to Mary Hoadley, North Country Hospital Wellness Center Manager (second from left) and Joanne Fedele, RN, North Country Community Health at the VT Worksite Wellness Conference in Burlington on March 27, 2014. The award was presented on behalf of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Photo courtesy of North Country Hospital.

Related Company: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterTo address the burgeoning demands of Alzheimer’s disease that will affect generations, new policies will have to be adopted to acknowledge the complex and unique needs of people with dementia.
The aging of the US population has turned the prism to focus on the increasing number of families facing the challenge of providing care for people with dementia, said Julie P.W. Bynum, associate professor at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. Writing in the April issue of Health Affairs, she says the “long reach” of Alzheimer’s will have an affect on broad-based national policies that must be addressed sooner rather than later.

Former director of the National Security Agency General Keith Alexander will be Norwich University’s 2014 commencement speaker. Alexander, who completed his 39-year Army career on March 28, 2014, served as the commander of the US Cyber Command and director National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service.

He was born in Syracuse, NY, and entered active duty at the US Military Academy at West Point.

As commander of USCYBERCOM, Alexander planned, coordinated and conducted defense operations for US Department of Defense computer networks as directed by US Strategic Command. As the NSA director and CSS chief, he was responsible for protecting national security, foreign signals intelligence, combat support, and protecting US national security information systems.

by Hilary Niles, vtdigger.org As much as 80 percent of the processed food sold in Vermont is a product of modern genetic engineering. An overwhelming majority of registered voters in the state want to to know which 80 percent, according to a new public opinion poll conducted for VTDigger.org by the Castleton Polling Institute.

The poll results show 79 percent of respondents support a law to require the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified ingredients. Vermonters’ support for what would be a landmark labeling law surpasses party lines, regional boundaries and differences in age, gender, education and income level.

Less than 10 percent of any one group is undecided on the issue.

The constituency showing the most opposition to the labeling law is Republicans, at 27 percent. Otherwise, no group reaches 20 percent opposition. Democrats show the least opposition, with just 9 percent.

Diana Nyad, who last year defied the odds and dangers to achieve her lifelong goal to become the first person to swim the 110 miles between Cuba and Florida without the aid of a shark cage or fins, will deliver the 2014 Middlebury College commencement address on Sunday, May 25.

A remarkable all-around athlete, Nyad set open-water records in the 1970s for speed when she swam around the island of Manhattan in under eight hours and for distance when she swam the 102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Florida. Retiring from competitive swimming at age 30, she focused on writing and broadcasting, becoming the author of three books, and reporting for such media outlets as ABC, CBS, and NPR. Nyad returned to the water at age 60. She made three attempts to swim the full distance from Havana to Key West before completing the epic journey last year at the age of 64.

Under the new ownership of Devonwood Investors, LLC and Mountain Development Corp, the Burlington Town Center is poised to undergo a number of improvements that will redefine the Burlington shopping experience for years to come. Among their first enhancements is joining the Route 802 ecosystem and the Mobilenomix platform, a new media outlet over which businesses can promote their brands through digital signage and mobile technologies. The Burlington Town Center will be the first indoor public venue to deliver Gigabit Wi-Fi to its shoppers.

The integration of the Mobilenomix platform in downtown Burlington opens the door for technology-centered advancements to further improve its creative, thriving economy. “The Gigabit Wi-Fi is a great amenity for our shoppers and enables many other value-added services for our tenants,” General Manager of the Burlington Town Center Matt Chabot said.

Governor Peter Shumlin and legislative leaders today unveiled two proposals designed to attract, grow and retain high-tech companies that provide well-paying, skilled jobs for Vermonters.

The proposals, if approved in the economic development bills moving through the State House, would create flexibility for the state to respond to exigent circumstances with significant effect on jobs, and would support additional VEDA lending for tech start-ups with a bright future in Vermont.