Current News

by Robert F. Smith, The Commons, Brattleboro Unless immediate decisive action is taken to transform Vermont's health care system, it will be financially unsustainable by 2030. This is the conclusion of a hired consultant's 10-month review of health care in Vermont. More than 60 people attended a community meeting organized by the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) at Brooks Memorial Library on July 17, where the report's findings were presented and discussed. The presentation was one of several being held around the state in July. It was led by consultant Dr. Bruce Hamory, an infectious disease specialist who works as chief medical officer for the consulting firm Oliver Wyman and its Health and Life Sciences practice.

Green Mountain Care Board The GMCB schedule for hospital budget reviews begins August 6. Board Members and presenters will participate remotely through Microsoft Teams. Members of the public can attend board meetings by using the links or call-in phone numbers listed below. 

Vermont Business Magazine Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC), in collaboration with the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (GIV), has successfully concluded the GIV 2024 Health & Medicine South Institute at Vermont State University-Castleton. This transformative program welcomed sixty Vermont high school students for a week-long immersion into the world of health and medicine. Throughout the institute, students participated in a series of dynamic, hands-on activities designed to explore various health careers. Activities included handling surgical instruments, performing neurological exams, learning about diabetes management through practical experiments, suturing with real kits, splinting, applying tourniquets safely, and participating in a Vermont Emergency First Responder (VEFR) class covering CPR/AED techniques. 

Vermont Business Magazine World Breastfeeding Week 2024 begins on August 1, and the Department of Health along with communities around Vermont will showcase the important health benefits breastfeeding/chestfeeding has for both infants and parents, and the supports available to make it an easy choice. According to the 2022 CDC Breastfeeding Report Card, 91.8% of Vermont infants born in 2019 had ever been breastfed, compared to a national average of 83.2%. The 2024 Report Card is due to be released in August. This year’s global celebration will highlight the theme Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All – the global goal of ensuring that everyone has access to lactation support.

Vermont Business Magazine In a 3-2 decision issued today, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) approved the University of Vermont Medical Center’s (UVMMC) application for a Certificate of Need (CON) to develop a multi-specialty outpatient surgery center in South Burlington. This decision supports GMCB’s goal to expand access to high-quality surgical care in the region. GMCB imposed several conditions in the CON to ensure that the project aligns with Vermont’s CON laws, including: To address an undue impact on the affordability of care for commercial ratepayers, the GMCB limited commercial reimbursements for cases done at the new center to 170% of the amount Medicare would reimburse for the same services.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following reaction to President Biden’s proposed Supreme Court reforms announced today: “President Biden’s proposed reforms would do what Chief Justice Roberts has failed to do time and time again—get this Court in order. Decades of ethical violations and a blatant disregard for judicial precedent have eroded the public’s trust in the Supreme Court, and today that trust is at an all-time low. Compounding these ethical concerns, this activist Supreme Court has stripped away constitutional rights and pushed a political agenda at the behest of far-right extremists. The actions of this Court have threatened the foundation of our democracy—and make President Biden’s proposals as urgent as they are necessary."

Vermont Business Magazine COTS and Evernorth were joined by Senator Peter Welch, residents, funders, and community members on Monday to cut the ribbon on Main Street Family Housing, 16 permanently affordable homes for families formerly living in emergency shelters or motels. The new multifamily apartment building was constructed on existing COTS property, adjoining their Main Street Family Shelter. These new apartments will provide families with permanent, service-enriched housing as well as continued access to COTS support services, including connections to affordable childcare opportunities, referrals to medical and mental health supports if needed, assistance setting personal and financial goals, as well as a range of housing retention services. The downtown location helps residents maintain easy access to a wide array of amenities and transportation options.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Lavallee, 31, of Bristol, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of Luring a Child. The charge brought against the defendant is the result of an undercover criminal investigation initially conducted by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois and later referred to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Lavallee communicated online via Facebook with a Henderson County Sheriff’s officer posing as a 13-year-old minor. The defendant engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the investigator. 

by TJ Kingsbury, Kingsbury Companies For the second consecutive year – exactly one year to the day – Vermont has been struck by catastrophic flooding, wreaking havoc across our beautiful state. Kingsbury Companies, alongside many others, has been on the frontlines of cleanup and recovery efforts these past few weeks, and we are still supporting Vermonters in the aftermath of this relentless natural disaster. The repeated damage we’ve encountered – crumbling roadways, devastated driveways, infrastructure deterioration, and access-blocking debris – underscores an unpleasant reality: flooding in our home state is not an isolated incident, but a recurring challenge we need to address with foresight and strategy.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) held our 2024 Annual Meeting on June 26, 2024, outside of our offices in Woodstock, Vermont. Our Board of Representatives was joined by TRORC staff and community members for the election of officers, announcement of scholarships, and Volunteer of the Year award presentation. We are excited to announce that our Executive Committee Officers will continue their excellent service. The officers include William Emmons, Chair (Pomfret); John Echeverria, Vice Chair (Strafford); Peter Berger, Treasurer (Fairlee); and Nancy Jones, Secretary (Bradford). Brian Loeb (Norwich) will join Nancy Malmquist (West Fairlee) and Ken Alton as Executive Committee Members-At-Large. We are grateful for their strategic insight and community involvement.

Vermont Business Magazine American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced the 2024 recipients of the Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant program. 50 small restaurants in the U.S. will receive a $50,000 grant each to help them upgrade, renovate and grow their businesses. The grant program significantly expanded its reach this year, doubling the number of grantees, including in 13 new states, and increasing the total grant funding to $2.5 million, up from $1 million in prior years. MKT: Grafton restaurant has received a $50,000 grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation as part of the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” grant program.  

Vermont Business Magazine On July 15^th, three Vermont hospitals, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Copley Hospital in Morrisville, and Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, signed an accord as founding member organizations of the New England Collaborative Health Network (NECHN). Each member committed to work inter-dependently for the long-term sustainability of independent community hospitals, health systems and community partners in care.