from The Gardner News - April 3, 2020:

 

GARDNER — Greater Gardner communities are gearing up for the surge in coronavirus infections that is predicted in the next few weeks, and Heywood Healthcare has a team focused on meeting the challenge.

In an effort to keep everyone informed, Heywood Healthcare President and CEO Win Brown has been producing a video each morning and evening to keep staff and the public at large informed. Though the growing number of infected cases has been sobering, the videos have helped to make sure all are prepared and taking precautions.

Heywood Healthcare has tested a total of 630 inpatients and outpatients, with total 430 tests ruled negative for COVID-19, not including “rule-out” patients and positive cases.

“You can see those (testing) numbers are improving, and that has to do with a better turnaround time. There are 70 positives in the community, showing a 14 percent positive rate,” said Brown on Friday.

Brown also reported that the state has tested approximately 57,000 patients, with about 9,000 positive results and an estimated 14 percent positive rate. There have been 154 deaths across the state.

Brown praised the work of Gov. Charlie Baker, and he also noted Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, for bringing more than a million needed N95 masks to Massachusetts from China. Brown said he believes Heywood will be seeing some of those same supplies sometime next week.

“We appreciate that as we are always working on keeping our supplies up,” he said.

Brown reported that after a “somewhat intense” incident command meeting Friday morning, the staff is preparing beds for the surge predicted by the numbers that are visibly increasing.

Currently there are 11 patients in-house waiting for test results to be returned. Five patients in-house have tested positive. Three of those are in ICU and ventilated, and two are on the medical surge floor.

“We are starting to feel the tick up about the viral node in our community as we start ramping up over the course of this next couple of weeks,” said Brown.

Brown said there is an effort to help staff keep food on their table at home. There are also those reaching out with counseling to help staff with anxiety, saying there will be no copay and no one will be turned away as they tackle the pandemic. Brown encouraged the staff to utilize the resources they have available.

There is concern over available ventilators.

Dawn Casavant, vice president of external affairs, said that between Athol Hospital and Heywood Hospital there are six ventilators. There are also ventilators used for different purposes such as anesthesia and bypass. She said it all depends on a patient’s needs which ventilator will be used.

Casavant said they are hoping to see another six to 10 ventilators from the state.

Casavant talked of the plans to maximize beds for the surge. The hospital is licensed for 134 beds. She said they are planning to move patients to Athol Hospital that are not COVID-19 patients, and making Heywood Hospital the place where COVID-19 patients will be treated, surging into the different units as the numbers grow.

In related news

In Winchendon, the virus numbers are growing. Town Manager Keith Hickey said in a call Friday that six people have been diagnosed within the town and tests have been administered to others who are awaiting the results.

He said all are quarantined to minimize exposure to others.

Hickey reported that the Department of Public Health anticipates that in two to three weeks the state will experience a peak of those testing positive for COVID-19. He said that to reduce the rise in the virus it is critical to adhere to the safe hygiene practices and vigilant social distancing.

“It is possible for people to spread the virus up to 40 hours before they have symptoms. That is why it is so important to practice social distancing,” said Hickey, advising at least six feet between two people.

Hickey said that town offices and the Department of Public Works are working split shifts in order to follow the advised social distancing guidelines. He said the police and fire will continue to respond to emergencies.

The following shows the reason (s) behind the upcoming Templeton annual town meeting, article #3 (article # as of right now)

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From: Terenzini, Carter <cterenzini@TempletonMA.gov>
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2019 2:22 PM
To: Adam D. Lamontagne <alamontagne@TempletonMA.gov>; Bennett, Jeff <jbennett@TempletonMA.gov>; Currie, Michael <mcurrie@TempletonMA.gov>; Diane Haleybrooks <DHaleybrooks@TempletonMA.gov>; Richard, Julie <jrichard@TempletonMA.gov>; Griffis, Terry <tgriffis@TempletonMA.gov>; Young, Holly <hyoung@TempletonMA.gov>
Cc: Pontbriand, Kelli <kpontbriand@TempletonMA.gov>; Royer, Luanne <lroyer@TempletonMA.gov>; Richardson, Cheryl <crichardson@TempletonMA.gov>
Subject: ReCap

 

Good Day:

We had three issues with our recap and it appears it will NOT require a resigning.  We will advise you ASAP if it turns out otherwise.

1. We had place a miscellaneous revenue item in one reporting column when DOR asked us to report it differently.  This threw the recap off.  They subsequently advised we had done it correctly; once moved back it was AOK but…

2. They then had questions on our FY ’20 DE-1 (monies to be raised as the result of a debt exclusion).  Let me start by saying that, during the course of construction, one never knows exactly how much one will need nor what the interest rate will be;  With the two windows to work with (Town Meeting and Recap) we are not always spot on the amounts needed during the BAN phase of the financing.  We budgeted, in May of ’19, $90k for interest on BANs we issued in November of ’19 and are due in February of ’20.  At that time we will convert some portion thereof to General Obligation Bonds.  It turned out that the interest is only $51,954 leaving an excess of $32,046.  We also budgeted $75k to make advance paydowns on the BANs thus reducing the GOBs we had to raise and the annual principal and interest payments.  In simplest terms; DOR wants to see only the amounts that are shown as owed on a debt statement that we “need” to pay down in that FY.    They do not want to see us raising the added amount we “want” to pay down. They subsequently approved the inclusion of these monies on the DE-1 But advised us to not do so again in the future.

3. Notwithstanding prior legal advice that Article 2 of the July STM was a proper method of authorizing the BoS to cut the General Fund budget to accommodate the final NRSD budget; they subsequently opined that it was not permissible.  That said, they did earlier today approve the use of that  method provided the Chair and I sign a letter committing to seeking an appropriation of the same amount as we cut the general fund to out all of the accounts.  The end result is nil as we use FY ’19 free cash to satisfy them which simply becomes FY ’20 free cash as it never actually gets spent.

With this behind us, Luanne advises all comments have been submitted and we expect a rate by Monday; a date we had established as our “drop dead”.

Over the coming months we will ask Town Counsel to arrange a meeting with DOR Chief Counsel and our Bond Counsel to discuss these differing legal opinions that we might learn more.

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini

Town Administrator

Town of Templeton

160 Patriots Road

East Templeton, MA 01438

1.978.894.2755

Why spend further tax dollars meeting with lawyers, just follow the guidance of the Department of Revenue; you cannot do what you did, plain and simple.

To try and move forward in a responsible manner and to update a prior town meeting vote; as well as to allow full funding of necessary items to properly and safely operate a town ambulance, I proposed the following to the other members of the board of selectmen and town administrator.

Since many talk about fully supporting public safety, it was disappointing to see the rest of the board take the easy way, the way of the town administrator and say, this proposed change is not ready for prime time.

The proposal would have limited the ability of the town administrator to use ambulance receipts funds to support general fund budget - the easy way.

Amend town meeting vote:

ARTICLE ?? Create Ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation: To see if the Town will vote to amend the motion for Article 8 of the November 7, 2011 Special Town Meeting; to create a fire-ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation account where collected ambulance receipts for services are placed beginning with fiscal year 2013.

The motion will be changed from:

To create a fire-ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation account where collected ambulance receipts for services are placed beginning with fiscal year 2013.

To:

To see if the Town will vote to create a Fire Department-Ambulance
Receipts Reserved for Appropriation Account where collected ambulance
receipts for services are placed and monies are expended only through a Town Meeting vote for the purpose of funding various ambulance/fire department requests, to include, equipment, gear, medical supplies and capital items beginning in fiscal year 2022.

 

 So that the amended entire motion shall now read as follows:

 

To see if the Town will vote to create a Fire Department-Ambulance
Receipts Reserved for Appropriation Account where collected ambulance
receipts for services are placed and monies are expended only through a Town Meeting vote for the purpose of funding various ambulance/fire department requests, to include, equipment, gear, medical supplies and capital items pursuant to the betterment of the fire dept. / ambulance services as deemed by the Templeton fire chief, beginning in fiscal year 2022.

Please check it out from various sources - one possible is state house news or contact your state legislature - either representative or senator, state - one each.

By Steph Solis | ssolis@masslive.com

The House passed a bill Thursday that would grant a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for residents and business owners who cannot afford to pay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill, H.1279, bars landlords from charging late fees or sending reports to credit rating agencies if tenants notify them within 30 days of a late payment. The provisions last for up to 30 days after the governor lifts the state of emergency over COVID-19.

“During these unprecedented times, we need to do whatever we can to keep people healthy, safe and in their homes,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat, said in a statement. “This legislation shields tenants and homeowners from economic insecurity during and immediately after the period of the state of emergency."

The Senate advanced its own housing bill, S. 2621, and plans to take it up next week. The House and Senate would need to either come together behind one bill or merge their proposals into one version before it can land on the governor’s desk and become law.

The House bill also bars landlords from sending “notice to quit” letters, which notifies tenants of a landlord’s desire to terminate a lease, and prohibits sheriff’s officers from enforcing an eviction execution until 30 days after the state of emergency ends.

There is an exemption for emergency evictions that involve allegations of criminal activity or certain lease violations that could affect public health or public safety, according to the bill. Under those conditions, a landlord would need to send a 10-day “notice to quit” in writing.

Both the House and Senate bills established a moratorium on foreclosure actions for the same time frame, but that doesn’t mean people are free from making mortgage payments.

DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka said more than a week ago that they were working on housing legislation in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Massachusetts is one of the states hardest hit by job losses due to the pandemic. The Bay State had 181,062 initial unemployment claims for the week ending on March 28, up from 148,452 a week earlier, according to a report published Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The previous week’s initial claims alone were more than all the claims the state received for the entire month of February.

More than 60 organizations signed onto a letter urging lawmakers to pass a housing relief bill by April 1, the State House News Service reported.

“Action is needed now to protect these families,” the groups wrote. “The emergency moratorium should be definitive about protecting people from all stages of eviction and foreclosure processes until the end of the crisis, since at this time new cases are still being filed, landlords holding executions are free to use them to throw people out of their homes, and many homeowners remain vulnerable to foreclosure.”

Gov. Charlie Baker said evictions and foreclosures should not move forward as long as the courts are closed, but noted that details were being worked out by lawmakers.

“We know you are worried and we are going to do everything we can to ensure nobody loses their housing because of this crisis,” Baker said last week.

from today's Worcester Telegram - April 2, 2020:

As Worcester County saw another COVID-19 death Wednesday morning — a patient at Heywood Hospital in Gardner — the rural communities of Holland, Oakham, Petersham, Princeton and Royalston are reporting they have no confirmed cases in their towns.

The hardest hit communities are Worcester, with 165 cases, Fitchburg 44 cases, Marlboro 35, Northboro 25, Shrewsbury 29, Westboro 19, Grafton 16, Southboro 11, and Clinton 12.

Other Central Massachusetts communities and the number of cases they have recently reported include: Ashburnham 1, Athol 2, Auburn 6, Barre 1, Berlin 1, Blackstone 8, Bolton 1, Boylston 2, Charlton 8, Douglas 6, Dudley 5, East Brookfield 1, Gardner 4, Holden 7, Hudson 10, Leicester 4, Leominster 17, Lunenburg 5, Milford 9, Millbury 7, Millville 1, Northbridge 4, Oxford 2, Phillipston 1, Southbridge 8, Spencer 5, Sutton 9, Templeton 2, Upton 1, Uxbridge 9, Ware 1, Webster 7, West Boylston 2.

Heywood Hospital’s CEO said Wednesday that 35 patients have tested positive out of 502 tested from the communities it serves in northern Worcester County.

Support TCTV in Scout Hall:

No survey required - You have face book live at meetings, you re able to ask questions real time, without being at meeting, because of TCTV! We are able to have these video conference meetings because of TCTV, Community Preservation Committee supports TCTV in Scout Hall building.

TCTV has a business plan, a plan to address economic development, when the EDIC has not even met yet.

You are able to watch meetings without going or you are able to attend one meeting while another one is going on and you can then watch that meeting; because of TCTV.

Again, no survey required; No Brainer, TCTV in Scout Hall so they have a place for setup, equipment and to work out of - they have enterprise fund, they have retained earnings and again, they have a plan and TCTV seems to always be moving along for betterment of the product.

© REUTERS/Sukree SukplangBats appear to be the source of the coronavirus, but it's not yet clear which type, or types, of animals were the "intermediate hosts" that passed the virus on to humans.

• SARS-CoV-2 is just one of many coronaviruses, and most of them jump from animals to humans.
• Bats are especially notorious for hosting a number of harmful viruses in the past including SARS, MERS, and Ebola.
• It's unclear where the novel coronavirus comes from but researchers have considered bats and pangolins as a possible source.
• Most humans have already been infected with some strain of coronavirus, experts say, but it's unlikely the illness was as severe as certain cases of COVID-19.

With the world focused on the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, spreading around the world and claiming tens of thousands of lives as of this writing, it's easy to forget that it's part of a broader collection of coronaviruses. And those coronaviruses have been infecting humans for decades.

"Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause a wide range of illnesses, most of which lead to upper respiratory infections," said Jacqueline Vernarelli, PhD, Sacred Heart University director of research education and an assistant professor of public health.

Her colleague, Sofia Pendley, PhD, Sacred Heart University's clinical assistant professor of public health, said that humans first discovered coronaviruses in the 1960s, and learned the virus class can infect both humans and animals, meaning it's what experts call zoonotic.

There's a common theory yet to be proven that the COVID-19 virus originated in bats and then mutated, where it could jump to humans and survive. After all, "bats have been the source of other high-profile zoonotic viruses," Pendley said. Viruses like SARS, MERS, and Ebola.

Pendley, however, cautioned that while this theory is certainly possible, it's also possible upon further inspection that SARS-CoV-2 could have come from a different animal. For example, researchers have found a coronavirus very similar to SARS-CoV-2 in pangolins. But, again, it's unclear who animal patient zero is for COVID-19.

Both Pendley and Vernarelli said the novel coronavirus is one of many viruses to mutate and jump from animals to humans. They called the phenomenon a "spillover event." And it's extremely common.