Tagged: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have formed a specialized disaster medical assistance team to respond to disasters in the region.

The 56-member team has expertise in emergency and wilderness medicine, toxicology, pharmacology, respiratory therapy, orthopedics and radiological protection, among other fields.

Dubbed NH-1, the team operates within the National Disaster Medical System and is overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Vermont has won conditional federal approval for its plan to build a consumer-friendly health insurance marketplace, or exchange.

Vermont is now one of 17 states to have gotten word from a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that they are on track to have a health exchange ready for business by Oct. 1.

Robin Lunge, Gov. Peter Shumlin's director of health reform, says much work remains to get the exchange up and running.