Hospitals

“There is no hospital in Vermont that is not in jeopardy,” stressed the consultant who led work on the report. Recommendations include closing inpatient beds and converting emergency departments into urgent care centers at Gifford Medical Center, Grace Cottage, North Country, and Springfield hospitals.

The union representing health care and higher education employees, AFT Vermont, says it’s doubled the number of workers in its ranks over the last six years.

Organizers say they plan to negotiate better wages, work flexibility, safe staffing ratios, and more transparency with management.

Copley Hospital, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Medical Center have formed the New England Collaborative Health Network.

Green Mountain Care Board Chair Owen Foster said the financial situation for the Lamoille County hospital was dire enough to warrant a rare mid-year price increase.

Several of the largest hospitals in the region say their emergency rooms are very busy, and patients should expect longer-than-usual wait times for non-life-threatening conditions.

Around the country, health care workers continue to grapple with their industry's massive carbon footprint. In Pittsburgh, doctors formed Clinicians for Climate Action to address the problem.

Health insurance premiums for Blue Cross Blue Shield and MVP Health Care will spike next year, and Vermont's hospitals are asking for significant budget increases in 2024.

Vermont's 14 hospitals were supposed to keep their two-year growth to 8.6%, but the most recent budget proposals far exceed that target.

The Red Cross urges Vermonters to donate throughout the summer, a time that people generally donate the least. In Vermont, 560 people every week need to donate blood to meet demand.