Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Over 100 Vermont businesses from diverse industries completed the 2023 annual economic survey in January regarding the outlook of Vermont’s small- to medium-sized businesses. 80% of the business owners who responded have fewer than 25 employees. The survey, presented by Davis and Hodgdon CPAs and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, revealed that there is more optimism in business owners’ attitudes about the Vermont economy than there is optimism for the U.S. economy. Also noteworthy is that most business owners are optimistic about their operations and profitability in 2023 and many have made significant adjustments to their business models to adapt to post-pandemic life.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 75 million Americans have high blood pressure accompanied by heart muscle thickening and more than three million of these patients suffer from heart failure, a leading cause of hospital admissions and healthcare costs. In heart failure with a stiff heart muscle, the heart is less able to relax and refill with blood, which often causes debilitating shortness of breath. A new study published in JAMA Cardiology found evidence that a counterintuitive approach might be the key to addressing this problem, which is a diverse multisystem disease with few available therapies. Based on the results of this blinded, randomized clinical trial, called myPACE, the researchers learned that by implementing a tailored acceleration of heart rates, they could reduce congestion and improve the circulation of blood. A total of 107 HFpEF patients from Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York who have very specific kinds of pre-existing pacemakers participated in the study.

Dartmouth College Communications The Remsen Medical Sciences Building is closed following a fire Sunday morning in a seventh-floor laboratory. Access to the adjoining Kellogg Hall and Vail Research building will resume for research and education functions on Monday. Vail is closed on Sunday while the situation is being assessed. The fire was contained to the Remsen lab and set off the building’s sprinkler system in the vicinity of the fire. The Hanover Fire Department received an automated fire alarm call just after 7 a.m., and firefighters were on the scene moments later. No one was injured in the incident.

by Michael Del Trecco, CEO, VAHHS If you’ve read my columns over the past several months, you know that we at VAHHS have committed ourselves to reducing the rising tide of violence we’re seeing in Vermont’s health care workplaces—particularly in our emergency departments. We strongly support S.36, which attempts to enact measures to support our colleagues in health care, who are increasingly subject to physical and verbal abuse as they care for us and our neighbors. To put a human face on the problem of violence in Vermont’s health care settings, we convened a Workplace Violence Summit at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier.

Vermont Business Magazine The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, (VNAHSR), one of the state’s largest providers of skilled home health and hospice services, recognized Jeff Leake, PTA as Clinical Employee of the Quarter and Melissa (Missy) Brown, HR Generalist as Non-Clinical Employee of the Quarter. Employees of the Quarter are selected from nominations submitted by peers and acknowledge employees who go above and beyond their typical job duties and best reflect the agency values of honesty, excellence, accountability, teamwork, leadership, and helpfulness.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s child welfare system strives to promote the safety and well-being of children, youth and families. Act 129 of 2022 created the Office of the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate to add transparency and accountability to our state systems. This Office will center racial justice and uplift the voices of children, youth, and families impacted by the child welfare, juvenile justice, and related mental health systems. The Oversight Commission on Children, Youth, and Families announced today the appointment of Matthew Bernstein as the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate by Governor Scott. As director of Vermont's first Office of the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate, Matthew has extensive experience advocating for those impacted by the child welfare system and has demonstrated the ability to work with state agencies, legislature, advocates, and the community.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont will continue to support primary care practices who deliver essential care to our members and will continue the per-member-per-month (PMPM) care coordination payments for attributed members for all of 2023. In a statement, BlueCross Vermont said, "Our primary care providers need and deserve financial certainty. We recognize that making the difficult decision to forego a contract with OneCare Vermont for 2023 should not come at the expense of our provider community."

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Police troopers and members of DMV Enforcement are on the scene of a collision between an Amtrak train and a tractor trailer on Quarry Road near Vermont Route 14 in Sharon. No injuries have been reported in the crash, which occurred at about 11:45 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, when the train struck the tractor trailer’s trailer section. The flatbed trailer was carrying a load of stone from the nearby quarry. The trucking company involved is Lajoie Brothers Transport of Charlton, Massachusetts. The Amtrak train is being brought down the tracks to White River Junction with the passengers aboard.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), announced Monday that the panel will hold a hearing this Thursday, March 2, at 10 am ET titled, “Community Health Centers: Saving Lives, Saving Money.” Today, 30 million men, women, and children – including nearly 400,000 veterans – receive high quality primary health care at community health centers in 14,000 neighborhoods throughout the United States. In Vermont, nearly one out of every three people are now receiving their primary health care through a community health center across 73 sites – the highest per-capita use of community health centers in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont fell 4 cents per gallon last week and are now $3.42/g, according to GasBuddy. They are down 11 cents from last month and are down 19 cents from the same time last year. The lowest price in Vermont is $3.12/g in West Dummerston and the highest is $3.67/g in Pittsfield. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.32/g today.

Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS As we head into town meeting week next week, the countdown to crossover has begun. Things are starting to move fast! Regulatory Flexibilities: The House Health Care Committee voted out a bill that would extend certain COVID regulatory flexibilities, including health care provider licensure for an out-of-state provider in good standing at a facility when a provisional license is not available. The legislation includes a new section that requires this type of “deemed” licensure to be considered a Vermont license to address concerns that some health insurers are not accepting this form of licensure.