2017 News Releases

JAN 4, 2017: The Health Department today launched a redesigned and reorganized website at healthvermont.gov, making it easier for Vermonters to find the health information they need.

January is National Radon Action Month, and the Vermont Department of Health poster contest offers elementary and middle school students a chance to use art to help spread the word about the dangers of radon.

Vermont health officials hosted a community meeting in Bennington to present the results of its PFOA blood test analysis and exposure assessment. The study was conducted as part of the State's response to PFOA contamination of drinking water wells in North Bennington.The study confirmed that drinking water from contaminated wells was the primary source of exposure to PFOA.

Severe weather in the region and across the U.S. has triggered an emergency need for donors, and the Department of Health and the Red Cross of New Hampshire and Vermont are encouraging Vermonters to make an appointment to donate blood and platelets.

Students from across the state will gather in Montpelier on February 3, 2017, as part of the youth-led Our Voices Xposed (OVX) rally and march to the State House to raise awareness about the dangers flavored tobacco products and advertising pose to young Vermonters.

In this opinion piece, Dr. Harry Chen talks about how, for our children and teens, healthy teeth matter more than you might think.

On his final day as Vermont’s health commissioner, Harry Chen, MD announced the release of the Health Department’s Healthy Vermonters 2020 midterm report card. The report summarizes where we’ve made significant progress, what challenges we still face, and where we’ve met our targets.

A capacity crowd of employers, business leaders, wellness experts and human resource professionals attended Vermont’s annual Worksite Wellness conference. Awards to more than 90 employers recognizing their employee wellness programs were presented by Governor Phil Scott, Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, and Janet Franz, chair of the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

All teens are at risk for substance misuse. To help families start the conversation in a meaningful with their teens about drugs and alcohol, the Health Department has expanded its ParentUpVT.org web resource to include more interactive tools and how-to guides for parents and caregivers.

The Vermont Department of Health is conducting a series of presentations for health care professionals about revised rules governing opioid prescribing. The rules are intended to minimize opportunities for misuse, abuse, diversion, addiction and overdoses.

For the second year running, Vermont scored highest among the 50 states and District of Columbia in public health protection readiness, according to the new National Health Security Preparedness Index. The Index measures the nation’s ability to keep people safe and healthy in the event of epidemics, foodborne disease outbreaks, terrorism and other large-scale public health emergencies.

Vermont’s most dangerous leftovers are expired, unused or unwanted prescription painkillers that sit in the family medicine cabinet. On Take Back Day and throughout the year, people can safely – and anonymously – drop off their medications at drug disposal locations in their community.

Nine physician care practices in Vermont have been recognized by the Vermont Department of Health for their high percentage of infants, children and teens immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. The awards were presented as part of National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Vermont’s two residential drug treatment providers have increased the number of available beds for inpatient treatment and are taking referrals, filling the need brought about by the decision in February by Maple Leaf Treatment Center to close its doors.

The Vermont Department of Health is reminding people in Bennington and North Bennington affected by PFOA contamination of drinking water, that May 24 is the deadline to sign up for the eleventh – and final – PFOA blood draw clinic scheduled for June 6.

Northeast Kingdom Learning Services is one of 13 organizations across the state to be awarded a Community Prevention Grant by the Vermont Department of Health. The grants support community efforts to prevent tobacco use among youth, reduce youth and adult tobacco use, and reduce secondhand smoke exposure

Tick season has arrived, but the Health Department says Vermonters can enjoy being outside in our beautiful state by knowing how to avoid ticks and their bite. Visitors to the http://healthvermont.gov/BeTickSmart website will find information and resources about how to avoid ticks and what to do if you find one.

For National Emergency Medical Services Week, the State of Vermont and local communities are honoring the more than 2,800 individuals and nearly 175 EMS agencies that stand at the ready as Vermont’s emergency medical service providers.

High school youth activists joined community tobacco coalition volunteers and state health officials today in releasing the results of a public opinion survey that illustrates the role flavored tobacco products play in introducing youth to tobacco use.

Baby animals are irresistibly cute and cuddly, but Vermont Health and Wildlife officials want you to leave young wild animals in the wild.

To help Vermonters and visitors enjoy themselves at the beach and on the water this summer, health officials are encouraging people to learn how to watch for and avoid cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae.

Vermont’s sixth and newest regional treatment center for people with opioid use disorders began providing services today. The St. Albans-based Hub, located on the Northwest Regional Medical Center campus at 10 Crest Road, opened its doors on Thursday following approval from federal and state regulators.

Mosquitoes collected in Weathersfield, Hardwick and Brattleboro have tested positive for West Nile virus. These are the first detections of the mosquito-borne virus this year.

Morristown Police Officer Lance Lamb is being presented with the Health Department's Star of Life award for his actions that saved the life of a motorcycle accident victim.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, the Chittenden County community and local businesses will be celebrating breastfeeding during the first week of August.

Bennington County community members and local businesses will mark World Breastfeeding Week with a morning of activities, starting with the Fourth Annual Family Fun Walk for Breastfeeding Awareness.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, the Addison County community and local businesses will be celebrating breastfeeding during the whole month of August.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, the Brattleboro community and local businesses will be celebrating breastfeeding during the first week of August.

The Health Department is offering grants of $3,000 to six worksites around the state to build sustainable wellness programs that focus on increasing physical activity and healthy eating opportunities for employees.

The annual, week-long oral rabies vaccine bait drop is set to begin the week of August 7, 2017. The bait drop is part of a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services to stop the spread of rabies in Vermont and into Canada.

Continued warm, sunny weather has created ideal growing conditions for cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) in Vermont waters, especially at Lake Carmi and St. Albans Bay in Lake Champlain. Health Department recommends avoiding any contact with water that contains cyanobacteria.

Vermont health officials have confirmed the year’s first case of human illness due to West Nile virus. An Addison County resident was diagnosed earlier this month with neuroinvasive disease – a more serious form of the illness which affects the nervous system.

While falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injury for people 65 years of age and older in Vermont, they are not an inevitable part of aging. State officials and partners including Falls Free Vermont, the state’s falls prevention coalition, want Vermonters to know that most falls are avoidable, and that there are many ways to stay safe, strong, and independent as we age.

October 12, 2017 is Children's Environmental Health Day. To help kids grow, play and learn in a healthy environment, the Vermont Department of Health offers a wide range of resources and supports for parents, schools and child care providers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a recall of ground beef packages sold by Bread & Butter Farm of Shelburne, Vermont that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled ground beef was produced by Vermont Livestock Slaughter and Processing, LLC, of Ferrisburgh, which is voluntarily recalling the product.

Ticks are back for one more meal before winter, and health officials warn this means a high risk to Vermonters in a year that already has a record rate of the tickborne disease anaplasmosis.

State officials are encouraging Vermonters to safely – and anonymously – turn in their own unused, expired or unwanted medications this Saturday, October 28, when communities around the state will have collection locations as part of the nationwide Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with the Agencies of Education and Natural Resources, is launching a pilot project designed to encourage schools to test drinking water for lead at each tap used for drinking or cooking, and take actions to lower lead levels.

Vermont health officials say we may be in for a rough flu season, and are advising people to get their flu shot to protect both themselves as well as others, such as children too young to be vaccinated.

As part of a continued focus on protecting Vermont’s most vulnerable, the Department of Health and Agency of Natural Resources announced that six child care and preschool programs located within 200 feet of current or former dry cleaning businesses will be evaluated in December to determine if dry cleaning chemicals are present.

With sub-zero temperatures forecast for Vermont over the next several days, with wind chills expected to reach 20 to 30-degrees below zero in areas of the state, Vermonters are urged to ensure the health and safety of individuals and property.

Nursing mothers and families attending the First Night North festivities in St. Johnsbury this weekend will have a warm, private space to breastfeed and change their young children. A portable tent, courtesy of the St. Johnsbury office of the Vermont Department of Health, will make its debut on New Year’s Eve.