The Peru Gazette

Source: NY county fairs are on for 2021, Cuomo says – syracuse.com

Source: NY adopting CDC guidance: Vaccinated people can largely stop wearing masks – syracuse.com

Does the word SCUM apply here? Source: Vandals damage 70 stones at historic Boquet Cemetery | Sun Community News ELIZABETHTOWN | A town employee who went to mow grounds at the Boquet Cemetery found a scene of destruction on May 13.

Source: A new North Country study says 1 in 4 adults are ‘vaccine hesitant.’ Why is that? | NCPR News

From Monday, May 17th to Friday May 21st,  Rifenburg Contracting will have Elm Street closed from Sanborn Lane to 22B intersection (Town Park entrance) with heavy construction. There will be NO through traffic.  Emergency vehicles will have limited access to that section of the road.

North Bend is open

Any questions, please call the W/S Superintendent @ 643-8125

Source: Governor Cuomo Announces New York State to Adopt New CDC Guidance on Mask Use and Social Distancing for Fully Vaccinated Individuals

After almost 15 months of battling COVID-19, we are feeling cautiously optimistic about our eventual emergence from this pandemic. Given the direct connections between the pandemic and the UVM Health Network’s finances, it should be no surprise that we are assessing our latest financial results with the same kind of cautious optimism. Today, I am writing to give you a brief update on our Network’s ongoing financial recovery, along with important context regarding one-time relief funding, cost-control measures and patient visits.

For the first half of FY 2021, the Network as a whole achieved a positive operating margin of 1.4 percent, or $17.4 million. This is due to the second quarter ending March 31, during which we had a positive margin of 9 percent, or $60.9 million – largely because we received $83 million in one-time state and federal provider-relief funding. Without that one-time money, our Network would have seen a $22.1 million loss in the second quarter and a $65.6 million year-to-date loss.

Across the Network, our affiliates saw varying financial results in the second quarter. Positive margins were reported by Elizabethtown Community Hospital, Porter Medical Center and UVM Medical Center, while negative margins were reported at Alice Hyde Medical Center, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, Central Vermont Medical Center and Home Health & Hospice. Each affiliate is continuing to implement financial-improvement plans tailored to the challenges they face.

Given our ongoing response to COVID-19, we are grateful for the provider-relief support from our state and federal partners, which has clearly played a significant role in our finances so far this fiscal year. But that’s not the whole story. We’ve also worked hard to control costs throughout the health system, including limiting capital spending and reviewing position vacancies. We’ve continued to combine administrative functions across the Network, and we’ve been leveraging the power of the Network to maximize supply-chain savings. Additionally, in March, we saw continued increases in patient visits – nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels. This is good news, as we have been urging our patients throughout the pandemic to not forgo necessary health care.

It is important to note these positive signs, but just like the ups and downs we’ve seen since the pandemic began, we can’t count on them to continue: One month does not make a trend. Likewise, we don’t know whether any of our affiliates will qualify for additional provider relief from the federal government. The challenges and uncertainties we have faced both before and during the pandemic will continue to impact our Network. We are committed to facing those challenges and creating long-term sustainability. And we have doubled down on our commitment to value-based care, so we can improve patient health while controlling costs over time to make health care more affordable.

I am deeply grateful for the hard work and resiliency of our providers and staff, and for the trust and support of our patients and community. You all will always be at the center of everything we do.

Thank you for your support and leadership. I will continue to keep you updated on our work.

John R. Brumsted, MD

President and CEO

Source: New York to lift mask mandate for vaccinated people

Source: Then Again: 200 Irish workers, demanding their pay, started Bolton’s War – VTDigger

Source: Eugenics at UVM: Why Abenaki leaders feel the apology wasn’t enough – VTDigger

Source: Milestone reached in New York’s fight against coronavirus – syracuse.com

Source: Walmart, others drop mask requirements for vaccinated customers, but NY still requires it – syracuse.com

Source: Sheriff: Bail reform letting too many criminals walk | Sun Community News Bail reform, which was implemented in 2020, was intended to eliminate most cash bail and pre-trial detention for nonviolent offenses. It was later amended to allow detention for a fe

Source: Betty Little to be honored by road-dedication ceremony | Sun Community News LAKE GEORGE | Longtime state legislator Betty Little of Queensbury, who recently retired as state Senator, is to be honored Wednesday May 19 when a prominent road in Lake George is

Source: Liz Weston: You may be entitled to free health insurance now

“The indicators are good that we will have, barring another wave or anything, that we will have a good year,” Davis stated. The community isn’t completely helpless when it comes to the state of the local economy, there are ways to help. “Shop local. The sales tax dollars not only need to stay here but our local businesses need to be supported,” Source: County official gives an inside look at local economy | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | 2020 was not a normal year by any means. The global pandemic forced people around the world, our community included, to adapt.

Source: Scott signs bill allowing police to use chokeholds in self-defense – VTDigger

Source: Celebratory or premature? Businesses level with new masking policy – VTDigger

Hiker expresses gratitude for the retired ranger who saved him

Source: An unforgettable rescue | Adirondack Explorer

Source: Plattsburgh crossing guard charged with harassment, remains on leave