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| Dear Friend,
This is my State Capitol update for the week of October 11.
If you prefer to watch rather than read, click the image below to hear about the issues contained in this newsletter. |
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It’s the season not only for spectacular fall foliage, but for lots and lots of local political speech. Whether that speech takes the form of a legislative or candidate forum on the issues we face (I have a lot of those on my calendar these days), or a sign planted on your or your neighbor’s lawn, let it be both robust and respectful!
At a recent local event, I ran into my predecessor, former State Representative Roberta Willis. A longtime chair of the Higher Education Committee, a scholarship was named in her honor when she retired. The Roberta B. Willis Need-Based Grant Program is available to CT residents who are seeking a postsecondary education at a 2-4 year public or non-profit private college or university in Connecticut. Also attending the event, was Christina Coburn, a recent Roberta B Willis scholarship recipient! |
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| We have a long weekend ahead of us, which includes Columbus Day, Indigenous Persons Day, and Yom Kippur. I hope you all enjoy the extra day, and if you celebrate Yom Kippur I wish you an easy fast. |
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Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- Update on the proposed merger between Nuvance Health and Northwell Health. Click here.
- Congrats to Falls Village on being newly certified Bronze in the Sustainable CT program. Click here.
- Public outreach tour re upcoming timber harvest in Housatonic State Forest. Click here.
- Upcoming Events. Click here.
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I had a call this week with the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) on the proposed merger between Nuvance Health (the parent company for Sharon Hospital) and New York based Northwell Health.
As background, the application to merge (otherwise known as a “transfer of ownership”) must be approved by both Connecticut and New York, using various metrics. The Attorneys General of both CT and NY are charged with assessing the merger from an antitrust perspective: both have given their preliminary approval via an enforceable agreement that, among other things, requires Nuvance to keep Sharon Hospital’s maternity unit open for at least 5 years.
CT’s OHS (and the equivalent body in NY) must also approve the merger, with a focus on quality, cost and access to healthcare services in the region served. That application, to approve a Certificate of Need (or CON) is currently pending. The file has been deemed complete, and the public hearing (which is required for transfer of ownership applications) is scheduled for November 6.
The OHS decision is governed by a number of statutory factors. One requirement is unique to a transfer of ownership: OHS cannot approve the application unless the head of OHS finds that “the affected community will be assured of continued access to high quality and affordable healthcare.”
A final decision is anticipated by February 4, 2025, and could be quicker if the applicants agree to shorten the statutory periods.
If you’d like to follow along on the status with more detail, you can find it on the OHS CON Status webpage or you can find the full record in the CON portal under Docket No. 32717.
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| Canaan, aka Falls Village, has been newly certified Bronze in the Sustainable CT program. The town will be presented with the certification at the 2024 Awards Celebration on November 13 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center ("The Kate") in Old Saybrook.
The mission of Sustainable CT is to foster inclusive, resilient, and vibrant Connecticut municipalities that provide opportunities for all to thrive by: providing a menu of sustainability actions that build local economies, support equity, and respect the finite capacity of the environment; offering technical assistance to help advance sustainability initiatives; and recognizing and certifying municipalities for their achievements.
It takes a lot of work to get this distinction, so congratulations to Falls Village and all who worked on this! |
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You are invited to attend a public outreach tour of an upcoming timber harvest, W-464, at the Sharon Mountain Block of Housatonic State Forest led by natural resource managers from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) Forestry Division.
The DEEP State Lands Forester managing Housatonic State Forest would like to extend an invitation to attend a woods tour to discuss the specifics of Timber Harvest W-464 and to discuss current forest health conditions, oak mortality from spongy moth and two-lined chestnut borer, wildlife habitat enhancement goals and wildlife research sites being established on site. Additional topics that will be covered include forest regeneration goals, invasive plant treatment plans and wildlife habitat benefits. Please see the attached PDF Invitational Flyer and Map for additional information.
The public outreach tour will be held on Friday, October 18th, 2024 from 1:00-3:00 pm at the end of Swaller Hill Road at the Sharon Mountain Block of Housatonic State Forest (see attached map). Please RSVP by October 16th so adequate parking/logistics can be planned for. There is limited parking available on site; please carpool if possible. |
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HVA’s Auction for the Environment
The Housatonic Valley Association is hosting their annual Auction for the Environment on Saturday, November 23. Click here to learn more. |
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| ICMYI - Northwest Corner Events |
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| It is my honor to represent our district. I look forward to hearing from you about the issues raised in this newsletter, or any other topics you think I should know about. You can email me at maria.horn@cga.ct.gov or call me at (860)-240-8585. Thanks for reading, and I wish you a safe weekend.
Click here to forward to forward this email to a friend. |
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| Sincerely,
Maria Horn
State Representative |
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