Pandemic highlights the link between work barriers, child care
February 9, 2021
‘I never envisioned myself being the stay-at-home-mom type,’ says Renee Epler who worked for over 10 years as a nurse in critical care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, then in the emergency department at Springfield Hospital until the coronavirus pandemic began. She’s shown here with her 10-year-old daughter Autymn. (Valley News/James M. Patterson)
Renée Epler has been a nurse for 24 years. During that time, she’s worked in hospital settings ranging from critical care to oncology, emergency departments and operating rooms.
But around Thanksgiving, after months of working to arrange her schedule, using vacation time and finding extended family to help with child care, the 51-year-old Epler decided to step away from her full-time job and shift to per diem status at Springfield Hospital in Springfield, Vt.
The COVID-19 economy has kept an outsized number of women out of the workforce
“I never envisioned myself being the stay-at-home-mom type,” said Renee Epler, who worked for more than 10 years as a nurse in critical care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, then in the emergency department at Springfield (Vt.) Hospital until the coronavirus pandemic began. She now takes per diem work at the hospital so she can be home to help her daughter Autymn, 10, who is on an individualized education program, with her schoolwork three days a week. Epler and Autymn sat down to work on math together at home in Springfield late last month. James M. Patterson / Valley News
Dover Chamber to host annual Economic Forecast
Fosters Daily Democrat
DOVER – The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce will present its annual Economic Forecast on Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., in a virtual format.
The theme of this year’s forecast is “Organizational Survival” and Brian Gottlob, principal of PolEcon Research, will give the keynote presentation. PolEcon is an economic research firm based in Dover that specializes in identifying, understanding, and communicating emerging economic, demographic, fiscal, labor market, real estate, and public policy trends.
Gottlob will discuss the long-term effects of the pandemic, as well as what we can expect in the next 12 months as we move from uncertainty to recovery. We ll also hear from local business owners about their experiences throughout the pandemic and what the future holds for them. The business owners include Roni Watkins of My Country Story, Erin Tellez from Cinco de Mayo Bar & Grill, and Tony Murph