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Grace Cottage is Now Administering Vaccines

by gracecottage | Health

TOWNSHEND — Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital is now a Covid-19 vaccination site. Vermonters age 75+ can sign up to get their first dose at Grace Cottage by going to the Vermont Department of Health Covid-19 online Event Portal or by calling 855-722-7878.

So far, the following dates have been announced for vaccines at Grace Cottage: Wednesday, Feb. 10; Thursday, Feb. 11; Wednesday, Feb. 17; and Wednesday, Feb. 21. All appointments must be made through the Vermont Department of Health’s registration system.

Mass Vaccination In A Broken Public Health System

by RDavis | Health

This country has underfunded public health for decades. We are seeing the results of that malpractice as we try to test and vaccinate a significant number of our population during the COVID 19 pandemic.

It would be simplistic to blame the departed presidential criminal and his team for their lack of action during the pandemic. Yet, they do deserve a good share of blame for not creating a national plan to deal with COVID.

In order to understand why the Biden administration will not find a way to test and vaccinate a critical mass of Americans within a short time frame it is important to know that this country barely has a functioning public health system.

Round Up for Change January 2021

by BrattFoodCoop | Activism

The Brattleboro Food Co-op is pleased to share that the SUSU commUNITY Farm was featured in January as the recipient of Round Up for Change. Customers chose to round up their purchases to the next dollar and contributed $5072.81 dollars in total to SUSU commUNITY Farm. We are so pleased to have such a generous customer base.  We have deep gratitude for their contribution. 

Eliminate The 1-10 Pain Scale

by RDavis | Health

Anyone experiencing pain who has had contact with the health care system has had one of the most meaningless and offensive questions posed to them. “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain you have ever had, what is your pain now?” Nurses are often the ones asking the question. Asking that question makes life simple for nurses, but it is not fair to patients to ask them to characterize their pain that way.

In the 1990’s health care professionals started to pay more attention to pain. I was working as a nurse then and accepted the 1-10 scale as gospel, as did most nurses. But I was never entirely comfortable with this rating system and I always tried to ask more questions of people experiencing pain.

Brattleboro 75 and Up – Get Your Vaccinations

by cgrotke | Health

Vermont’s vaccination enrollment program is open for people 75 and older. It is a statewide, centralized registry system. No need to call your hospital or doctor’s office. 

They would prefer you to register online, but there is a phone number: 855-722-7878

Hours for the phone center are: Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

A few things to know:

To Preserve What’s Left Of The Republic

by RDavis | Activism

If the U.S. Senate does not convict Trump in his second impeachment trial this country will no longer deserve respect from world leaders and countries that have a record of respecting the rule of law. That is no small thing. The alliances that this country needs to maintain in the worlds of commerce, banking, diplomacy and other critical areas will be weakened and possibly dissolved.

Politicians hold up the constitution as the guidebook for how this country should conduct itself. But if they do not make a criminal president accountable for his illegal acts while in office then the constitution will no longer dictate the standards for government.

Foodworks Returns to pre-COVID Hours of Operation and Offers Food Support to Anyone with Need

by Not Signed In | Food

BRATTLEBORO—Foodworks, the food shelf program of Groundworks Collaborative located at 141 Canal Street, has shifted operations back to pre-COVID hours of operation. The program is open to anyone with any level of need in the greater Brattleboro area. 

People wishing to pick up a free two-week supply of groceries can drive or walk up to Foodworks’ location and choose from items on a grocery list; at which point a volunteer will pack the order and bring it out to the vehicle. 

Lock Him Up

by RDavis | Activism

The events of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol were inevitable. The stage was set years ago. When this country elected a mentally ill criminal to become president the drama intensified. As the weeks after the election unfolded I was sure that even Republicans would find a way to throw this madman under the bus and allow our country to move on quickly from its biggest mistake.

Instead, what happened was a four year period of enabling Trump to become intoxicated with power and providing him the license to do whatever he wanted. The Washington Republicans are mostly to blame, but both parties have proven to be too tame in their treatment of an incompetent and dangerous president and that is why things have finally gotten out of control.

The Vaccine Rollout – Too Many Unknowns

by RDavis | Health

World governments are trying to deal with the complexity of vaccinating enough of their populations to provide an adequate level of herd immunity to be able to declare that the COVID 19 pandemic is under control. Having a Darwinian health care system and a lack of federal leadership means the U.S. will most likely lag behind the rest of the world in vaccine rollout. Experts are guessing that anywhere from 70-90 percent of people need to be vaccinated to meet herd immunity efficacy .

One of the major problems that all countries face is the fact that no one really knows how the pandemic will play out, even under the best of vaccine rollout scenarios. In addition, there are many unknowns about how vaccines work and how the virus behaves.

Still Time for a Winter Market Curbside Order

by Sherry | Food

Visit the Winter Farmers’ Market Online Shop at https://openfoodnetwork.net/brattleboro-winter-farmers-market/shop#/shop today!

Orders can be placed from 9AM Monday morning through 9 AM Thursday morning for a Saturday Curbside Pick up from the Market, every Saturday through March at the C.F. Church Building, 80 Flat St. Downtown Brattleboro.

SNAP/EBT customers can turn $10 into $40 each week through January with market match coupons thanks to grants from NOFA-VT, C&S Wholesale Grocers, New England Grassroots Fund, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, and individual gifts from caring community members.

Remembering Wally White and Faith Ministries

by SK-B | Spiritual
Christmas Story in newspaper

Thirty-five years ago, the Town of Brattleboro gave a homeless shelter run by Faith Ministries a December 25 deadline to close.

The Christmas deadline — a public relations blunder — was dramatic enough to garner national attention, but the real issue was articulated in a press release in which Wally & Emily White said the following:

“At a time when many municipal administrations are asking churches to shelter the homeless, in Brattleboro the Zoning Board is trying to close a church run shelter. If they succeed, up to eight homeless men may face the cruel winter with nowhere else to go. One of them nearly died of exposure last year while sleeping in a dumpster.”

A New Bill, Another Slap In The Face

by RDavis | Activism

The elite American ruling class, aka Congress, has once again proven that they do not understand or respect the hardship that a majority of Americans are experiencing. They are also making it clear that they are only willing to offer crumbs to a starving population.

The most recent stimulus package that just passed after months of political posturing is a slap in the face to most Americans. It provides a one-time check of $600 to people whose income is below $75,000. The people who crafted this legislation have no idea what $600 buys in the real world. I suspect most of them never shop for their own necessities, never clean their own houses and could not tell you what a gallon of milk, a gallon of heating oil or a package of toilet paper costs.

Christmas This Year

by Lise | Spiritual
Solstice 2020

Every year at Christmastime, our household goes a little crazy with holiday and seasonal preparations. We play Christmas music from Thanksgiving on, make presents, shop, bake cookies, eat cookies, put cookies away so we’ll stop eating cookies, make chocolates, see above, wrap presents, plan meals, shop some more. Truth is, it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure. It makes you a little corny to love Christmas, especially the way I do. But this year seems different. I believe we have a valid excuse to try to keep up good cheer. To do otherwise would be morbid, and morbid is not what you want to be during a global pandemic. But it’s not easy, especially with all the grim tidings we’ve been treated to lately.