Dozens of residents from the Northeast Kingdom were at the Statehouse Thursday hoping to keep the needs of Vermont鈥檚 most rural region front and center as lawmakers debate policy in Montpelier.
Sporting stickers that read 鈥淣EK Strong鈥� and holding brightly colored posters, speakers and participants highlighted the resilience of the Kingdom, which was hit hard by flooding in 2023 and 2024, and advocated for issues organizers say are among the most pressing 鈥� flood resilience, rural health care access and housing.
The event, organized by nonpartisan nonprofit Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, was back in person this year after being held virtually for the last four years.
鈥淣EK Day at the Statehouse every year is our chance to celebrate the vibrancy and uniqueness of our region, to thank our legislators for their support of the NEK, and to ask for more of it honestly as we advocate for the issues and needs that are most important to us,鈥� said Jennifer Carlo, executive director of Northeast Kingdom Collaborative.
In addition to holding a press conference, Carlo said residents of the Kingdom were testifying in front of 10 legislative committees this week.
That included Rick Ufford-Chase, executive director of Newport City Downtown Development, who earlier in the day told lawmakers in the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development that if North Country Hospital closes its doors it would devastate Newport and stymie efforts to redevelop its downtown, which are picking up steam.
A released last fall recommended radical transformation of Vermont鈥檚 health care system, including major changes and cuts at the state鈥檚 most rural hospitals, including North Country.
鈥淚n a community that's politically divided and tends to lean pretty conservative, I can safely say that there's universal agreement in the Northeast Kingdom that this is a bad idea, based on bad data that took place without meaningful consultation with stakeholders in our community,鈥� Ufford-Chase said later during the press conference.
Concerns over losing health care access in the Kingdom was a major topic at the press conference.
Both Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital CEO Shawn Tester and Tom Frank, CEO of North Country Hospital, were in the Statehouse lobbying lawmakers for help.
鈥淚 want to assure all of you that we are here,鈥� Tester told the crowd. 鈥淲e're here all the time, fighting for you to ensure that we have sustainable access to high quality care in the Northeast Kingdom.鈥�
There were also pleas to lawmakers to enshrine into statute flood recovery assistance provided by grassroots mutual aid groups. Sutton resident Megan Matthers, with the group Northeast Kingdom Organizing, or NEKO, told the crowd she was thrown into organizing volunteers after last July鈥檚 floods.
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Volunteers were often the first people on the ground, but Matthers said there wasn鈥檛 a clear way to communicate with state, local and federal agencies also working on flood recovery.
鈥淢utual aid groups need to be written into emergency management plans,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd if mutual aid groups don't exist yet in communities, emergency response plans need to include blueprints on how to create them. 鈥�
Matthers also called on lawmakers to consider financially supporting community-based groups that continue to assist with long-term recovery efforts, and called for better data management and sharing during disasters.
Westmore resident John Zimmer said he came to the Statehouse to add to the chorus of voices urging lawmakers not to forget the NEK, something he said has happened in the past.
鈥淲e're not the economic driver that some of the other areas are,鈥� he said. But we do have a lot of people that come up there to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, and we want to make sure that we are heard.鈥�
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