Current News

VermontBiz On Thursday, the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) Board of Commissioners awarded Vermont State Affordable Housing Tax Credits for developing rental and for-sale homes across the state. Once they are sold to investors, the credits will yield over $4.8 million in equity to fund construction and substantial rehabilitation of 246 rental and for-sale homes and support the statewide Manufactured Housing Downpayment Program for approximately 41 homes. This program provides downpayment assistance for Zero Energy Modular and energy-efficient manufactured homes.  

VermontBiz Patients and families will continue to receive safe, high-quality care at the University of Vermont Medical Center during a planned five-day nursing strike, if one occurs starting July 12. Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals has given hospital leaders a required 10-day strike notice.

UVM Medical Center has put in motion plans to bring in professional external staff, and if needed, reschedule certain elective procedures. Patients will be contacted by their provider if they will be impacted. As a Level I Trauma Center, the academic medical center provides life-saving critical care to our region, and Emergency Department, ICU, NICU, and other vital services will remain operational. Clinical and operational leaders will stand up a 24/7 incident command structure for the duration.

VermontBiz On the cool, green slopes of Mt. Ascutney, is where most would want to begin this magical, two-day celebration in Brownsville!  Here is where a mountain and a village burst out into the grand Independence Day festivities. 

Starting at 6 PM on July 3, take in the views as mouth-watering aromas swirl through mountain- fresh air at Ascutney Outdoors.  Enjoy an array of tasty delights by 4 diverse food vendors while anticipating the best, eye-popping fireworks display in the region.  Get there early to ensure that you get to savor them all! 

VermontBiz A record 129 employers in Vermont will receive awards for their efforts to promote wellness initiatives within the workplace. Governor Philip B. Scott, state Health Commissioner Mark Levine and Janet Franz, chair of the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, will present the awards to business owners, company presidents, chief officers, and human resources directors on October 10, 2024, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington.

VermontBiz Improving quality of care for birthing people has been a laser focus for Rutland Regional Medical Center’s (RRMC) Women and Children’s Unit and Birthing Center. This past January, the steady work to improve maternal health outcomes paid off when the hospital was formally named a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care—the only hospital in Vermont to receive this distinction. This award is for exceptional care demonstrated through specific measurable outcomes at facilities that meaningfully differentiate the delivery of care.

VermontBiz According to a new study, Alaska has been named as the state where residents are most interested in having a home birth. 

• Alaska is the state most interested in home births, with 10.34 searches per 100,000 people. 
• Vermont has the second highest interest in home births, with 8.88 searches per 100,000 people. 
• Alabama is the state least interested in home births, with 3.44 searches per 100,000 people.  

Birth Injury Lawyers Group investigated which states are most interested in giving birth at home. They analyzed the number of searches for 18 search terms, such as ‘home birth’, ‘what is a home birth?’ ‘What is a home water birth?’ and ‘at home birth’. The number of searches for each term was taken from the last 12 months for each state. The number of searches per 100,000 people determined the final ranking. 

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Mental Health is proud to announce the launch of a new website designed to assist individuals and families affected by problem gambling. The new site, VTGamblingHelp.org, serves as a valuable resource for those seeking immediate assistance and support for problems related to gambling, as well as those looking to promote healthy and responsible gaming behaviors. 

 VermontBiz U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today joined the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), local leaders and organizations in celebrating the groundbreaking of the Bay Ridge neighborhood project, which will provide 94 new permanently affordable homes including 68 affordable apartments for rent developed by the CHT. Sen. Welch nominated and secured federal funding for the project through the FY24 Congressional Directed Spending (CDS) process. 

VermontBiz The community showed strong support for UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice at its annual Jiggety Jog 5K fundraiser last month, helping to beat the goal and raise over $128,000 to ensure more community members receive high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care from highly skilled practitioners.

This annual fundraising event is the single largest fundraiser for the McClure Miller Respite House, Vermont’s only Medicare-certified inpatient hospice residence. Every dollar raised goes directly toward providing services for neighbors at end-of-life, regardless of their ability to pay.

VermontBiz The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 28, 2024, Clair Deslandes, 65, of Island Pond, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 30 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Deslandes previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base pursuant to a plea agreement with the United States.

VermontBiz With nearly two centuries of service as a non-profit psychiatric hospital, the Brattleboro Retreat proudly launches its latest educational outreach initiative: the Unravelling podcast. Hosted by therapist Kurt White and journalist Mary Wilson, Unravelling seeks to enrich the conversation on mental health by delving into the often-overlooked complexities, providing a more nuanced perspective than typically found in public discourse.  

VermontBiz In 2.5 weeks, over 6,000 attendees will enjoy the 31st Vermont Brewers Festival at Waterfront Park from July 19th-20th. The festival is organized by the Vermont Brewers Association (VBA), who have organized the extensively successful Vermont Brewers Festival since 1991. This year will feature 32 Vermont Breweries, 11 out-of-state and Canadian Breweries with over 200 beers to try over the two-day festival, many of which are collaboration and festival exclusive beers!

Excited to hear some of the unique beers that you will only find at this event? Switchback’s employee-led venture, Askew Beer partnered with Terry from Prohibition Pig to brew Secret Handshake, a traditional German-style Kolsch that packs a big grapefruit punch.