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Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic Providing Primary Medical Treatment at No Charge to Persons Ages 18-64

by asegar | Health

A reminder that the Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic is open Tuesday evenings with sign-in from 5:00 – 6:30 PM. We’re a non-profit that provides primary medical treatment to persons ages 18-64 in our community, thanks to a pool of volunteer physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and receptionists.

Even if you have health insurance, you may hesitate to get medical care because your policy has high deductibles or co-pays. Remember that the Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic does not charge our patients for the medical care we provide.

Harris Hill Ski Jump – Saturday, February 19, 2022 – Results, Highlights and Quotes

by Not Signed In | Recreation & Sports
Ole Kristian Baarset Norway winning jump PepsiChallenge 2022 PHOTO Dana Sprague

The 100th anniversary of the Harris Hill Ski Jumping competition got underway today with the Pepsi Challenge and the US Cup competition. With blustery temperatures in the 20s and snow qualls throughout the day, the weather delayed jumping by two hours. However, the record crowd was committed to staying at the hill to cheer on the 40+ ladies and men who jumped at the iconic 90 meter ski jump in Brattleboro, Vermont.

The biggest jump of the day came at the very end of competition by Norwegian Ole Kristain Baarset who jumped 101.5 meters in his second jump. Today was Baarset’s first time ever jumping at Harris Hill and his first trip ever to the United States. The current Harris Hill record is held by Slovenian Blaz Plavic who jumped 104 meters in 2017. 

The Continuing Threat To Medicare

by RDavis | Health

A few months ago I talked about a threat to the traditional Medicare program beyond the threat that Medicare Advantage poses to the public nature of the program. That threat is called Direct Contracting Entities (DCEs).

The Trump administration initiated the DCE change to push Medicare in the direction of privatization. That kind of move is going to chip away at the equality and near-universal access that Medicare offers because private insurance companies will be more in control of how health care is delivered and paid for.

Harris Hill 100th Anniversary Ski Jump February 19-20, 2022

by Not Signed In | Recreation & Sports

The Harris Hill Ski Jump, the only Olympic sized ski jump in New England, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend, February 18-20 in Brattleboro, Vermont.

On Friday, February 18, an evening of FREE festivities will be held to kick off the weekend and celebrate the community as Harris Hill Ski Jump and The Brattleboro Outing Club celebrate their 100th anniversaries. The evening, which will run from 6-8 pm under the new lights, will include a ski jumping exhibition, local food and beverages and a fireworks display. The Harris Hill Ski Jump and Brattleboro Outing Club were founded by Fred Harris in 1922.

The Common Good Is Becoming Uncommon

by RDavis | Activism

The words “common good” recently popped into my brain and I have been trying to understand what that means in a world that is increasingly being turned upside down on a daily basis. I looked for definitions of the common good and have come up with one, from the web site ThoughtCo, that describes what I am thinking about.

“The “common good” refers to those facilities or institutions that benefit all members of a given community. The common good contrasts with those things that benefit only specific individuals or parts of the community. Examples of elements making up the common good include basic rights and freedoms, police and fire departments, national defense, courts of law, highways, public schools, safe food and water, and natural resources. In most cases, providing the elements of the common good requires a degree of individual sacrifice such as the payment of new or higher taxes. Today, many impactful social problems are caused by the lack or failure of essential elements of the common good.”

Politics Before Science

by RDavis | Health

There was a time when scientists would err on the side of caution and make decisions based on the best outcome for the most people. In the case of how long to isolate or quarantine after a positive test for COVD-19, the CDC has caved-in to politics and shortened the isolation period to five days.

If you look at the science and try to examine all of the available information it is clear that five days is not enough to provide safety to people you come in contact with. The CDC does suggest that after five days of isolation an infected person get re-tested and then wear a mask for another five days. That is almost a concession to the fact that there is a high likelihood they can transmit the virus beyond five days.

Brattleboro VFW Breakfast and Lunch information

by LisaL | Food

Breakfast at the Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road every Wednesday and Saturday from 6 am – 10 am. Sausage, bacon, corned beef hash, eggs made to order, home fries, homemade pancakes and more.

Public welcome as are to-go’s by calling 802-257-0438

Winter Soup: Split Pea with Ham

by CCM Holland Mills | Food

soak ½ cup split peas overnight with ½ cup water

pour split peas into medium-sized pot
heat to 4
add 2 cups chicken broth

in large frying pan, cook until lightly brown, heat to 3½,

Which Test When

by RDavis | Health

People are flocking to testing sites to find out if they have COVID. That is a good thing and it means that a good number of people are taking responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. But when it comes to testing, there are options and it can be difficult to decide when to get tested and which test is best under certain circumstances.

The state of Vermont made over 300,000 rapid diagnostic testing (RDT’s) kits available a few days ago and they were grabbed up within a short period of time. Before people use them it would be a good idea to do some research and find out how to use the kits and when to use them. I will be getting some and I hope the instructions in the kits are useful.

The Nursing Shortage Needs New Solutions

by RDavis | Health

News reports during our times with COVID point to a worsening of a nursing shortage. Clearly, the epidemic has made the shortage worse because of a host of problems, not the least of which is burnout. But the nursing shortage has been with us, and the rest of the world, for a very long time and there are no signs of it letting up anytime soon.

When I was in nursing school in the late 1970’s we were told there would always be a job for us and that the demand for nurses was greater than it had ever been. Things have not changed much in all these years and politicians, nursing leaders and policymakers have been pointing to the problem for just as long. The situation never seems to get any better.