Kate Farrar

U.S. households can now request 4 free at-home COVID-19 test kits through the United States Postal Service. Testing is a vital component in our country and state's fight against COVID-19. Expanding access to testing can help reduce community spread of the virus.

Last week, the Town of West Hartford received $953,646 to remediate the former Puritan Furniture Store located at 1051 and 1061 New Britain Avenue. West Hartford was one of only 13 communities chosen for this competitive grant. The funding will be used to clean-up the site for the proposed construction of a 131-unit mixed-income, mixed-use transit-oriented development.

Senator Derek Slap (D – West Hartford, Farmington, Burlington, Bloomfield), State Representative Kate Farrar (D – West Hartford), West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor, West Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart, and West Hartford Economic Development Coordinator Kristen Gorski applauded Governor Ned Lamont's announcement that the town will receive $953,646 to remediate a 2.97-acre site at 1051 and 1061 New Britain Avenue, the site of the former Puritan Furniture Store.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shots for individuals 12 to 15 years old. The FDA and CDC also shortened the time between completion of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and booster dose to at least 5 months and allowed a third primary series does for certain immunocompromised children 5-11. You can read the FDA's announcement here and the CDC's announcement here.

Connecticut residents have more time to enroll in a health insurance plan through Access Health CT for coverage starting with the new year!

If you have questions about what our state's Paid Family and Medical Leave program means for you and your family, join me for a conversation with Andrea Barton Reeves, CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority, on Tuesday, December 14 at 7 p.m.

From now until December 15, small businesses in Connecticut can obtain group health insurance regardless of the number of employees who enroll thanks to Access Health CT's Employee Participation Waiver Period.

I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. As you gather with friends and family, I hope your holiday is filled with peace, health and gratitude. I am grateful for you and your dedication to our West Hartford community.