Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 09:28AM Vermont has been ranked #1 healthiest in America’s Health Rankings for many years in a row. But Vermonters are not equally healthy, as reported in the latest County Health Rankings by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 11:39AM Results from the Castleton Polling Institute’s latest survey show that Vermonters are torn on whether the state should proceed with a publicly financed, single payer health care system.
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 04:52PM Vermont took steps forward to reduce tobacco use in some areas, but fell short in adequately funding the tobacco control program to protect children and curb tobacco-related disease in 2012, according to the American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control 2013 report released Jan. 16.
Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 02:30PM Following up on the success of a local tobacco cessation program, the Alliance for Community Transformations, a health and wellness advocacy program based at the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, is expanding its work in Bennington County.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 02:14PM United Health Foundation has conducted health rankings for the last 23 years. Vermont, which started out as 17th in 1998, rose to No. 1 in the rankings and has remained there for four years.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 01:41PM The State of Vermont is set to receive several hundred million dollars in new Medicaid funds as part of the Affordable Care Act, which calls on all states to expand their Medicaid eligibility standards to at least 133 percent of federal poverty levels.
Monday, April 9, 2012 at 04:12PM More than seven months after Tropical Storm Irene's flooding forced the closure of the antiquated Vermont State Hospital, Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday signed into law a top-to-bottom overhaul of the state's mental health system.
Friday, April 6, 2012 at 04:13PM Vermont’s top mental health official is promising the state will improve its methods for transporting mental health patients when they have to move. The Associated Press reported this week that despite a seven-year-old state law which states that patients are to be moved in the least restrictive way necessary, about two-thirds are still being moved from place to place by county sheriffs in handcuffs and leg shackles.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 04:15PM How healthy is your county? To see how the place where you live stacks up against the rest of the U.S., check out the latest County Health Rankings, an annual report comparing health trends for more than 3,000 counties, plus the District of Columbia.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:15PM This report outlines provisions in the Affordable Care Act for integrating healthcare services for low-income women and children to improve outcomes and cut costs. Examines public-private partnerships and other efforts in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Vermont.
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 01:36PM The man charged with developing Vermont’s health care reform effort, Dr William Hsiao of Harvard University, presented his report to the state Legislature today. He outlined three options and of those recommended a hybrid single-payer system that would offer a government-mandated, essential benefit package managed by a private entity and include an oversight board.
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 01:37PM New data from the Vermont Department of Mental Health appear to add fuel to the fire of criticism that several drugs widely used with the mentally ill raise the risk of diabetes in those patients.
Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 10:07AM Gov. Peter Shumlin recently signed "Nick's Law" — legislation meant to prevent the kinds of drunk-driving accidents that claimed 18-year old Nick Fournier's life in 2007.
Link to full articleThursday, April 21, 2011 at 01:56PM John Perry, who retired last year as director of planning for the Vermont Department of Corrections, says sending hard-core drug addicts directly to treatment instead of prison could save the state’s taxpayers roughly $4 million a year.
Link to full articleThursday, February 17, 2011 at 03:59PM If there was any doubt that Gov. Peter Shumlin was serious about making Vermont the first state in the nation to adopt a single-payer health care system, the bill his administration presented to lawmakers this week should to put to rest any questions about his determination to plow ahead into uncharted territory.
Link to full article