Now that the Green Mountain Care Board has released its recommendations that call for steep cost-cutting and the possible closure of some hospitals, it’s time to implement them. That process will be led by Vermont’s Agency of Human Services.

Researchers at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine have made a breakthrough that could help in the effort to better understand the causes of dementia and how to stop it.

On Tuesday, Vermont Secretary of Human Services Jenney Samuelson weighed in on a recent report that recommended dramatic changes to Vermont’s hospitals and the next steps in the process that will be undertaken by AHS, the Legislature, and others to address mounting challenges in the health care system.

More than two hundred people came out in support of North Country Hospital (NCH) and packed into the Gateway Center on Thursday night. The event was organized and held by NCH in response to the community’s response and expressions of fear and outrage. 

The Agency of Human Services (AHS) today released the following statement from Secretary of Human Services Jenney Samuelson: 

It has been about three weeks since the Green Mountain Care Board’s (GMCB) consultant, Oliver Wyman (OW), issued its report on the restructuring of our health care system. 

On September 18 the final recommendations from Oliver Wyman, the management consulting firm hired by the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) to examine Vermont’s healthcare system, were made public.

University of Vermont Medical Center is temporarily pausing construction of its planned outpatient surgical center. This decision comes as the hospital works to meet the obligations of Green Mountain Care Board orders that significantly reduce its budget for the new fiscal year, which began this month. 

If im­ple­mented, the health­care re­struc­tur­ing plan set out by a con­sult­ing firm hired by the Green Moun­tain Care Board (GMCB), could mean rad­i­cal changes at North Coun­try Hos­pi­tal, and other smaller hos­pi­tals in the state.

This month, The Green Mountain Care Board released a 144-page report that was independently put together by Oliver Wyman, looking at recommendations on how to improve Vermont's hospital system to provide for a more access, affordability and equity.

Grace Cottage Hospital's new chief executive officer is pushing back against a conclusion in a state-ordered study of Vermont's hospitals that the rural hospital in Townshend is "at risk of closing their inpatient beds ..."

A report presented last week to the Green Mountain Care Board makes sweeping recommendations for restructuring Vermont’s health care systems and some communities and hospital leaders fear the loss of emergency rooms and inpatient beds, and the diminishing of other services.

Gov. Phil Scott spoke to what the state is doing to address Vermont’s mental health crisis during his weekly news conference on Wednesday.