Department of Health

Vermont’s announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to significantly narrow eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines, and is the latest example of a state breaking with the federal government over immunizations.

Dr. Rick Hildebrant, chief medical information officer of Rutland Regional Medical Center, will serve as Vermont’s new health commissioner. Kendal Smith, a longtime member of Scott's administration, will lead the Department of Labor.

The Trump administration is threatening to pull Vermont’s funding for a federal sex education program if it doesn't remove language that references gender identity. State officials say they’re working to understand the impact of the order.

Department of Health leaders previously expected to lose $1.1 million in federal funding to curb tobacco use. Now, they think the funding will come through.

Plus: an update on ICE detentions in Vermont

The canceled grants support vaccine programs and infectious disease detection and prevention. The Department of Mental Health will also lose federal funds that provided community-based support and crisis response.

Levine attributes the state's low death rate in part to widespread adherence to public health guidance. He's set to retire this month.

For many Vermont farmers, bird flu poses an especially serious risk this year, amid fears the virus could spread to dairy cattle in the state.

The Vermont Department of Health recently released data from the state's first registry for the disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS. Some reports have linked cyanobacteria algae blooms in lake and ponds to the disease, but some health officials caution against those studies.

The percentage of 1 and 2-year-olds who had their blood tested for lead reached an all time high in 2023.