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by Erin Forbes, DVM, Mountain View Animal Hospital Chair, VVMA Communications Committee May is arthritis awareness month in pets. Just like humans, animals all suffer from this inflammatory condition that causes pain, swelling, and a decreased quality of life. Osteoarthritis (OA) is considered a degenerative joint disease, which means it cannot be cured but controlled. Fortunately, there are many options in veterinary medicine to help ensure your beloved companion is able to enjoy their life to the fullest, even when they have arthritis. Arthritis is a complex disease that leads to chronic pain. The joints will begin to deteriorate, your pet will start to make lifestyle changes—walking less, hiding more, not coming down the stairs. While some may think this is normal age-related changes, if caused by arthritis it is due to pain and should be addressed.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify electric vehicle (EV) charging providers that are capable of building out Vermont’s charging network to federal and state specifications. Providers selected in the RFQ process will be invited to bid on subsequent Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the design, construction, ownership, operation, and maintenance of public charging infrastructure along key routes. Vermont will receive $21.2 million during a five-year period from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. The first phase of the program focuses on installing fast chargers every 50 miles along the nation’s highway corridors, within one mile from highway exits. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day is TODAY from 12-8pm at Scoop Shops nationwide. Your fans can join in on this beloved day at any participating Scoop Shop in your area – yes, there will be longgg lines! We’d love to have your team stop by to shoot b-roll/cover the ice cream lovers waiting excitedly to snag a scoop. Locals can ring in spring by stopping by their local participating shop for their go-to favorite flavor or try new flavors like the brand-new Scoop Shop exclusive Mango flavor, recently debuted Non-Dairy Strawberry Cheezecake, or for the sweet and salty moments, new PB S’more and Impretzively Fudged. Officially born in Spring 1979, Free Cone Day is a day that has always been about thanking the fans, and this year will be no different—ice cream lovers can get in line as many times as they’d like. We’re serious! 

Vermont Business Magazine As springlike temperatures set in and people enjoy more time outside, it's time to start checking for ticks and taking the simple steps to prevent tick bite illnesses. Ticks can be found throughout Vermont whenever temperatures are above freezing, with populations peaking during spring and fall. Tick-borne diseases in Vermont are spread by the bite of infected black-legged ticks. Since they are active anytime temperatures are above freezing, health officials say people in Vermont can expect to encounter ticks during more times of the year. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) awarded accreditation recently to Copley Hospital’s Laboratory Services Department based on its recent onsite inspection as part of its ongoing accreditation program. CAP accreditation is a prestigious recognition that signifies adherence to rigorous standards ensuring high-quality patient care. Copley’s Lab is staffed by a team of phlebotomists, medical lab scientists, and a pathologist. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, processing samples from approximately 3,300 patients per month. Over the past year, the lab provided 352,389 laboratory procedures, demonstrating a commitment to serving the community.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) held its 2024 Annual Meeting of the Corporators, on Tuesday, April 9. The meeting took place at the hospital in the CVPS/Leahy Community Health Education Center. In addition to receiving a variety of updates, Corporators at the meeting elected new members of the corporation and voted to renew existing director terms and elect new directors to serve on the hospital's Board of Directors. The meeting also marked a transition in board leadership as Mark Foley, Jr. completed his two-year term as volunteer Board Chair. Longtime board member, Denise Clark, who has served most recently as Vice Chair, will succeed Foley to lead the board of directors for the next two years. 

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) held a special grand opening celebration of its Baby Café last week, a program offered for new parents through SVMC’s Women’s and Children’s Services (WCS). The Baby Café is a free, drop-in, informal breastfeeding support group offering ongoing professional lactation care and intervention. SVMC’s Baby Café is licensed through Baby Café USA, a non-profit 501(c)(3) that works to reduce health disparities nationwide and help mothers realize their breastfeeding goals. SVMC’s Baby Café started in January, meeting weekly at the Bennington Community Market, located at 239 Main Street. 

Vermont Business Magazine SaVida Health, a pioneer in outpatient medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, is excited to announce the relocation of its Colchester-area center to a new facility in South Burlington, Vermont. Starting April 15, 2024, the center will welcome patients at 366 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT. Heather Wenzel, Regional Vice President at SaVida Health, announced, "This relocation represents our ongoing commitment to the community and our dedication to providing an enhanced care environment. Our new South Burlington facility will continue to deliver the exceptional, patient-focused care that SaVida Health is known for, in a location that better suits the needs of our patients and staff."

Vermont Business Magazine Seventy-five students from five Burlington-area high schools will attend the second Careers in Cancer event at the UVM Cancer Center on April 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will receive career advice from UVM Cancer Center leadership, faculty, staff, and trainees and will observe faculty and students working on cancer research in several of the university’s research labs. The UVM Cancer Center is located within the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. The Careers in Cancer series was developed in part to address the ongoing shortage of oncology workers in the U.S., as the incidence of cancer increases, patients live longer, and many oncology professionals reach retirement age. The most recent comprehensive study projected in 2007 that the need for oncology workers would increase by 48% between 2005 and 2020, but that the supply would increase by only 14%. Experts say that predicted shortage has materialized. 

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain Housing Trust announced an expansion of its program that provides a $25,000 forgivable loan to buyers who are Black, Indigenous or people of color and who are buying a permanently affordable home through the trust or its partner agencies across the state. Originally operating in the northwest part of the state, the Homeownership Equity Program (HEP) Downpayment Assistance will now be available through nine partner organizations covering every county of the State. The program was created with a three-year grant from the New England Federal Credit Union in 2021. The expansion of the program is funded with $1 million set aside from a gift CHT received from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott last fall.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders started work today, leading Vermont’s Agency of Education and serving as the state’s chief school officer. She said her immediate focus will be getting to know Vermont’s schools, teachers and communities, while working collaboratively to strengthen the state’s public education system. Secretary Saunders steps into the critical role as the State works to address the needs of its students, while also navigating affordability challenges. Governor Phil Scott appointed her to the position on March 22. The state Senate is expected to take up her confirmation hearing next week.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission and the Vermont Historical Society are pleased to announce the first recipients of the Vermont 250th Community Planning Grants. Funding for the grants was provided by The Sunshine Lady Foundation and Vermont Covered, programs within the Doris Buffett Legacy Foundation. The first round of $1,000 grants was available to select communities around the state to help support activities in planning and preparation for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (250th) in 2026. Eight grants were awarded in this first round of funding from community art projects to local history publications to educational programs and historical signage. Grant recipients were: