Cases are on the rise, but Southwestern Vermont Medical Center's Chief Medical Officer Trey Dobson, MD, wants you to know that we can still stop the spread and support each other until the vaccine becomes widely available.
In response to a sustained surge in cases of COVID-19 throughout New England and to mitigate the spread of the virus, SVMC will discontinue in-person visits for hospital patients starting 7 p.m. Monday, November 16.
COVID-19 has taken the big, normal Thanksgiving dinners, with friends and family gathered around, off the table. But there are still lots of ways to celebrate safely. Read On.
How to Welcome Students Home
We are all excited to welcome our students home from college and boarding school, but doing so safely requires some extra effort. Read More.
Communication for a COVID Holiday
Infection Preventionist Donna Barron, RN, has a five-step plan for talking to friends and family about your needs during this unusual season. Learn More.
Advances in Total Joint Replacement Webinar
SVMC proudly presents Advances in Total Joint Replacement 4 – 5 p.m. Wednesday, December 9 over video conferencing software. It is free and open to the public. The event is appropriate for any person who experiences joint pain, along with members of their families.
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Turtles Must be Left in the Wild
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says keeping native turtles as pets is prohibited because it can harm the turtle and pose threats to wild turtle populations.
"Capturing a wild turtle and keeping it as a pet, even if only for a short time, is not only bad for that individual turtle but it could hurt entire turtle populations as well," said Vermont Fish and Wildlife herpetologist Luke Groff. "Releasing captured turtles back into the wild can spread wildlife diseases and also affect the genetics of the local population."
Groff explains that adult turtles usually have well-defined home ranges and know where to find food, mates and shelter. However, a turtle released in unfamiliar habitat may roam great distances, increasing the odds it will cross roads and risk being run over.
For turtles, the loss of even a couple mature females can have serious consequences because they are slow to develop, especially at northern latitudes where the growing season is short.
"Many of Vermont's turtle species do not reproduce until they are at least 10 years of age," says Groff, "and older, sexually mature females are critical to the long-term persistence of some of Vermont's turtle populations."
Two common species you are likely to see are the Painted Turtle and Snapping Turtle. The Wood Turtle, Spotted Turtle and Spiny Softshell are rare in Vermont, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department urges you to report sightings of these species to the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (vtherpatlas.org). If you see some of Vermont's native turtles in the wild, feel free to take a photo home with you, but leave the turtles in the wild.
For more information on Vermont's native turtle species, visit Vermont Fish and Wildlife's website or contact Vermont Fish and Wildlife herpetologist Luke Groff at Luke.Groff@vermont.gov.
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Emily Holian’s strike to open the 10th frame of the Wildcats’ second game against Worcester Tech all but assured Lee a team title at Bowlero Chicopee.
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Hoosac struggled to get into rhythm on the offensive end until Joey McGovern got the 3-ball working. McGovern finished the game with 21 points including a triple in the fourth quarter that cemented him in the record books. It took him nearly the whole game but he was able to join the 1,000-point... click for more
Pittsfield High's Eliza Mullen won state title and in the giant slalom and slalom, winning the former discipline by 1.6 seconds and the latter by nearly 2.7 seconds.
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