Testing for COVID-19, vaccinations continue at BMH
BRATTLEBORO- Brattleboro Memorial Hospital continues to offer COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.
The Vermont Department of Health recommends testing for people who have symptoms of COVID-19, 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 have recently attended an event with people who are not in their usual social circle.
COVID-19 symptoms can include fever (100.4 degrees 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.
If you are not vaccinated and have been exposed or are experiencing symptoms, BMH says you should schedule an appointment to be tested. You can register for an appointment by going to healthvermont.gov/covid-19/testing. As of June 1, the hospital set its testing clinic hours to Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.
BMH also continues to offer mobile vaccination clinics in the community. According to the hospital, as of May 25, it has administered 10,759 first doses of vaccine, and 7,861 have received both doses for a total of 18,620 doses of vaccine administered.
The community clinics will be walk-in and will offer either the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Pfizer clinics are open to individuals ages 12 and up, while Johnson & Johnson clinics are for individuals over age 18. Visit healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine for times and locations.
The hospital is securing locations for more mobile clinics and will share them on its Facebook page.
Senior lunch served in Dummerston
DUMMERSTON - Senior Solutions and Evening Star Grange present their Second Wednesday Senior Lunch on Wednesday, June 9, at the Grange Hall in Dummerston Center, with pick-up between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
This is a take-out lunch. Reservations must be made by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8 so organizers will know how much food to prepare. Call the Grange at 802-254-1138 and leave your name, the number of meals you would like, and your phone number.
The menu consists of shepherd's pie (meat or vegetarian), buttered broccoli and cauliflower mix; garlic bread, and a strawberry-rhubarb crisp or cobbler.
A donation of $3 for those 60 and older, or $4 for those 59 and younger, is suggested.
Windham County Beekeepers host 'open hive' event
NEWFANE - Interested in honey bees? Have bees? Want to find a mentor? Have questions? Join the Windham County Beekeepers (WCB), a social club founded to support beekeepers and healthy, sustainable honeybees in southern Vermont.
The group has meetings and open hives (hive inspections) for “new-bees” and experienced beekeepers in Windham County throughout the year, with plenty of opportunities to learn about beekeeping.
The next open hive event at WCB's club yard in Newfane will take place on Saturday, June 12.
For more information and directions, visit windhamcountybeekeepers.com or email at weisbatty@gmail.com.
Master gardeners to host webinar on pollinators
WINDSOR- Butterflies, bees, and other pollinators play a vital role in the food web, yet many of us contribute to their dramatic decline with manicured lawns and non-native species in our gardens.
On Saturday, June 19, Cat Buxton, Peg Solon, and Susan Still will lead a webinar on pollinator-friendly gardens and habitat restoration. They will describe how gardeners and homeowners can still have beautiful gardens and landscapes while making choices that are good for pollinators and the planet.
The 90-minute session will begin at 9 a.m. It will be hosted by the Windham and Windsor County chapters of University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Master Gardeners in collaboration with the Rockingham Free Public Library.
Buxton is a UVM Extension Master Composter and soil health educator from Sharon. She founded Grow More, Waste Less, an organization that empowers and connects communities to effect positive change from the ground up through education on soil, food, compost, and whole systems.
Solon and Still, chairs of the Windsor and Windham County chapters, both became UVM Extension Master Gardeners in 2019 and co-chaired the state gardening conference the following year. They share an interest in native plants and healthy ecosystems and their connection with pollinators.
Although free to attend, donations to support garden education programming are gladly accepted.
To register, go to bit.ly/615-pollinators. To request a disability-related accommodation, contact Volunteer Coordinator Cindy Heath at cindy.heath@uvm.edu or 603-543-1307 by Friday, June 4.