Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) invites you to attend our upcoming board meeting on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, where we will host a discussion with Dr. Peter Pronovost on his Medicare Breakeven Project in Cleveland. Dr. Pronovost, a nationally recognized leader in patient safety and healthcare innovation, will share insights into his research and work addressing financial sustainability in healthcare systems. The Board will engage in a discussion about the implications of this project and its relevance to Vermont’s healthcare landscape.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Senate gave initial approval to H.141, the FY25 Budget Adjustment Act (BAA). This bill makes investments in housing, flood recovery, health care and other critical needs and reflects the Senate’s commitment to building a more resilient and prosperous future for all Vermonters. Highlights of H.141 include: Housing: $11.4 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) for various housing initiatives and $1.8 million to support General Assistance Emergency Housing, extending emergency winter weather housing provisions; Flood Recovery: $5.7 million to the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund for flood recovery and $1.8 million for grants to municipalities impacted by floods.

Vermont Business Magazine A volcano overflowing with lava: that’s how Vicki Mascareño-Nelson describes the pain in her jaw and chest last year, just days after Valentine’s Day. While its root cause was ultimately found to be a medical emergency, her first thought was less surprising: It must be the chocolate. It wasn’t until several hours later, when severe fatigue set in, that Mascareño-Nelson made her way to the Emergency Department of University of Vermont Medical Center with the help of her husband. Attending physicians and nurses quickly recognized that she was having a heart attack.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Lena McKirryher, 60, of Pittsford, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, and one felony count of Medicaid Fraud. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Ms. McKirryher was the contracted shared living provider for an adult individual with a medical history including epilepsy and developmental disabilities. Per the contract, Ms. McKirryher’s responsibilities included maintaining medical records, ensuring that the individual received regular medical examinations and any appropriate medical treatment, and ensuring that medications were used only as prescribed. After the individual passed away in September 2023, an autopsy revealed signs of neglect, including open wounds and malnutrition; subsequent investigation also indicated that the individual’s medication had not been administered as prescribed and the individual had not attended regular medical appointments.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Brian Wood, 22, of Hartford, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on one felony count of Luring a Child. The charge brought against Mr. Wood is the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants, conducted by Hartford Police Department and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office. Based on the criminal investigation, Mr. Wood is alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a minor on the Snapchat and Facebook platforms. Mr. Wood pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on February 24, 2025, in Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Unit, Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Heather Gray presiding, ordered conditions of release which restrict Mr. Wood’s access to minors, electronic devices, and the internet.

by Timothy Dean, Dartmouth Very early exposure to even a very small dose of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in infant mice can lead to cognitive decline later in life, according to findings from a new Dartmouth-led study, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and published in the journal PLoS Pathogens. This is significant because of emerging data in human studies showing an association between HSV and Alzheimer’s disease in humans. HSV infections are very common, typically affecting the skin and the nervous system. While these infections often lay dormant in the body and usually don’t pose serious health risks, HSV can be much more dangerous for those with underdeveloped immune systems such as newborns. Neonatal HSV, which is associated with high rates of disease and death, affects about 14,000 newborns worldwide each year.

Vermont Business Magazine VMEC, Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, has released its annual impact report.  As Vermont’s only singularly focused resource for manufacturers, VMEC is the official representative of the MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) National Network in the Green Mountain State. And in recognition of their 30 years in business, they have also compiled the results of their history since opening their doors in 1995. Highlights of the Vermont FY 2024 annual report include: Over $31,000,000 in increased and retained sales; 433 total jobs created; this figure includes direct, indirect and induced jobs. Highlights of the 30th anniversary Impact Report include: Over $400,000,000 in increased sales and over $570,000,000 in retained sales; Nearly 4,600 jobs retained. 

Vermont Business Magazine At the national level, the former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has been raising awareness of both an “epidemic of loneliness” and its impacts on health. Lack of social connection can increase risk for heart disease and stroke, and can be as detrimental to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Meanwhile, being socially engaged and connected to others and one's community can lead to improved mental and physical health, a longer life span, and a renewed sense of purpose. Area Agencies on Aging, including Central Vermont Council On Aging (CVCOA), are taking up the call to action, assisting older adults to strengthen their social connections and relationships.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations are down. The VDH is no longer reporting COVID fatalities and cases in Vermont. Hospitalizations fell to just under 10 after a recent spike. Wastewater testing fell steeply also after a recent spike, especially in Montpelier, but also at most test sites. There were only 2 reported outbreaks. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark has joined a coalition of 18 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland supporting Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, and individual patients and their families in their lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The coalition have urged the Court to grant PFLAG’s motion for a preliminary injunction. On February 4, 2025, PFLAG challenged President Trump’s Executive Orders targeting transgender individuals by stating that gender identity was a “false” idea and by attempting to strip federal funding from institutions that provide life-saving gender-affirming care for young people under the age of 19. The coalition of state attorneys general argue that this action blatantly and unlawfully discriminates against transgender youth based on their identity.  

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his cabinet will be in Lamoille County on Friday, February 28 for its Capital for a Day 14-county tour. Governor Scott first launched this initiative in June 2018, and he and his cabinet visited all 14 counties over the following 10 months. Capital for a Day gives local constituents, municipal government leaders and other partners the opportunity to connect directly with state leadership and staff. “Spending a day in each county gives us an opportunity to hear directly from Vermonters, see the good things happening in their communities and understand how decisions made in Montpelier are impacting them,” said Governor Scott. “In the past, challenges identified on these visits led us to make historic investments in wastewater systems to support economic growth, strengthen our CTE centers, collaborate on public safety issues and more.”

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) last week filed four Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) that would block the sale of $8.56 billion in offensive U.S. weaponry to Israel. Earlier this month, the Trump administration notified Congress of its approval of four major offensive arms sales to Israel, including tens of thousands of the bombs, missiles and artillery shells Israel has used to destroy huge swathes of Gaza and Lebanon. These munitions are directly implicated in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. The export of these weapons would clearly violate the criteria laid out in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).