Current News

The Vermont State Department of Buildings and General Services and Efficiency Vermont recently collaborated on the expansion and renovation of the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) building in Middlesex. The building preserves some of the State’s most important public documents in an energy-efficient building that also will generate long-term savings for taxpayers. Former Secretary of State, Governor Jim Douglas was an ardent supporter of this project and he was joined by legislators Senator Phil Scott and Representative Alice Emmons in dedicating this state-of-the-art building in May of this year.
Vermont’s treasures weren’t always so well-preserved. This project fulfills the State’s long-term goal to relocate the papers, maps, photographs, and other collections from basements ‘ some with leaky pipes ‘ and other buildings to one centralized and secure location.

Governor-elect Shumlin announced today that Noelle Mackay will be Commissioner of the Department of Economic , Housing and Community Affairs and Jennifer Hollar will be the Deputy Commissioner.

Today, the EPA and the Clean Air Act got a huge boost from large and small US companies, when over 60,000 firms represented by 14 business organizations told Congress to keep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Clean Air Act strong.
At the same time, the groups expressed concern that the EPA's half-year delay of pending ozone (smog) rules will be costly to US companies. The delay could result in higher health costs due to increased employee sick-day absenteeism and related medical costs borne entirely or partially by small and large US companies.

Weekly unemployment claims fell again last week, offsetting somewhat a recent surge in claims, as activity has been volatile lately. For the week of December 11, 2010, there were 1,156 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance, a decrease of 215 from the week before. Altogether 10,467 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 878 from a week ago and 2,191 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,141 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 392 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 724 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 42 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at:http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, 38 other Attorneys General, and the Federal Trade Commission filed settlements today with The Dannon Company, Inc, regarding Dannon’s advertising of Activia and DanActive yogurt products. Under the multistate settlement, Dannon will change its marketing practices and pay $21 million to the Attorneys General to settle allegations that Dannon made unsubstantiated and unlawful marketing claims. The $21 million payment is the largest payment to date in a multistate settlement with a food producer. Vermont’s share of the settlement is $425,000.
‘Dannon led consumers to believe that its Activia and DanActive products offered health benefits, but it lacked scientific evidence to support its claims,’ said Attorney General Sorrell. ‘Companies can’t use scientific-sounding names and say certain products are good for us without having supportive scientific studies.’

Six of the nation’s leading health care systems today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration to improve health care quality while reducing costs.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Cleveland Clinic, Denver Health, Geisinger Health System, Intermountain Healthcare, and Mayo Clinic will join The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice to share data on outcomes, quality, and costs across a range of common and costly conditions and treatments. The group will determine best practices for delivering care for these conditions and will rapidly disseminate actionable recommendations to providers and health systems across the United States. In addition to achieving better quality and outcomes, the Collaborative intends to improve the efficiency of standard clinical care delivery to reduce the per capita cost in these conditions and to keep costs in pace with the consumer price index.

The University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care have announced that Claire F Verschraegen, MS, MD, FACP, has been appointed Professor and Chief of Hematology-Oncology and Interim Director of the Vermont Cancer Center, with oversight for cancer care and research at Vermont's academic medical center.
A board-certified oncologist, Verschraegen specializes in rare cancers, such as mesothelioma, metastatic melanomas, sarcomas, and gynecologic malignancies, as well as the study of new anticancer drugs and treatments for solid tumors.
"Dr. Verschraegen will bring a new dimension to our cancer program," said Melinda Estes, M.D., president and CEO, Fletcher Allen Health Care. "Her leadership in the field of oncology will serve us, and our patients, well in the years ahead. I look forward to working with her."

A new report from the Vermont Community Foundation provides the first comprehensive look at Vermont’s nonprofit sector in almost a decade. Vermont’s Nonprofit Sector: A Vital Community in a Time of Change reveals that Vermonters have a great deal of trust in nonprofit organizations to deliver quality services on their behalf. Overwhelmingly, Vermonters’ have a firm understanding of what nonprofits are and positive impressions of their work. However, the report suggests the public needs better information to help them evaluate whether the nonprofit sector is providing its services efficiently.

A team of Burlington High School students earned more than $19,000 in ten weeks playing the Stock Market Game run by the Vermont Council on Economic Education (VCEE).
Today, two Burlington students ‘ Felix Keydel and Mien Chau ‘ were announced as the official winners in the high school division of the Game and were recognized at an awards ceremony at the school at 1:30 pm.
More than 400 Vermont high school students from 14 high schools and 230 elementary and middle school students from 15 schools participated in the fall 2010 Stock Market Game competition. Between October 4 and December 10, the winning students from Burlington High School turned an initial investment of $100,000 into $119,739. The 19 percent return on investment was more than double the Standard and Poor’s 500 average stock market gain.

The trustees of Central Vermont Medical Center and Fletcher Allen Health Care have voted to proceed with an affiliation agreement -- subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals -- as a way to provide better care to patients, improve health and reduce costs for Vermonters.
The Fletcher Allen board of trustees unanimously voted today, joining the CVMC board, which unanimously voted in favor of affiliation on December 7.
‘This is a significant step in developing a coordinated health care system in Vermont that will improve care and reduce costs for Vermonters,’ said Judy Tarr, president and chief executive officer of CVMC. ‘This affiliation builds on existing clinical partnerships and also closely aligns with the state and federal health care reform agendas that promote enhanced integration.’

The University of Vermont Board of Trustees today approved President Daniel Mark Fogel’s appointment of Jane E Knodell as provost and senior vice president.
"I couldn't be happier that Dr. Knodell has accepted the position of Provost and Senior Vice President," noted UVM President Daniel Mark Fogel. "During her time in the interim role, she has shown the leadership skills, creativity, and high level of energy necessary to succeed in this challenging job, while proving to be an exceptional colleague and team member. I am grateful to have Jane as a partner in addressing the many challenges ahead, and the University is fortunate to have such a talented individual leading our academic enterprise."
Knodell, who had been serving in that capacity since July of 2009 on an interim basis, emerged as one of two finalists last month from an internal search process that took place during the fall semester.

The Board of Directors of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has announced the appointment of Steven R Gordon of Newton, Massachusetts, as the new President and Chief Executive Officer. The appointment will be effective in early March of next year, according to Kirsten Beske, Chair of the BMH Board of Directors. Gordon will be replacing Barry Beeman who announced his intentions to retire from the position at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital earlier this year. Gordon brings more than 25 years of experience in health care and hospital management to BMH.