人生一定要有的八個朋友：
推手(Builder)、
支柱(Champion)、
同好(Collaborator)、
夥伴(Companion)、
中介(Connector)、
開心果(Energizer)、
開路者(Mind Opener)、
導師(Navigator)。
chutze@bostonorange.com
*******************
All rights of articles and photos on this website are reserved.
AG SECURES MORE
THAN $1 MILLION FROM TWO ADULT DAY HEALTH CENTERS OVER ALLEGATIONS OF IMPROPER
BILLING
Facilities in
Marlborough and Lowell Billed for Services Not Provided and in Violation of
MassHealth Regulations
BOSTON – Attorney
General Maura Healey announced today that two adult day health centers in
Marlborough and Lowell will pay more than $1 million to resolve allegations
that they improperly billed the state’s Medicaid Program (MassHealth) for adult
day health services.
Fun Life Adult Day Care (Fun Life) in Marlborough and Monarch Elder Care
(Monarch) in Lowell will pay $1,060,957.92 to resolve allegations that, since
2014, the companies improperly billed MassHealth for adult day health services
that were not provided or that were in excess of permissible billing practices,
in violation of MassHealth regulations. Both facilities are owned and operated
by Malay Patel of Lowell.
“False and improper billing to MassHealth takes away critical funds from a
program that provides health care to some of our most underserved populations,”
said AG Healey. “Companies must follow MassHealth billing regulations to
ensure these critical resources are being allocated appropriately.”
“Today’s
outcome is the result of MassHealth’s strong program integrity efforts to
prevent inappropriate payments, and demonstrates the important partnership
between MassHealth and the Medicaid Fraud Division to hold providers
accountable for violating MassHealth regulations,” said Assistant Secretary
for MassHealth and Medicaid Director Dan Tsai.
The AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division began investigating these two companies after
referrals from MassHealth. The investigation found that, on numerous occasions,
Fun Life and Monarch billed for more hours than members actually attended adult
day health programs. The companies also improperly submitted claims in excess
of per diem billing requirements.
The AG’s Office has resolved previous
cases of improper billing at adult day health facilities. In August 2020, the AG’s Office settled
with two adult day health centers in Boston and Dartmouth for $186,000 to
resolve allegations that they improperly billed MassHealth. In November 2019,
AG Healey secured a settlement with
an adult day health facility in Springfield, recouping nearly $275,000 for
MassHealth for improper billing. In November 2018, three adult day health
facilities agreed to pay more than
$500,000 to settle allegations that they too engaged in improper billing.
This matter was handled by
Managing Attorney Kevin Lownds, Assistant Attorney General Ali Russo, Senior
Healthcare Fraud Investigator Aleksandra Andriyevskaya, and Investigator Johan
Gonzalez, all of AG Healey’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with substantial
assistance from MassHealth and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Office of the Inspector General. The Medicaid Fraud Division receives
75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
under a grant award. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
MAYOR
WALSH LEADS 41ST ANNUAL HOMELESS CENSUS WITH PRECAUTIONS DUE TO THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The
annual count of Boston's homeless individuals guides the City's resources
Mayor
Walsh and volunteers speaking with unsheltered individuals for the 2021
Census
BOSTON
- Thursday, January 28, 2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh yesterday led a
reduced group of volunteers, including City and State officials, homeless
services providers, and public health and safety first responders, in
conducting the City of Boston's 41st annual unsheltered homeless street count.
Census organizers intentionally reduced the number of volunteers this year
as a safety measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The street count
also started later and did not include the usual kickoff event at City
Hall, to prevent volunteers from gathering as a large group. The street
count is part of the City's comprehensive census of homeless adults, youth
and families in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and domestic
violence programs, and individuals staying outside in Boston each year.
"Every
year, our homeless census guides our work to dedicate programs and
resources to support individuals who face homelessness, and it plays a
vital role in our larger goal to prevent and end homelessness in the City
of Boston," said Mayor Walsh. "The homeless census also serves as
an important reminder of our shared commitment to helping our most
vulnerable residents. In Boston, we know everyone should be cared for and
respected, and deserves a place to call home."
The
annual homeless census is usually required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) as a key
component of Boston's $31 million federal grant for housing and services
for homeless households. This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic the
homeless census was not required by HUD, but was still conducted. The
census also helps inform the City of Boston's policy development and
allocation of resources. The information gained through the census is
shared with other homeless service providers to aid in the coordination
among the Continuum of Care
members. Boston continues to have the lowest percentage of unsheltered
people living on the street of any major city conducting a census, with
under 2 percent of Boston's homeless population sleeping on the street in
2019, the most recent year for which HUD has published national data.
Nationwide, 37 percent of all homeless persons were unsheltered in 2019.
This
year, roughly 80 volunteers canvassed 45 areas after midnight, covering
every city neighborhood, Logan Airport, and the transit and parks systems.
Volunteers canvassed their assigned areas, identified those sleeping on the
street, and conducted a short survey, when that could be conducted safely,
per COVID-19 guidelines. The surveys will be closely analyzed to ensure
accuracy and then cross-checked and combined with the results of the
simultaneous shelter count.
"When
we first thought about conducting our street count this year, we wondered
how to do so given concerns about the coronavirus," said Jim Greene
Assistant Director for Street Homelessness Initiatives for the City of
Boston. "We surveyed long time census team leaders and the response
was amazing; everyone agreed to help in any way they could. The overnight
and daytime emergency shelter staff, street outreach teams, homeless youth
workers, substance abuse and mental health clinicians, and first responders
who joined us for the count have been on the front lines of this work every
day throughout the pandemic. They have the skill and experience to conduct
a count and keep homeless people safe. We appreciate them stepping up again
tonight."
The
City of Boston's collaborative work to house, shelter, and keep homeless
individuals and families safe has continued throughout the pandemic. In
December, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced that, despite the pandemic, since
the launch of Rising to the Challenge: Boston's Plan to Prevent and
End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in
December 2019, the City of Boston has housed more than 100 youth between
the ages of 18 and 24 years old experiencing homelessness. As part of the
continued effort to end youth homelessness and support youth at risk of
becoming homeless, the Mayor also announced $335,000 to support career
training and college courses for 40 young people aged 18-24 at risk of
homelessness.
Boston's Way
Home, the City's plan to end chronic and veteran
homelessness prioritizes the housing first approach, an evidence-based
approach to ending homelessness that uses principles such as everyone is
deserving of permanent and stable housing without preconditions like
sobriety or treatment. Since the plan's launch in 2015, City agencies
and community partners have dramatically redesigned the way services are
delivered to homeless individuals, increasing resources devoted to housing
and deploying new technologies to match homeless individuals with housing
and services.
Since
the launch of Boston's Way Home, the City has:
Housed more than 1,064
chronically homeless individuals, representing more than 6,700 years
of homelessness ended. (The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines chronically
homeless individuals as adults with a disability who have been either
living in an emergency shelter or a place not meant for human
habitation continuously for 12 months or more, or who have had four
occasions of homelessness in the past three years that total 12 months
or more.)
Reduced chronic homelessness in
Boston by 19 percent since 2016, at a time when chronic homelessness
has been rising nationally
Housed more than 1,300 homeless
veterans and ended chronic homelessness among veterans
Reduced the number of homeless
veterans in Boston on a single night by 32 percent since 2014, when
Mayor Walsh launched his Homes for the Brave Initiative to end veteran
homelessness
Partnered with six affordable
housing owners in Boston to create a homeless veteran preference
within their housing
Reached the goal of raising
more than $10 million for the Boston's Way Home Fund
to build 200 new units of supportive, long-term housing for
chronically homeless men and women.
The
City of Boston anticipates receiving more than $31 million from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support Boston's
homelessness programs in 2021 through HUD's McKinney Homeless Continuum of
Care program. The funding was awarded through the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021, which renewed existing Continuum of Care
grants for another year.
To further prevent displacement, which can
lead to homelessness, Mayor Walsh filed and advocated for several pieces of
legislation during the 2019-2020 Massachusetts legislative session aimed at
protecting residents. The bills passed provide the City of Boston with more
flexibility to leverage the strong development market to fund affordable
housing and workforce training programs, and increase the State CPA match,
allowing Boston to invest more in our communities and support affordable
housing, historic preservation, and parks and open space. This work builds
on Boston's commitment to ensure all neighborhoods have affordable and
equitable housing options to benefit the most vulnerable and least
represented communities. Mayor Walsh was supportive of Governor Baker's
housing choice legislation that was recently signed into law. This policy
supports other municipalities in building up their affordable housing stock
which will provide more options for residents across the Commonwealth and
help ease Boston's housing burden.
The
results from this year's homeless census will be available in the coming
months.
About the Department of Neighborhood
Development (DND)
The
Department of Neighborhood Development is responsible for housing the
homeless, developing affordable housing, and ensuring that renters and
homeowners can find, maintain, and stay in their homes. As part of the
ongoing coronavirus response, the Office of Housing Stability is also
conducting tenant's rights workshops to educate residents about the eviction
moratorium and their rights. The Boston Home Center continues to provide
down payment assistance to first-time home buyers and home repairs for
seniors and low-income residents. The Supportive Housing Division is
working with various partners around the city to rapidly house individuals
who are experiencing homelessness. For more information, please visit the DND website.
Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over
$45 Million in Grants to 1,100 New Small Businesses Through COVID Relief
Program
To date, over $277 million in direct financial support
has been distributed to more than 5,800 small businesses
PLYMOUTH — Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito,
and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy joined small
business owner Raquel Mullaney and state
and local officials representing Plymouthto announce an additional $45.3 million in grants to 1,100 small
businesses in the fifth round of awards through the COVID-19 Small Business
Grant Program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation
(MGCC). Among the key industries most impacted by the pandemic,
restaurants, bars and retail stores comprise the leading groups to receive
grants. Today’s announcement was held at The 1620 Winery, located at Cordage
Park in Plymouth, a recipient of a small business grant in a previous award
round.
To date, the
Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more
than $277 million in direct financial support
to 5,857 small businesses. This funding has been made available
through a $668 million business relief fund set up in December 2020, as well
as $50.8 million for small and diverse businesses included in the economic recovery package announced in October of last
year.
Additional
grants will be announced in the coming weeks for thousands of additional
businesses.
“Our administration remains committed to supporting the
needs of businesses as we continue to navigate the pandemic and its
economic impact," said
Governor Charlie Baker. "We are pleased to award this
latest round of grants to help a total of more than 5,800 small businesses
cover expenses like payroll, rent and utilities, and look forward to
getting more funding into the hands of small businesses across the Commonwealth as
soon as possible to support their recovery."
“Our small
businesses have been challenged throughout this crisis, and each has played an
important role in stopping the spread of this deadly virus,” said Lt.
Governor Karyn Polito. “Since the first applications came in for relief, we
have been working to prioritize the small business owners that need the help
the most, and I am proud to see so many woman-owned businesses, as well as
priority sectors, included in this round of grant awards.”
“Prior to
the pandemic, our administration had already identified opportunities to
enhance access to capital, space, and networks for women- and minority-owned
businesses, and our work today is aimed at ensuring that these enterprises make
it to the other side of this crisis,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic
Development Mike Kennealy. “MGCC will continue to expertly
administer both of these grant programs to provide cash assistance to
struggling businesses, as well as partner with organizations across
Massachusetts helping these businesses tap into new federal resources.”
Separate
from this round of small business grants, MGCC continues to review applications
submitted for its Sector-Specific Small Business Relief Grant
Program. Based on the success of MGCC’s first grant program targeting
small businesses, the sector-specific program targets businesses in the
industries experiencing the greatest economic hardship, regardless of employee
headcount.
The
industries that will be given preference in the new program include:
Restaurants, bars, caterers and food trucks;
Indoor recreation and entertainment establishments;
Personal services (nail salons, barbershops,
independent pharmacies, etc.);
Independent retailers.
Sector-specific
applicants are able to review the status of their application through the
Submittable portal found on www.empoweringsmallbusiness.org. Award notifications for the
sector-specific program will be made in February.
Small
Business Technical Assistance Grant Program
The
Baker-Polito Administration and Massachusetts
Growth Capital Corporation
also announced nearly $5 million in small business technical assistance grants
to 63 non-profit organizations across the state. The state-funded Small Business Technical Assistance Grant Program, administered by MGCC, aims to expand
economic and entrepreneurial opportunities in underserved communities
throughout the Commonwealth.
These
technical assistance grants enable nonprofit organizations throughout
Massachusetts to provide crucial services such as help with applying for
pandemic-related grant and loan programs, like the Paycheck Protection Program
(PPP), as well as individualized business management assistance, financial
training, access to non-COVID capital and loan packaging services to
under-resourced small businesses in urban and rural communities. The grant
recipients, selected through a competitive process, are as diverse as the
businesses they serve, including community development corporations, micro
lenders and chambers of commerce.
Since
Fiscal Year 2015, the program has awarded more than $15 million in grants.
These funds have directly benefited more than 15,000 jobs and served over
12,500 small businesses, including 2,682 startups across Massachusetts.
MAYOR
WALSH ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF WILLIAM G. GROSS; APPOINTS DENNIS WHITE AS
43RD COMMISSIONER OF THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Newly
appointed Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White
BOSTON
- Thursday, January 28, 2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the
appointment of Dennis White as the 43rd Commissioner of the Boston Police
Department (BPD), and the second African American to hold the role of
Police Commissioner. White, who is currently a Superintendent in the
department and Chief of Staff to the Commissioner, will assume the duties
and responsibilities of Commissioner William G. Gross, who is set to retire
from BPD on Friday, January 29, 2021.
"I
want to thank Commissioner Gross from the bottom of my heart for his 37
years of service to the Boston Police Department and for his two and a half
years leading the department as Commissioner. Throughout his decorated
career, he's always embodied the spirit of community policing that is so
important to building trust with the people we serve," said Mayor
Walsh. "Anyone who knows Willie can instantly feel his love for the
job and his passion for keeping communities safe. No matter the situation,
his warm smile, dedication, and love for meeting people made him uniquely
capable of taking on the toughest challenges."
"As
Boston's first Black Police Commissioner, Willie reflects the great
diversity of our city," added Mayor Walsh. "We can all be proud
of the legacy he'll leave behind, from reducing major crime to helping
undertake the most ambitious set of police reforms in the department's
history."
"It
has been an honor and a privilege to serve as Police Commissioner, leading
a department of hardworking men and women who serve this city day-in and
day-out, and put the safety and well-being of our community first,"
said Commissioner Gross. "They have shown time and again their
unwavering commitment to our residents, rising to the occasion during
moments of crisis, reaching out a helping hand to those in need, and
running towards danger in the name of public safety for all. I am immensely
proud of their performance under tremendous pressure. It is only after long
and careful consideration that I have made the decision to retire from my
role. My heart will always remain alongside my brothers and sisters of the
BPD, who over the course of my 37-year career have become my village. I
will continue to be one of their biggest champions as I move forward with
my next chapter."
As
of Friday, January 29, 2021, Superintendent White will serve as Acting
Commissioner until he is formally sworn in as Commissioner. A swearing in
ceremony will be announced in the coming days.
"Superintendent
White is a proven leader who is trusted and respected in the community and
by his colleagues in the Boston Police Department," said Mayor Walsh.
"I'm confident that Dennis will continue to advance the progress made
by Commissioner Gross, including implementing community-led recommendations
for police reform, while drawing on his own extensive career experience to
bring fresh ideas and innovative thinking to the department."
"The
women and men of the Boston Police Department have become my extended
family over the course of my three decades of service," said White.
"I want to thank Mayor Walsh for entrusting me with this incredible
opportunity and the responsibility of leading our historic department. To
the community and all the members of the Boston Police Department, I pledge
to uphold our mission of community policing each and every day. Serving as
Commissioner is the honor of a lifetime, and I will never take this sacred
duty for granted."
A
member of Mayor Walsh's Boston
Police Reform Task Force, Superintendent White is a seasoned veteran of
the police force, having served the community for 32 years. Prior to being
promoted to Chief of Staff to Commissioner Gross and to the rank of
Superintendent, White was a Deputy Superintendent in the Office of the
Superintendent-in-Chief and in the Bureau of Field Services Night Command.
As
Boston's first Black police commissioner who rose through the ranks of the
department, having joined as a cadet in 1983, Commissioner Gross appointed
and oversaw the most qualified and diverse command staff in the
department's history. Throughout his career, he has cultivated and
maintained a strong connection with the community, and has prioritized
community engagement as part of his community policing model. As Commissioner,
he established the first-ever
Bureau of Community Engagement at BPD, which is charged with overseeing
a citywide effort focused on building relationships and trust between law
enforcement and residents, creating new and innovative partnerships, and
promoting inclusion and diversity within the department. During Commissioner
Gross' tenure, part one crime, which includes the most serious offenses,
declined.
As
Police Commissioner, Gross worked to ensure that BPD lived up to the ideals
of community policing. He took steps to further accountability and
transparency at the department, including completing 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. Under his leadership, BPD has issued
body-worn cameras to more than half of the department, and the program
continues to expand to cover more officers.
Previous
Police Commissioners Gross and Evans started as police cadets. After the
cadet program was suspended in 2009 for financial reasons, Mayor
Walsh reinstated the program in 2015 as a way to diversify the force
and create a pipeline for Boston residents seeking a career in law
enforcement. The cadet program is a 2-year apprenticeship designed for
Boston residents between the ages of 18-24 interested in joining the ranks
of one of the most storied and professional police departments in the
county.
