BMH changes afoot for Covid testing, vaccinations
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital continues to offer COVID-19 testing and vaccinations but is changing how these services are delivered.
The COVID Vaccination and Testing Center has moved from the Richards Building and Brew Berry conference rooms, respectively, at the hospital to Brattleboro Family Medicine, 53 Fairview Ave.
The center will operate Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are available, and walk-in patients will be accepted every day the center is open.
Testing will be provided to those who are symptomatic (experiencing symptoms) and asymptomatic (not experiencing symptoms) individuals. Vaccines will be available to all eligible patients (currently, individuals age 12 and older).
There is no charge for testing or vaccines.
The Vermont Department of Health recommends testing for people who have symptoms of COVID-19, who have had close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or who have recently attended an event with people who are not in their usual social circle.
Symptoms can include fever (100.4 F or higher), coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, fatigue, muscle pain or aches, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
Agency seeks stories from Vermonters facing medical debts
MONTPELIER - The Office of the Health Care Advocate (HCA), a project of Vermont Legal Aid, has identified medical debt as a major challenge facing many Vermonters.
The agency has launched a story collection project “to deepen their understanding of medical debt and how it impacts Vermont families' health care decisions,” according to a news release.
Vermont Legal Aid assists thousands of Vermonters each year with questions and problems related to health insurance and access to care.
HCA has begun an online survey at vtlegalaid.org/hca-survey to let Vermonters share how the cost of health care affects their lives. Participants will be entered into a raffle for $25 Visa gift cards.
If you prefer to verbally share your story, or if you would like a printed copy of the survey, call 802-448-6943.
The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete.
Food benefit check to offset missed school meals
WATERBURY - The federal government has authorized the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Agency of Education (AOE) to provide temporary food benefits to students (pre-kindergarten to grade 12) who would normally receive free or reduced-price meals at school.
These Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits are based on the student's learning model for each month from March to June. Families will receive either a full benefit of $119.35 per child for a remote-learning month, or a partial benefit for a hybrid-learning month: $38.19 in March, $37.51 in April, $33.42 in May, and $30.69 in June.
Eligible children will also receive a one-time benefit of $375 for the summer.
Approximately $20.4 million in benefits, covering 39,551 students, will be issued to 26,343 Vermont households.
Children must have been enrolled in a school offering the school meals program as of June, and they must be eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals at school.
Those who were enrolled in school as of June but who had not yet applied for free or reduced-price meals may still get the summer benefit by submitting a school meals application by Monday, Aug. 16. Contact the student's school to find out how to apply.
Students who graduated in June are eligible.
Eligible households will soon get a letter explaining the benefit, and all eligible households should receive their benefit by Friday, July 30.
RFPL hosts storyteller Michael Caduto
BELLOWS FALLS - Popular author, master storyteller, and musician Michael Caduto will be performing for all ages on Thursday, July 29, at 5 p.m., at the Rockingham Recreation area.
Using a wide range of entertaining voices and expressions, Caduto creates a host of humorous and dramatic animals and human characters. The audience is invited to accompany the songs, chants, Native instruments, and dance.
During this free presentation, he'll introduce participants to the great circles of life - the basis for living sustainably with our Earth.
Caduto shares stories from traditional cultures found throughout the world - including Africa, Europe, and North and Central America. His performance includes original Earth music from his album All One Earth: Songs for the Generations, as well as stories from his storytelling albums The Rainbow Garden and The Wisdom of Nature.
This program is part of the Rockingham Free Public Library's summer reading program and is presented in partnership with Sustainable Rockingham as part of the Blue Sky Days events to encourage the community to prepare for emergencies - especially those related to climate change - before they happen.
To protect the unvaccinated, please wear masks.
For more information, call the library at 802-463-4270, email [email protected], visit rockinghamlibrary.org, or stop by the Library at 65 Westminster St.
Children's Literacy Foundation brings stories, books to Putney Library
PUTNEY - On Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 11 a.m., at the Putney Public Library, children and families will be treated to a storytelling presentation and will be given brand-new books, thanks to a grant from the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF).
A CLiF storyteller will lead an interactive presentation for children and families. At the end of the presentation, each child will be able to select two new books to keep from hundreds of titles.
CLiF says it awards Summer Readers grants to organizations serving kids at high risk of experiencing a “summer slide” in literacy skills.
“Research shows that children who don't read over summer vacation tend to lose literacy skills while children who do read improve their reading abilities,” according to a news release for the event. “Low-income children and youth often experience greater summer learning losses than their higher-income peers.”
Everyone is welcome to attend, including those who have not participated in previous Summer Reading Program events.
For more information, visit putneylibrary.org, or call 802-387-4407.