麻州將重啟Worcester DCU田野醫院

麻州麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)強調，遏制疫情，必須全體州民同心協力，不鬆懈的
戴口罩，保持安全距離，勤習手。(周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 編譯)麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)今(13)日表示，將重啟位於屋斯特(Worcester)的DCU中心的田野醫院。有必要時，可在12月1日時撥出240個病床給病人用。麻州大學紀念醫療中心(University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center)將負責營運。

             查理貝克表示，從勞工節週末以來，疫情的發展方向明顯不對，州政府已經和醫院，以及地方市鎮討論設立田野醫院的可行性。今年4月時，麻州政府共設置了5個田野醫院，但疫情並未嚴重到麻州所有的醫院都不堪負荷，

             根據波士頓環球報的紀錄，4月中開始營運，有216張病床的DCU中心田野醫院，共醫治了275名病人。

Eric W. Dickson ， 麻州大學紀念醫療董事長。(周菊子攝)

“波士頓希望(Boston Hope)”，這個斥資1200萬元，有1000張病床，設在波士頓會議展覽中心(BCEC)的田野醫院，在8個星期的營運中，接納了720名病人，以空出急診病房給病情更重的病人。最後的2名病人在6月初從那兒出院。

在達特茅斯(Dartmouth)、羅爾( Lowell)，以及伯恩(Bourne)的這3個田野醫院，在一個病人都沒有之後，關閉了。

麻州健康及人民服務長Marylou Sudder表示，州政府正在加強接觸追蹤，已批准兩個機構增聘接觸追蹤者，目前共有能說16種不同語言的接觸追蹤者。

麻州大學紀念醫療中心代表今日在州長的疫情匯報會中表示，有了這幾個月來的經驗後，醫生們已經掌握了更多治療新冠病毒的方法，目前該院只有9名病人還在使用呼吸器，相信在這次的疫情回升中，不會出現沒有足夠呼吸器的情況。

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Re-establishment of a
Field Hospital at the DCU Center in Worcester

 

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that the first field hospital will be stood up at the DCU Center in Worcester as the Commonwealth prepares additional capacity for COVID-19 patients. This site will be built by the National Guard and is the first field hospital to re-open in the state since June.

 

“The Commonwealth continues to see an alarming rise in cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 and we are acting now to expand hospital capacity,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “All residents are urged to follow guidance to wear masks, stay home at night and stop gathering. We are preparing our hospital system to add more beds and stand up our first field hospital to care for COVID-19 patients if these trends continue. We will keep working with our health care system to monitor capacity and will be prepared to open more locations if needed.”

 

The plan to re-establish the field hospital in Worcester was activated this week. The site is expected to be available for patients in the first week of December if needed and additional locations will be added in other regions if necessary. No further changes or restrictions to regular hospital services in Massachusetts are being implemented at this time.

 

“Since Day One of our response to this crisis, we have worked to ensure that our hospitals and health care providers have the resources they need to meet the acute care health needs of our residents,” said EOHHS Secretary Marylou Sudders, the COVID-19 Command Center Director. “We are in a much better position to respond to what will be a difficult next few months, and the early re-opening of this field hospital is based on the data we see is the right action to take at this time."

 

State officials have closely monitored several metrics and note that hospitalizations since Labor Day have increased from 178 to 661. While the hospital system manages the current demand for COVID and non-COVID care, the DCU site will provide approximately 240 additional beds to care for lower-acuity COVID-19 patients, helping preserve hospital system capacity for higher-risk patients diagnosed with COVID-19 or other serious health conditions.

 

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) will coordinate the logistics of the DCU Center field hospital, in close collaboration with the Command Center, City of Worcester, and UMass Memorial Health Care, which will again lead all clinical, day-to-day, operations.

 

“The Commonwealth’s forward planning and ability to stand up this Alternate Care Site with our partners is a direct result of lessons learned and our experience during the first wave of the pandemic,” said MEMA Director Samantha Phillips. "We hope that we won't need all of these overflow beds, but if we do, they’ll be ready.”

 

The DCU Center was the first of five field hospitals constructed by the Commonwealth during the response to the springtime surge of COVID-19 cases. From early April until late May, when it was de-mobilized, the DCU site served 161 patients. In total, the DCU and the Boston Hope field hospitals cared for more than 570 hospital patients during the first pandemic surge.     

 

“This is the right thing to do and at the right time. The field hospital was an enormous asset for Central Massachusetts hospitals during the spring surge. I believe it can serve an even greater purpose today because we have learned so much more about the virus and caring for COVID-19 patients since then. Our team is ready to deploy and to assist the state’s hospitals,” said Eric W. Dickson, MD, President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care.

 

Alternate Care Sites are designed as clinical spaces for lower acuity patients. These sites provide a relief valve for hospitals, allowing them to manage or reconfigure their facilities to care for more seriously ill patients. Each site is built to safely accommodate the beds, equipment, and medical supplies needed to appropriately care for COVID-19 patients.

 

The establishment of field hospitals has been a critical strategy in Massachusetts' response to COVID-19. Additionally, the Command Center has added 30 specialty beds at two long term care facilities to increase capacity for individuals being discharged from acute care hospitals to nursing home level of care and are on ventilators or had tracheotomies. The Commonwealth’s continued preparedness has also included the stockpiling of millions of pieces of PPE, including gloves, masks, gowns, and other essential equipment as hundreds of additional ventilators. The state’s emergency stockpile will buttress strong preparedness that hospitals and other health care facilities have undertaken in the last several months, including building their own inventories to respond to the next stage of the pandemic.

(From the governor's office)

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

 

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES  Altogether the three new funds will distribute $6.3M in grants to support Boston's small businesses

 

BOSTON - Friday, November 13, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the launch of three new funds totaling $6.3 million that will support small businesses within the City of Boston that have been affected by COVID-19, focusing on commercial rent relief, supporting certified women, minority, and veteran owned small businesses, and restaurant payroll and rental relief. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Boston has allocated more than $15 million toward direct grants to small businesses. "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been listening closely to the needs of our small business community." said Mayor Walsh. "These conversations are crucial to ensuring a safe and equitable recovery for our City. The new funds we are announcing today will address those needs to better support the small businesses who have been hardest hit by the pandemic." The application period for these three new funds opens on Monday, November 16, 2020 and will remain open for a period of one week, closing at 9:00 am on Monday, November 23, 2020. Small businesses may not apply for more than one of the three new relief funds. Previous recipients of the Small Business Relief Fund and Reopen Boston Fund, including restaurant fall and winter relief, may apply to any one of these funds: 1. Commercial Rent Relief Fund: Provides up to $15,000 in commercial rent relief for the period between April 1 - December 31, 2020. Priority is given to small businesses in industry sectors in Phase 3, Step 2 and Phase 4 of the state's Reopening Massachusetts plan, and those industries and neighborhood commercial areas hardest hit by COVID-19. Both a commercial landlord and small business tenant must participate in order to apply. 2. Certified Business Relief Fund:  Provides up to $15,000 in direct grants for small businesses currently certified with the City of Boston as women, minority, or veteran owned small businesses (MBE, WBE, MWBE, VOSBE, SLBE). The City's Certified Businesses Directory can be found here. 3. High Road Kitchens Restaurant Relief Fund: In partnership with the One Fair Wage program, High Road Kitchens, and Councilor Lydia Edwards' Office, this fund will provide $15,000 in direct grants to restaurants for COVID-19 relief, in order to commit to provide a $20 minimum wage for all restaurant workers by 2026. The Fund will directly provide wage reimbursements to restaurants to retain or rehire their employees or other food service employees who have lost employment or been underemployed due to COVID-19. Use of funds may include both rent and payroll. Priority will be given to independently owned small and local restaurants, as well as restaurants owned by immigrants, women and people of color. "It's important that we don't forget about restaurant workers when we talk about the struggles of the industry. Without restaurant workers there would be no restaurant industry. I'm proud to have partnered with the administration, One Fair Wage, and High Road Kitchens on the development of this program that will provide relief to restaurants that commit to good labor practices," said City Councilor Lydia Edwards.  The Small Business Unit will conduct three, live informational webinars on Monday, November 16 to answer questions about eligibility and criteria for each fund. The webinar will be recorded and posted online at facebook.com/econdevBoston/videos. For anyone interested in attending the live webinar, please register online, here. WHEN:     Monday, November 16, 2020   10:00 AM    2:00 PM    6:00 PM WHERE:   Online webinar via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/94401878433 These new small business relief funds are supported the federal CARES Act Relief Funding, along with philanthropic funding. In accordance with the regulations, the project must provide resources or assistance to mitigate effects on health and/or provide economic support. This announcement is part of the Walsh Administration's ongoing work to support small businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Mayor Walsh launched the Reopen Boston Fund, offering grants to Boston's small businesses of up to $2,000 to assist with reopening costs, including for PPE. On October 2, Mayor Walsh expanded this opportunity to ensure restaurants in Boston are able to purchase necessary equipment for outdoor dining this fall and winter.  Today, Mayor Walsh will further expand the Reopen Boston Fund to offer an additional $1,000 in grants to other small businesses. To be eligible, businesses must have already applied for the Reopen Boston Fund and must include a description and updated budget of how the business plans on using the funds to further their reopening during the Winter. Applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed funding. Businesses must have all proper documentation and permits if operating in outdoor spaces. Interested businesses can reapply on boston.gov/reopen-fund and click on Winter Fund. The Reopen Boston Fund, which remains open, has issued more than $2.65 million in grants to 1,471 businesses. Applications are accepted at boston.gov/reopen-fund.  Last week, Mayor Walsh announced that the City of Boston, as a part of a thorough Request for Proposals (RFP) review process, selected a partnership between Colette Phillips Communications, the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Proverb to create a Visit Boston campaign that will promote a safe and equitable economic recovery. Prior to the pandemic, the categories of Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; Accommodation and Food Services made up 10.4 percent of the City's jobs. As the City of Boston plans to recover stronger and more equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arts, Culture, and Tourism industry is a critical component to the future success. The goal of Visit Boston is to assemble a local tourism campaign to draw local and regional tourists to take advantage of all that Boston has to offer, as the City safely responds to the impact of COVID-19 and supports its hardest hit industries, including small businesses. Nearly $6.7 million in debt-free grants have been distributed to over 1,850 small businesses in every neighborhood across the City of Boston through the Office of Economic Development's Small Business Relief Fund. The businesses that received grants represent industries most impacted by closures, policies, or general loss of revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To further assist the City's small businesses, the City of Boston has created a platform to help businesses source the personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies required in order to ensure the safety of employees and customers as industries begin to reopen.  To date, a total of more than $9.6 million in debt-free grants have been issued to 3,391 small businesses across Boston. The Office of Economic Development's Small Business Unit continues to engage with Boston's business owners through weekly calls, office hours, and ongoing surveys in order to best understand their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small Business owners are encouraged to complete Survey #10 to share their thoughts and experiences to better shape our programs and policies to serve the small business community. For additional questions, the Small Business Unit can be reached at smallbiz@boston.gov.

麻州新冠病毒死亡人數破萬 查理貝克認為學童回校上課有助學習

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)認為學童回校上課有助學習。(周菊子攝)

          (Boston Orange 綜合編譯)麻州最近一連三天，新冠病毒單日確診人數超過2000。今(12)日不但有多達2,482人確診，累計174,953人確診，新增21人死亡，累計死亡人數更打破1萬大關。

根據聯邦疾病防治中心(CDC)截至今日中午的數據，美國今日新增143,408人新冠病毒確診，累計已有1031萬4254人確診。全美因染患新冠病毒死亡的人數，也在今日新增1,479人後，累計241,069人死亡。

              全世界的新冠病毒確診人數，11月8日才打破5000萬大關，今日就已累計有5258萬8560人確診，累計死亡人數也已達到129萬0427人。染患新冠病毒人數增加之快，令人驚詫。

目前麻州有26,201宗仍在治療中的新冠病毒個案，其中661人住院，151人住在重症病房。麻州的七日平均確診率上升到2.9%。

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)今日特地到卡萊(Carlisle)公校巡訪，重申在學生到學校上課或以一半遠距，一半到校上課的方式學習時，並未出現群聚感染現象，反倒是家庭私人聚會，長時間的體育活動更容易造成病毒傳染。他認為讓學童回校上課，才能讓青少年得到更好的教育。

根據麻州中小學教育局的資料，在11月5日至11月11日的這個星期中，麻州學校師生共有348宗確診個案，其中191宗為學生，157宗為教職員。各學區報告了176名學生，131名教職員感染，其餘的教育設施有6名學生，4名教職員感染。特殊教育學校有9名學生，22名教職員感染。

在各學區中，屋本(Woburn)區個案數最高，有12宗。Barnstable，Leominster ，Westwood等學區則各有6名學生確診。波士頓市有7名教職員感染，Medway，昆士(Quincy )，以及Abby Kelley Foster 特許公校學區則各有5名教職員感染。

目前全麻州大約有45萬名學生及75000名教職員在病毒大流行期間回到學校的樓宇內上課。有些學區只安排遠距上課，所以學校樓宇內沒人。

波士頓市長馬丁華殊(Martin Walsh)在12日匯報疫情時表示，波士頓市新增325宗確診個案，累計23196宗。死亡人數無新增，884人。(更新版)

(e2319

MAYOR WALSH SIGNS HOUSING STABILITY NOTIFICATION ACT

 

MAYOR WALSH SIGNS HOUSING STABILITY NOTIFICATION ACT  Landlords and constables in the City of Boston must provide tenants facing eviction with their rights and resources   BOSTON - Thursday, November 12, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today signed the Housing Stability Notification Act, an ordinance ensuring Bostonians at risk of eviction know their rights and have access to information on the resources available to them. Mayor Walsh introduced the ordinance to the City Council last month, ahead of the end of the statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. With its passage, property owners and constables are required to provide a document containing information on tenant rights and resources available when issuing their tenant a Notice to Quit (the first step in the legal process of an eviction) or Nonrenewal of Lease. "Keeping families in their homes has been our top priority since the beginning of the pandemic, and we are committed to doing everything we can to prevent evictions during this difficult time," said Mayor Walsh. "The Housing Stability Notification Act is an important step the City is taking to help people at risk of eviction know their rights and the resources available to them. I want to thank the City Council and our housing advocates for their partnership in this ongoing work to prevent evictions and keep tenants in their homes during this crisis." The document that must accompany a Notice to Quit or Nonrenewal of Lease provides information about City and State rental relief funds, guidance on filing a federal declaration of need to potentially protect against eviction, and a list of services such as legal counsel and other supports. The information contained in the document is intended to prevent an eviction by providing access to financial and legal resources. When issuing these documents to tenants, landlords must also provide a copy of the Notice to Quit and Nonrenewal of Lease to the Office of Housing Stability.   "I want to thank the Mayor for signing this ordinance and look forward to the Public Health Commission's consideration of the request to make enforcing an eviction a violation of our city's health and sanitation codes," said Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards. "We need to keep as many Boston families housed this winter as possible during the pandemic. We also need the State House to enact short term and permanent housing policies that are centered on the human right to housing and stable neighborhoods." The Housing Stability Notification Act builds on Mayor Walsh's previous efforts to ensure stable housing for the residents of Boston, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The City's Rental Relief Fund, launched in April, is currently accepting new applications to support residents who lost their income due to COVID-19 and are unable to pay their rent. Working in close partnership with three non-profit organizations, MetroHousing Boston, NOAH, and Project Hope, the fund has distributed almost $4 million in assistance to over 1,100 households across the city.  In addition, the City has contracted with Greater Boston Legal Services to add additional attorneys to assist tenants facing eviction. The Office of Housing Stability (OHS) has expanded the Housing Court Navigator Program that assists tenants who are in Housing Court and need financial, legal or other assistance. "The housing stability notification act is an important step in protecting tenants by helping them understand their rights," said Zoe Cronin, managing attorney of the Housing Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services. "It is another tool that we can use to help keep people stably housed and we are glad that Mayor Walsh signed it into law." As part of its response to COVID-19, the CDC moratorium, tenants are required to sign and submit a declaration to their landlord stating that they qualify for protection under the moratorium. To support residents seeking to be covered by the CDC moratorium, the City of Boston has translated this declaration into 11 languages, and posted it on the Office of Housing Stability website so eligible tenants can sign it and send it to their landlord.  This direct outreach supplements the City of Boston's work in partnering with banks and mortgage lenders. Currently, 17 banks and mortgage lenders have signed on to a pledge, issued by the Mayor, which provides homeowners with at least a three month loan deferment from lenders. Prior to the pandemic, the Mayor has consistently advocated for protections against displacement, including in 2017 when he signed the Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act, a home rule petition that failed to pass in the state legislature. Mayor Walsh has also advocated in support of An Act to Ensure Right to Counsel in Eviction Proceedings, which would provide any low-income tenant facing eviction with a court-appointed attorney for representation. The City has also taken steps to enhance services to help homeowners, many of whom are small landlords, to meet their own financial obligations, make critical repairs, and stay in their homes. The Boston Home Center (BHC) has partnered with the City of Boston's Tax/Title division to send multi-lingual inserts in tax bills to more than 8,000 homeowners who are past due in property taxes to let them know that help is available from the City. The Boston Home Center also sent multi-lingual notices to 10,000 homeowners, in neighborhoods with traditionally high foreclosure rates, informing them of assistance available through Foreclosure Prevention and Intervention services. Tenants are able to access information here and landlords are able to access information and documents here.

MAYOR WALSH SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS, WILL FILE ORDINANCE TO CREATE OFFICE OF POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY TO ENACT BOSTON POLICE REFORM TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

 

MAYOR WALSH SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS, WILL FILE ORDINANCE TO CREATE OFFICE OF POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY TO ENACT BOSTON POLICE REFORM TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

 

BOSTON - Thursday, November 12, 2020 - In keeping with his commitment to taking swift action on police reform, Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced he will file an ordinance with the Boston City Council to create the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency to enact the Boston Police Reform Task Force recommendations. Mayor Walsh today also signed two executive orders to create Boston's first-ever Civilian Review Board, and to create a stronger Internal Affairs Oversight Panel, both as recommended by the Task Force.    "Our goal is to achieve historic change in Boston and create a national model for breaking down systemic racism across all aspects of our city," said Mayor Walsh. "The recommendations we are enacting today represent the voices of the community advocating for change, and I thank the Task Force for their incredibly hard work in creating this report that we are bringing to life through reforms. We will continue this work as we come together to build a more equitable, just city."  The Boston Police Reform Task Force was charged with reviewing a set of current Boston Police Department's policies and procedures, and presenting recommendations for action and reform. Mayor Walsh charged the Task Force with four main areas of review: Use of Force policies; Implicit Bias Training, the Body-worn Camera Program, and the Community Ombudsman Oversight Panel (CO-OP). Mayor Walsh has accepted all of the Task Force's recommendations, and is in the process of implementing them. Mayor Walsh today signed two executive orders to further enact the recommendations of the Boston Police Reform Task Force. The first executive order creates Boston's first-ever Civilian Review Board of this kind, a 9-member board that will be made up of community members nominated by the City Council and the Mayor's Office.  The second Order reconstitutes Boston's Community Ombudsman Oversight Panel (CO-OP) and transforms it into a stronger Internal Affairs Oversight Panel (IAOP). This panel will have the power to review all completed Internal Affairs cases. Previously, the CO-OP could review 20 percent of cases. In addition to cases, it would be able to review the policies and procedures of Internal Affairs, as well as engage with the community about their impact.  The ordinance, which will be filed next week, would create the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT), a key recommendation of the Boston Police Reform Task Force. OPAT would provide intake services, research, and administrative support to the Civilian Review Board and the Internal Affairs Oversight Panel, and the OPAT Commission would have subpoena power to investigate misconduct. This structure would create a single point of public access to a new standard in police accountability and community oversight.  The City of Boston has already begun the process of searching for an executive director to lead the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OPAT). The Executive Director will lead the Executive Administration, a branch within the OPAT structure. The City is launching a search to find an executive director who is a member of the Massachusetts bar, and is equipped to lead this pivotal new office, bring on staff members, and execute its charge. "The Boston Police Reform Task Force recommendations laid out plans for real reform at the Boston Police Department," said Boston Police Reform Task Force Chairman Wayne Budd. "These actions today will further the goals of the Task Force, and we look forward to these recommendations creating change in our city."  In addition to the City's work to create OPAT, the Civilian Review Board and Internal Affairs Oversight Panel (IAOP), Mayor Walsh and the City of Boston have already taken steps to enact the Task Force's additional recommendation. Mayor Walsh has filed a Home Rule Petition at the Boston City Council that would give Boston high school graduates a preference in police hiring, a key step to increasing diversity and having more officers drawn from the communities they are serving. Mayor Walsh also charged Chief of Equity Karilyn Crockett and other City leaders to work with the Boston Police Department on updating their policies through an equity lens, and creating a Diversity and Inclusion Unit in the Department.  This work builds on the City of Boston's commitment to equitable public safety offices. In June, Mayor Walsh signed the "Mayor's Pledge" issued by the Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keeper Alliance as one of the strategies to address racism as an emergency and public health crisis. The Mayor committed the City of Boston to review police use of force policies; engage communities by including a diverse range of input experiences and stories; report review findings to the community and seek feedback; and reform police use of force policies. The Boston Police Reform Task Force is composed of members from the community, law enforcement, advocacy organizations, and the legal profession, to ensure that these commitments are translated to actions. Over the summer, the Task Force hosted a series of community listening sessions to gather community feedback related to police reform.  "The Boston Police Department is committed to helping our communities, and continuing to serve the people of Boston," said Boston Police Commissioner William Gross. "These actions will help our department continue our goal to become a stronger, more equitable force for public safety."  On June 11, 2020, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross announced he completed a review of Boston Police's policies against the recommended use of force policies outlined in the "8 Can't Wait" effort, resulting in clarified rules and the implementation of several reforms. In addition, as part of Mayor Walsh's Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget, Mayor Walsh allocated 20% or $12 million of the Boston Police Department's overtime budget to make a significant investment in equity and inclusion across the City.  These final recommendations represent the tireless work of the Boston Police Task Force members, and valuable feedback from the Boston community. Throughout its process, the Task Force held five separate public listening sessions, and received over 100 pieces of testimony from the community, over the course of two written comment periods.  The final report and full recommendations are available online.