Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Funding is now available for Vermont organizations in the Brattleboro area through the Crosby-Gannett Fund grant program. The purpose of the fund is to support endeavors that contribute to the betterment and vitality of the Brattleboro area. The Crosby-Gannett Fund awards a grant to one applicant annually. The grant term will be active for three years, and the grantee will receive $7,500 per year, totaling $22,500 over the three-year period. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) is the second-largest college in Vermont, serving nearly 10,000 students each year. This spring, close to 5,000 students are enrolled, marking a 5% increase compared with spring 2025. Alongside growth are changes in how students are accessing their education. As a statewide institution that keeps access as its north star, CCV is adapting in innovative ways. CCV was a pioneer of remote learning, offering its first online class in 1996. The popularity of online classes has continued post-pandemic, and CCV has modified its offerings accordingly. Between fall 2019 and fall 2025, CCV saw a 69% increase in students choosing to take online courses, and a 59% decrease in students choosing to take in-person courses. A spectrum of attendance options in six different class formats provides access for a diverse student body.

Vermont Business Magazine A peer-reviewed study published this month in Health Services Research, one of the nation’s leading health policy journals, has found that Vermont’s Support and Services at Home (SASH) model is a highly cost-effective health approach to keeping older adults healthy and helping them avoid catastrophic health crises, like strokes and heart failure. Participants gained more than a year of healthy life at a cost well below standard U.S. benchmarks. The study, “Cost-Effectiveness of the Support and Services at Home (SASH) Program for Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Community-Based Approach to Healthy Aging in Place,” was led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Vermont, in partnership with Cathedral Square, the South Burlington-based nonprofit that created SASH in 2009. The analysis drew on health data from 6,154 SASH participants collected between 2017 and 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senate leaders, joined by the State Treasurer’s Office, health care advocates, workers, and providers, today outlined a major package of legislation advancing this session aimed at lowering health care costs for families and reducing pressure on property taxpayers. As Vermonters face rising costs for housing, food, and health care, lawmakers emphasized that health insurance is one of the biggest drivers of both household expenses and local property taxes, particularly through school and municipal budgets. The Senate’s approach targets the underlying drivers of cost growth — especially high hospital prices — while also strengthening access to primary care to reduce long-term costs.

Vermont Business Magazine First Children’s Finance Vermont has announced the latest recipients of the Make Way for Kids (MWFK) Infant and Toddler Capacity Building Grants, supporting early childhood entrepreneurs who are expanding access to high-quality, affordable child care across the state. This round of grants will support the opening or expansion of 20 programs in 11 counties, creating dozens of new child care spaces and supporting new jobs statewide. The programs focus on serving infants and toddlers, the age groups facing Vermont’s most significant shortage of available slots.

Vermont Business Magazine In the aftermath of Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy’s repeated and dangerous misinformation campaign inaccurately linking vaccines to autism, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) today called on Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to hold a hearing to set the record straight on autism research and clarify that vaccines are safe and effective and do not cause autism.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations have edged back up to just over 5 cases statewide. Other indicators through wastewater analysis show COVID-19, Norovirus and especially RSV in Vermont and nationally are active. There were no measles cases after one reported in Vermont in February in Washington County and the rate nationally is low. While there was no measles virus detected recently, RSV and Norovirus were high at all the Vermont wastewater testing sites. COVID virus was high in Montpelier and South Burlington test sites, but Medium in Essex. There were no outbreaks reported in Vermont,

by Devon Green, VAHHS Sr. Vice President of Policy & Strategy As always, Crossover Week was a wild ride as some bills advanced out of their policy committees and lived to see another day and other bills died on the wall. See below for a recap of our biggest bills. We’ll have a full analysis next week. Site Neutral: The House Health Care Committee advanced H.585, a bill that started off with several health insurance proposals and a large proposal to make all outpatient services site-neutral. After VAHHS testimony that converting all outpatient services to site neutral would have more than a $200M impact on hospitals, the version of the bill that passed out of committee on Friday has a more targeted approach with an equalized fee schedule for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and athletic training.

by Mona Abou, Community News Service Employers would be prohibited from requiring workers to use their parental and family leave after a work-related injury or illness under H.459. The bill was introduced during the last legislative session in April 2025. Rep. Teddy Waszazak, D-Washington-3, told the House Committee on General and Housing that he introduced the bill after hearing from workers who said their employers required them to use up other leave time before receiving workers compensation benefits.

Vermont Business Magazine Judy Schaechter M.D., MBA, Division Director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention and Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at the University of Miami has been appointed as the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and UVM Health and Chief of Pediatrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital at University of Vermont Health, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Schaechter succeeds Lewis First, M.D., M.S., who joined the University of Vermont in 1994 as Professor and Chair of Pediatrics and has served in these roles ever since, making him the longest-serving pediatric department chair in the nation.

Vermont Business Magazine With National Poison Prevention Week kicking off, local Kinney Drugs pharmacists are hoping to prevent several common situations such as: Someone taking a medication prescribed for another person, a child getting into a medicine cabinet, or an expired sterile product becoming contaminated with bacteria (especially eye drops or liquids).

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) in introducing the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act, new bicameral legislation to provide much-needed tax relief for millions of working Americans who are struggling to afford the cost of living as wages remain stagnant and prices rise. The lawmakers’ bill provides broad, permanent tax cuts to nearly 130 million working Americans and eliminates federal income taxes for Americans who earn less than $46,000, the median cost of living. Additionally, the legislation provides a significant tax break to individuals making between $46,000 to $80,500, with proportionally higher rates for heads of households and married couples.