I hope all this gear/equipment being brought into MA (according to governor updates and news reports) are making their way West of 495; There are actual communities that exist past that route. All of the Commonwealth is not located East of 495.

GARDNER — COVID-19 numbers are creeping up, but the area is maintaining a lower rate than the state’s average for those testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Heywood Healthcare, which also indicates that it is starting to run low on scrubs and gowns.

By Tuesday morning, April 7, Heywood Healthcare reported a total of 120 positive cases of the virus so far. Five of those tested had indeterminate results, meaning they could not be determined as positive or negative. The rate of positive local cases in the health system is 16.5 percent, compared to the state’s 18.1 percent. At Heywood Hospital, there are six patients in-house who have tested positive for COVID-19. There are 10 patients under investigation.

Statewide as of Tuesday morning, there were about 76,000 tests collected, of which about 14,000 were positive. There have been about 260 deaths in Massachusetts.

President and CEO of Heywood Healthcare Win Brown said during his morning update Tuesday that anyone now entering the health system’s facilities must be wearing a mask. He added that scarves and bandanas are acceptable. If someone checks in without a mask, one will be provided.

Brown asked all staff wearing scrubs to leave them behind so they can be washed, and requested that any staff members who have brought scrubs home to please bring them back. Isolation gowns are also running short.

“Given the pandemic, we are on an allocation for the number of scrubs that we get and the number of surgical gowns on a daily basis. So if you have anything sitting at home, it really needs to come back in because we are starting to run short on our shifts,” he said.

from The Gardner News:

HUBBARDSTON — “We’re going ahead full steam,” Town Clerk Laurie Reed said of the democratic processes in town.

Everything is still on track for the town’s annual meeting, planned for June 2, and election, still set for June 9.

Reed noted everything could change as warranted due to the ongoing coronavirus health crisis, though the latest the town can delay at this point is the end of June, unless state rules change again.

Papers for those seeking election to town office were available starting Tuesday, April 7, and are due back by 5 p.m. on April 21, Reed said, but she added there is some flexibility in the procedures.

She said she can meet with people outside of Town Hall, for instance.

But email is usually the best way to communicate; calling Town Hall, they can also leave a message.

Reed said come time for the election, the town will use the best ways it can to protect people and make sure they are practicing social distancing.

Potential candidates will still need to gather 20 signatures, and Reed recommends a few extra in case someone signs who is not actually registered to vote And she will be handing out 25 signature sheets to candidates so each person signing can use a fresh sheet of paper to avoid any concerns about COVID-19.

She said businesses are still open in town, and are places a candidate could gather signatures, keeping in mind people may want some distance.

If someone is interested in signing a nomination paper, they can arrange to meet them. It may require a little more work than normal but can still be done.

Reed said she can work with candidates to guide them through the process.

For voters, there are some options. Voting hours are not yet determined, Reed said. But many voters can skip the in-person process and request an absentee ballot. There are no criteria needed, unlike the typical absentee request process. Voters can then have the ballot mailed to them and send it back through the mail. All “no-contact” voting.

For those who go to the polls in person, there may be adjustments, such as possibly allowing people to bring their own pens. The new voting machine will be a little more forgiving in that regard.

But for more information, residents can contact Reed at tclerk@hubbardstonma.us or leave a phone message at 978-928-1400, ext. 202.

Positions on the ballot are: Board of Selectmen, three years; Board of Assessors, three years; Planning Board, a five-year and one-year seat; Board of Health, two three-year seats; Quabbin Regional School Committee, three years; Finance Committee, two three-year seats; Cemetery Commission, three years; Trustees of Public Library, two three-year seats; Park Commissioner, two three-year seats and a one-year seat.

Julie Kelley shared a link.

Conversation Starter · April 3 at 8:21 AM

Because this did not get anywhere near the attention it warrants - I am reposting this.

This is critical information for your districts. Starting around the 40 minute or so mark, the news is startling to say the very least.

Due to the inability to project revenues, which really can't be determined at all until the economy reopens, there is a real possibility the legislature may decided to go into a 1/12 for the state budget, or pass a budget for July, August, and September. (Place this also on your calendar as a must watch on 4/7: https://malegislature.gov/Events/SpecialEvents/Detail/350).

The HWM has already indicated they will not be releasing a budget in April. I expect the SWM will soon be following suit. I cannot blame them at all for this by the way - everyday is fluid with the economy, and revenues bottoming out.

No full state budget, means districts and municipalities are placed in holding pattern for state aid, which means everyone should operate in 1/12 to FY20 until concrete numbers are passed.

My suggestion for whatever it is worth, is to start having conversations with your union presidents. Should the state be forced to delay FY21 budget, will the unions agree to delay FY21 contract raises until state budget passes. They aren't giving them up. They are just delaying them. This is a no brainer to me, which should elicit an "of course" from union members - however, in the real world, easy is never really easy is it.

10 million jobs gone the past two weeks. Everything needs to be on the table if we are going to get through this.

By Stephen Landry / slandry@thegardnernews.com

Posted at 6:00 AM

GARDNER — As word of an impending pandemic shutdown began to spread across the country a few weeks ago, Americans started buying firearms in record numbers. Match Shot Firearms in Gardner likewise saw a similar surge in business.

The FBI reported that 2.5 million guns were sold in the U.S. in March, representing an increase of about 85 percent from March 2019. More than 210,000 gun background checks were conducted in a single day (Monday, March 20), according to reports.

Locally, the story was much the same, with sales surging at Match Point Firearms, according to owner Ron Bobick. He said his sales in March alone nearly surpassed the total amount he had made in the previous six months.

“Gun sales were just off the charts for the month of March; the sales were incredible,” Bobick said. “I’m in the process as we speak of trying to restock certain products, whatever I can get.” He said most of the suppliers he purchases from are also running very low on inventory. “They are out of 9 mm ammunition on the East Coast, and I can’t order certain firearms because there aren’t any. This whole pandemic just put everybody into a panic.”

Match Shot Firearms is now closed until at least the end of April, however, after Gov. Charlie Baker reversed his decision to keep gun stores in the state open as essential businesses. Needless to say, that order did not sit well with Bobick or his customers.

“As far as (Baker) flip-flopping, he’s like a kivver out of water,” Bobick said. “I mean, come on, one day you tell us we’re essential, the next day we’re not? Explain the difference between a gun store and a liquor store. Where’s the essential difference? I don’t see it.”

Updated Apr 5, 2020 at 7:24 AM

WORCESTER - Seeking a more real-time picture of the COVID-19 situation, the city reached out to the UMass Memorial and St. Vincent Hospital health care systems to get a sense of what’s currently going on in the fight against the pandemic.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said between UMass Memorial, including its regional campuses, and St. Vincent’s, they are currently taking care of 109 COVID-19 cases, including 29 people in intensive care units. The health care systems have had 14 COVID-19-related deaths, and 64 total hospital employees have tested positive for the virus.

Officially, the city’s count increased Saturday by 43 to a total of 310.

Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, the city’s medical director, said the updated health care system numbers appeared manageable. He estimated the ICU beds are at about 45% to 50% capacity. Where bottlenecks are occurring, he said, are with patients who are taking a while to recover - coming off a ventilator, for example.

Hirsh said that’s why it’s so important that the city is hosting the state’s first field hospital at the DCU Center and is converting the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center to a COVID-19 recovery facility. He said the hospitals are already taking steps to expand that ICU capacity, and are even converting anesthesia equipment to ventilators in anticipation of a predicted spike in cases by the end of next week.

According to the state Department of Public Health, Worcester County has seen a total of 915 positive cases. Twenty-four new deaths were announced across the state, for a total of 216. The newly reported deaths included three people from Worcester County - a man and a woman in their 90s, and a man in his 80s

Posted Apr 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM

 

WINCHENDON — People driving past the industrial park on Route 140 may wonder why there are cars parked outside of Mylec Hockey, a company famous for dek hockey equipment. There is nothing necessarily essential about dek hockey unless you really love to play — or there are hospitals in need of help during a coronavirus pandemic.

Mylec has recently become an essential business because it is making flooring for tents being set up all over the country to meet the needs of hospitals during the growing COVID-19 crisis. The flooring, called DEKMAT, is manufactured to withstand heavy traffic.

Mylec is working with Progressive Emergency, a company that provides municipalities with tents and equipment to set up outdoor hospitals, triage centers or whatever is needed. Mylec President Rick Laperriere said he has previously worked with the Texas company that is now building medical tents for hospitals.

“When immigrants started rushing to the (U.S.-Mexico) border,” said Laperriere.

Mylec has been working on flooring for the last 10 years. The flooring surface has an added advantage of assembly without tools, and is a good, strong addition to the emergency response tents that receive a lot of traffic.

“They love our flooring because the people aren’t in the elements and not touching ground,” said Laperriere. “If by chance if it got blood on it, they can power wash it and steam clean it and it doesn’t hurt it,” he added. “If they want to move to another area, they just roll the floor up and move on.”

The Winchendon company remains busy during the coronavirus business shutdown, though many other manufacturers have closed their doors.

“We are working on a very large order right now,” Laperriere said in a phone interview on Tuesday, March 31. “We are working overtime so we can get it out ASAP.”

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.