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What are the dumbest things we do or don’t do in Vermont?
We like to think of ourselves as progressive, pioneering and aware of our neighbors’ needs. Why then do we have some of the worst socioeconomic benchmarks in America? Unsheltered: As… Read More
Learning Inside
In my last VTDigger column, I wrote about the visionary work the Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) is doing to decarcerate people in prison who no longer need be there,… Read More
Let’s Stay Out of Prison
I think a lot about the criminal justice system. At 79, I’ve mostly evaded its embrace except for a few driving offenses, a surprise visit from the FBI and a… Read More
Up the Down Staircase
By 2030, Vermont’s ability to govern had descended into entropy. After decades studying, tinkering with, and deferring action on Vermont’s increasingly complex challenges, we came to understand we needed to… Read More
1. UVMMC has generated negative Medicare margins for at least the past 10 years. These negative margins have averaged $43M and totaled $119M in 2022. 60% of academic peer hospitals broke even… Read More
Vermonters: The time is now to reach out to your legislators and insist they protect the mission of the Green Mountain Care Board to regulate and improve our access to healthcare in Vermont.
Unlike my prior columns on healthcare, this one will be short, concise, and easily understood. It’s a call-to-aims (sic) for all Vermonters concerned about their access to quality healthcare. The… Read More
A Legislative and media initiative to give voice to our young people
By its own description, House Bill H.714, currently in the Legislature: “… proposes to create the two-year Child and Youth Representation Policy Fellowship Program and a related fellowship position to… Read More
Leadership and the Governor’s “Affordability Crisis”
For over 70 years, I’ve confronted each New Year reviewing what got better, what got worse, and what I hope for in the ensuing year. At 78, I’m grateful that… Read More
It’s Time for the UVM Health Network Board to Talk with the People They Serve
Talk With Us The stated mission of the UVM Health Network (UVMHN) is “… to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve by integrating patient care,… Read More
A Community-Engaged Hospital in Vermont
Photo courtesy of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Too often I write about our misunderstanding of the complex systems that plague us and our failure to reimagine them as functional solutions to… Read More
Memo to Board members: It’s Unwise to Try to Intimidate, Insult, or Challenge the Authority of your Regulator
I have grave ethical concerns about the behavior, governance, and board leadership at the UVM Health Network (UVMHN) and its network of Vermont hospitals (Porter, Central VT, and UVM Medical Center… Read More