Ryan Ferris In September 2019, Ryan Ferris opened his new emergency medical services company, now called Garnet Health. Six months later, the business nearly flatlined. Why? Its customer base virtually disappeared. Garnet s ambulances and medical crews are licensed and equipped like those of any EMS rescue squad in Vermont, but they don t respond to 911 calls. Instead, they transport patients from one medical facility to another throughout New England and northern New York, provided those patients start or finish their trips in Vermont. When the pandemic hit, the hospitals didn t move patients unless it was absolutely necessary, explained Ferris, Garnet s cofounder, president and CEO. In the EMS industry, you don t make money unless you have billable services, and billable services means patients on board.
Planning in process for new Vermont women’s prison
FILE - This Dec. 7, 2019, photo shows the Vermont women s prison, the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, Vt. An independent investigation released on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, found there was a disturbing degree of sexual misconduct in the state s only women s prison. (AP Photo/Willson Ring, File)
Modified: 2/21/2021 9:18:43 PM
MONTPELIER, Vt. Building a new facility with 125 to 150 beds to replace Vermont’s outdated women’s prison will take at least six years to become a reality, lawmakers said Friday, and cost $50 million to $60 million.
The state’s current capital budget for all new construction is around $62 million a year.
COVID-19: UK virus variant found in NH; Vt. will open shots to ages 70 and over
Modified: 2/12/2021 10:00:11 PM
CONCORD A more infectious coronavirus variant has been detected in a New Hampshire resident for the first time, state health officials said Friday.
An adult from Hillsborough county tested positive for the variant first found in the United Kingdom. The person had close contact with someone who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 after international travel, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Close household contacts were identified via contact tracing, and those involved have followed isolation, quarantine and testing guidance. Officials said they do not believe the case poses a risk to the community.
THE NUMBERS
Two Vermonters died of COVID-19 over the past day, the state Department of Health reported Thursday. The death toll is now 181.
The department reported 165 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The reported total of 12,503 is 174 higher than the total reported Wednesday. The department did not explain the discrepancy.
Bennington County continues to have the highest rate of COVID-19 among Vermont counties, at 321.9 cases per 10,000 residents since the beginning of the pandemic. Chittenden County is second, at 253.9, while the rate in Windham County is 190.4.
Bennington County has reported 309 new cases over the past two weeks, and Windham County has reported 66. Chittenden County, Vermontâs largest county, has had 471 over the same period.