Heywood Hospital, Senator Gobi and Representative Zlotnik Announce New Program to Promote Health Equity in Winchendon
$649,547 Awarded to Target Social Determinants of Health
WINCHENDON, MA – Heywood Hospital, State Senator Anne Gobi State (D-Spencer) and Representative Jonathan D. Zlotnik (D-Gardner) announced $649,547 in new funding to target social determinants of health and promote health equity in the Town of Winchendon. Approved by the legislature in last year’s budget, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) announced an investment of more than $2.5 million in four new innovative community partnerships through the Moving Massachusetts Upstream (MassUP) investment program. The MassUP investment program aims to support partnerships between health care providers and community organizations to enable sustainable improvements in community health and health equity by moving upstream to address the social determinants of health (SDOH). The four awards, selected through a competitive application and review process, focus on two significant SDOH: food systems and security, and economic stability and mobility.
“MassUP continues to expand upon the HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) food systems work in Winchendon to also include economic empowerment that will help to develop a more economically stable and healthier community. At the heart of leading these systems changes are the people who reside and work in the community. The development of the MassUP program was a true collaboration among the Hospital, the Town of Winchendon, Three Pyramids Inc., Growing Places, The Winchendon School, GFA Federal Credit Union, the Winchendon CAC, and CHNA 9”, stated Mary Giannetti, Director of Resource Development for Heywood Hospital.
“Strong Communities only happen with caring partnerships. We are fortunate in Winchendon to have that, and this competitive grant which will help in addressing health and economic needs, is a prime example of private and public partnerships and local and state support working together to improve lives,” stated Senator Gobi.
“I’m very excited for how this funding will build on the work of the HEAL program and expand its reach into economic development. Ultimately the goal of this program and funding is equity. It will target root causes further up stream, which I believe is the right strategy to have the most sustainable impact. I’m very grateful Heywood Healthcare has taken up this issue and coordinated with so many community organizations along the way,” stated Rep Zlotnik.
The vision for MassUP, an interagency initiative formed by HPC, the Department of Public Health (DPH), MassHealth, Executive Office of Elder Affairs, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Office of the Attorney General, is better health, lower costs, and reduced health inequities in Massachusetts through effective collaboration among government, health care systems, and community organizations. The investment program, a key component of the MassUP initiative, will be administered by HPC in partnership with DPH which is contributing award funding, providing technical assistance and conducting an evaluation of the program. “Every day we witness racial injustice in our country and in our communities, and it is imperative that we find bold new solutions to address inequities experienced by communities of color and other disadvantaged groups,” said Dr. Monica Bharel, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “The MassUP investment program is part of DPH’s ongoing work to achieve health equity by supporting grassroots, community innovation that can lead to lasting change.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on both health inequities and the economic fragility of many of our underserved communities,” said Marty Cohen, HPC Vice-Chair and President and CEO of the MetroWest Health Foundation. “The MassUP investment program represents a unique opportunity to bring the skills and passion of health care providers, community-based organizations, cities and towns, and – most importantly – citizens themselves, to the work of creating lasting improvements to the social, economic and environmental conditions that influence health and well-being.” Addressing upstream SDOH is an essential step in improving population health and reducing health inequities and health care spending. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified such inequities, as people of color have been disproportionately affected by both the health and economic effects of the pandemic. The MassUP investment program will support partnerships of health care providers, local advocacy organizations, social service providers, municipal governments, and local residents with lived experience to implement new strategies to address underlying causes of poor health outcomes and disparities, such as food insecurity, income instability, and other health-related social needs. “By investing in multi-stakeholder community partnerships that include active engagement from residents with lived experience, MassUP represents an innovative approach to advance long-term improvements in health and health equity,” said David Seltz, HPC Executive Director. “In close collaboration with DPH and other state partners, the HPC is proud to contribute to this initiative and is committed to ongoing research, investments, and policy development toward our shared goal of improving health outcomes for all citizens of the Commonwealth.”
In December 2019, the HPC issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for organizations to apply for funding, and in late February 2020, received 22 applications from organizations across the Commonwealth, including 13 hospitals, five community health centers, and four accountable care organizations or other provider organizations. Applications targeted seven SDOH including social inequity, transportation, housing, economic stability, immigration status, early childhood needs, and food security. The HPC anticipates that programs will launch operations in fall 2020.
Senate Unanimously Passes Comprehensive Elections Bill to Address Voting Safety Concerns during COVID-19
BOSTON (6/16/2020) – The Massachusetts State Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation to expand voter access and address safety for all remaining 2020 elections, including the September 1, 2020 state primary and November 3, 2020 general election, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill, An Act relative to voting options in response to COVID-19, would, for the first time in state history, give all eligible residents the opportunity to vote early for the state primary and general election, allow residents to vote-by-mail, and expand absentee ballot access.
Senator Anne M. Gobi (D-Spencer), voted in favor of the bill and had this to say on its passage today, “Every vote is important and every voter and election workers is important too, and this bill is a great step in ensuring accessibility and maintaining safety protocols during this most unusual voting cycle. I especially appreciate all the input of my town clerks to make this a strong bill as well as all they do everyday to ensure the integrity of elections and helping to make voting easy and accessible.”
The bill does the following:
- Implements an early vote-by-mail system: An application to receive an early voting ballot will be mailed to all registered voters by July 15, 2020. The Secretary will then mail another application for the general election in the voter booklet sent out in the fall. Both applications and ballots will be postage paid.
- Creates early voting for the primary and expands early voting periods: For the first time in Massachusetts, early voting will be available for the state primary, to take place from Saturday, August 22, 2020 through Friday, August 28, 2020. Early voting for the general election would take place from Tuesday, October 17, 2020 to Friday, October 30, 2020. Early voting hours would vary according to the size of the municipality in order to give voters ample opportunity to participate while not overburdening small towns’ election departments. Voters may return their early voting ballot in the mail, in a secure drop box, or in person.
- Tasks the Secretary of State with creating an online portal: The bill requires Secretary Galvin’s office to create an online portal by October 1, 2020 to make it as easy as possible for people to apply for general election early voting ballots electronically.
- Expands absentee voting: The bill provides for absentee voting by any person taking precautions related to COVID-19. Voters may also return absentee ballots via a secure drop box.
- Provides tools to assist clerks: Acknowledging the increased burden these options may place on municipalities and clerks, the bill also provides for several accommodations to make the logistics of processing votes easier. The legislation allows for tabulating ballots prior to election day, and it offers pre-addressed envelopes to voters, so their applications go directly to their clerk’s office.
- Makes in-person voting more efficient: The bill allows municipalities to consolidate polling places and eliminate the check-out table at these locations, allowing for a more efficient process and fewer poll workers. It also expands who is eligible to serve as a poll worker, knowing that many current volunteers are seniors who may feel less comfortable working in public during COVID-19.
Department of Environmental Protection Leaving Public with Murky Picture of Water Quality, Audit Shows
Boston, MA – An audit released today by State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump shows the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is not providing important information to the federal government and the public about the safety and usability of Massachusetts watersheds in a timely manner. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019.
The audit found DEP has not released reports required by the federal Clean Water Act. Under this law, each state must provide the Environmental Protection Agency with an Integrated List of Waters Report every two years that contains details on its water quality, including information on bodies of water that are impaired by pollutants. Bump’s audit found DEP did not finalize its 2016 edition of this report, which was due in April 2016, until December 2019 and has still not filed its 2018 edition. Additionally, the audit shows DEP has not made water quality testing data it has gathered available to the public since 2015. The audit notes that without these two sources of information, the public does not know whether watersheds in the state are safe for their designated uses. To address these issues, the audit recommends DEP reevaluate its data collection and processing methods, using labs not run by the state to test samples, and consider using external sources that may assist with data collection and reporting.
“The Department of Environmental Protection is tasked with fulfilling the Massachusetts Constitution’s guarantee of clean air and water for its residents. Unfortunately, the failure to provide important information has left the public with a murky picture of water quality in the state,” Bump said of the audit. “While the agency has taken some steps to address these issues, I urge them to continue to implement all of our audit recommendations.”
Bump also calls on the agency to improve oversight of facilities that manufacture, process, and use toxic substances in their operations, after the audit found DEP did not always ensure these users filed required toxic use reports and reduction plan summaries.
DEP, a subdivision of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, is responsible for protecting and enhancing the Commonwealth’s natural resources, including air, water, and land, as well as for advancing sustainable economic development. DEP’s headquarters is in Boston, and it has four regional offices in Springfield, Worcester, Wilmington, and Lakeville, as well as a state laboratory in Lawrence. At the end of the audit period, DEP had approximately 700 full-time employees and in fiscal year 2019 received $57,539,138 in state appropriations.
The full report is available here.
Fattman Launches Food Security Program
Every Tuesday and Friday Stephanie Fattman delivers bread and other baked goods to Worcester County food pantries
WORCESTER – Worcester County Register of Probate Stephanie Fattman has announced that her office has teamed up with private companies and nonprofits to deliver baked goods to Worcester County food pantries. Fattman partnered with Allcare Medical Supply and Bimbo Bakeries, both located in Millbury, MA to provide 1,000 units of bread each week to organizations that have seen a spike in usership since the outset of COVID-19.
The breads were made available through Bimbo Bakeries due to a shutdown of local thrift stores. Typically, as the bread approaches its expiration date, the bakery will send the bread to the thrift stores to be sold or given to low income families. Since these retail locations have not been open during the pandemic, Bimbo Bakeries approached Bill Fredericks, owner of Allcare Medical Supply, and president of a nonprofit, Net of Compassion, to see if they could find a place for the bread.
“Our weekly operation consists of feeding 300 people on Southeast Main Street in Worcester,” commented Fredericks. “Since the pandemic hit, we have not been able to gather like we usually do. Stephanie was looking for an opportunity to support our local area food banks, and we were fortunate enough to be able to team up with her through this great program she is launching.”
The first week of this program, 500 units of bread were delivered to the Gardner Community Action Council which administers a food pantry and pick up program to those in need. On Friday of the same week, an additional 500 units were delivered to Project New Hope in Worcester, MA which services veterans in the community. Since then, Register Fattman and Allcare Medical have established a standing Friday delivery with Project New Hope, that has since delivered 1,500 units of bread and counting.
Additionally, a total of over 1,500 units of bread have been dropped off at WHEAT Community Connections in Clinton, the Athol Salvation Army, the Worcester County Food Bank, the Webster-Dudley Food Share Program, and food pantries in Berlin and Winchendon.
“I’m thankful to be part of this great initiative,” said Fattman. “We’ve been able to use the community connections we’ve built over the past five years in the Probate and Family Court to help supply these baked items to thousands of families around Worcester County.
If you have questions regarding this delivery, or know of a location where Register Fattman’s Food Security Program should go next, please email stephanie.fattman@jud.state.ma.us
Auditor Bump's Statement on Governor Baker’s Proposal to Implement a Statewide Police Officer Standards and Accreditation System
Boston, MA – State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump released the following statement on the announcement by Governor Charlie Baker today to implement a statewide Police Officer Standards and Accreditation Committee (POSAC).
“The proposal put forward by Governor Baker today is a bold step forward for policing in the Commonwealth. The Police Officer Standards and Accreditation Committee will improve public safety, increase accountability, and build trust in local police departments. I commend the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association for their persistent advocacy for a comprehensive system of modern police training and standards of behavior. I will continue to work with them, civil rights advocates, members of law enforcement, the Legislature, and the Baker administration to ensure that POSAC is an integral and effective element of reform.”
Last November, Bump released a study that examined municipal police training in the Commonwealth. One of the report’s solutions to bolster public safety, enhance accountability, and build public trust in municipal police officers was the establishment of Police Officer Standards and Training system.