Maria Horn

Today is National Rural Health Day, a chance to bring to light the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face. One of those challenges is a lack of access to an array of medical services. The pandemic has heightened that challenge, but it has also helped identify solutions, such as increasing the availability of telehealth. 
 
One of the services it has been difficult to access in the Northwest Corner is COVID testing, but that is starting to change.  With the overall rise in cases, the state has worked with local organizations to make testing more available throughout our area.  Several new “pop-up” testing sites are being provided through Community Health & Wellness Center (CHWC) in Torrington, which will be providing testing in Goshen, North Canaan, and at its office in Torrington (for details, see section below listing regional testing sites).  CHWC has been a leader in providing high quality community health care in both Torrington and Winsted: with significant support from the Foundation for Community Health, they are in the process of creating a community health clinic in North Canaan, which would significantly increase community access to quality, affordable care. 
 
As for the legislative term ahead, we are already in discussions about committees and leadership positions, as well as the logistics of how to hold a legislative session while still living with a pandemic. Those conversations are starting earlier this year because we all anticipate that the logistics will be challenging, and that it is very likely that a large part of the committee hearing process will be held via Zoom.  The good news is that, at this point, we are all pretty familiar with how that works. 

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities. 
• Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: One hundred and forty-five municipalities now in red. 
• Regional COVID Testing Sites. 
• Sustainable CT.
• Sharon Hospital president to update community on December 14. 
• Updates from Region One and Region Six School Districts. 
• PURA extends COVID-19 payment program enrollment date. 

Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities
 
The following documents contain the weekly data regarding each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut that have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among their residents. The data is presented as it was reported to the state by each of the facilities. If a facility is not listed, that means it is reporting that it does not have any residents who have tested positive.

**Download: Report from November 19, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes **Download: Report from November 19, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut assisted living facilities

 

 
Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: One hundred and forty-five municipalities now in red
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 145 cities and towns in Connecticut are now in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels. They include Goshen and Torrington (which were on the list last week), and Kent, North Canaan and Salisbury (all of which were added this week). 
 
There are no municipalities in the state that were in the red zone last week and were downgraded to a lower alert level this week.
 
The red zone indicates municipalities that have an average daily COVID-19 case rate over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population. The orange zone indicates those that have case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population. The yellow zone indicates municipalities that have case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population, and those indicated in gray have case rates lower than five per 100,000 population.
 
The weekly alert map is also accompanied by a chart that provides guidance on recommended actions based on the alert levels for individual residents; institutions such as schools, houses of worship, and community organizations; as well as municipal leaders and local health directors.
 
The Department of Public Health will be working with individual cities and towns in the higher-alert levels, including their local health departments, to provide community resources and help make community-level decisions.
 
The COVID-19 Alert Map is updated every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. and can be found in the Data Tracker page of the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.

Regional COVID Testing Sites
 
A number of state and regional leaders have focused on increasing access to COVID testing for residents of the Northwest Corner, resulting in several new testing sites, all of which are free of charge and open to both the symptomatic and asymptomatic. Demand has also been high, however, so you should expect to wait on line. 

• Friday, 11/20 in Goshen from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm at Church of Christ Congregational, 5 Old Middle Street (provided by Community Health & Wellness Center: no appointment or prescription necessary)
• Monday, 11/23 in Kent from 10am to 2pm at Kent Town Hall parking lot, 41 Kent Green Boulevard (provided by New Milford VNA: symptomatic will be prioritized)
  • To register for testing in Kent, and to sign up either for morning or afternoon, click here.
• Tuesday, 11/24 in North Canaan from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm at Town Hall, 100 Pease St (provided by Community Health & Wellness Center: no appointment or prescription necessary)
• Wednesday 11/25 in Torrington from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm at Community Health & Wellness Center, 469 Migeon Ave (no appointment or prescription necessary

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington will also continue to provide COVID testing:

• Until the end of the month, the test location will continue to be 540 Litchfield Street (next to the outpatient entrance), after which it will move to 211 High Street in Torrington.
• Days and Hours: Monday – Saturday, 7am to 3pm
• Appointments not required, but preferred (walk ups are accepted)
• No prescription or order from doctor required
• Pediatric testing available, but must be accompanied by parent or guardian
• All ages; Individuals with symptoms, and priority populations without symptoms.

 
Sustainable CT
 
Sustainable CT is a voluntary organization that strives to build the local economy & promote the health and well-being to the residents of CT. 

In the 64th district we are proud that Cornwall has achieved Bronze certification, and the following towns have pledged to certify: Canaan, Norfolk, North Canaan and Torrington.  For more information on the program, click here. 

Sustainable CT also provides opportunities for grant funding to help communities promote economic well-being and enhance equity, all while respecting the finite capacity of the natural environment. The program is designed to support all Connecticut municipalities, regardless of size, geography or resources. Sustainable CT empowers municipalities to create high collective impact for current and future residents.

 

Sharon Hospital president to update community on December 14

Sharon Hospital, part of Nuvance Health, will host its online “Community Update” from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, via online livestream video.

Members of the surrounding community are invited to join the virtual webinar to hear from hospital President Dr. Mark Hirko. He will discuss the latest hospital developments and updates on the affiliation that created Nuvance Health. The independent monitor engaged by Nuvance Health will be present to report on its review of compliance with the affiliation agreement issued by Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy.

A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing sharonhospital@nuvancehealth.org or calling (845) 554-1734 with their name and phone number.

Questions can also be mailed to: Sharon Hospital, Attn: Community Forum, 50 Hospital Hill Road, Sharon, Conn., 06069. 
Instructions on how to join the virtual meeting are posted on the hospital’s website. 

The recorded session and a copy of the digital presentation will be accessible on the website following the event. To request a physical copy by mail, please call (845) 554-1734 (TTY/Accessibility: (800) 842-9710).
 
Updates from Region One and Region Six School Districts

As we weather the pandemic, our regional school systems throughout the district have been providing regular updates on how COVID-I9 is affecting their communities, and how they are managing in-person, hybrid, and remote learning in an environment that is changing daily. 

Their regular (and sometimes very frequent) updates are excellent: they are timely, thoughtful, and thorough.  Their decisions are highly specific and tailored to the students, faculty, staff, facilities and surrounding communities, so they have differed. 

I received overall updates in the last two days from both Lisa Carter, Interim Superintendent of Region One School District, and from Chris Leone, Superintendent of Regional School District 6 and Litchfield Public School. Both updates reviewed positive test results in their communities this fall, contextualized the current increase in cases, and both concluded that to date there had been no transmission within the schools. Both emphasized the value of in-person learning for students’ social, emotional and physical well-being.  And both concluded they would not move to remote-only learning models, though they would continue to watch the data on a day-to-day basis. 
 
From Region One Interim Superintendent Lisa Carter:

• We will continue to consult with and work with school districts, local health departments and medical advisors on individual decisions around closures, but are not recommending that districts proactively close for a prolonged period of time in anticipation of changes in disease prevalence. In-person education is too important for our children to disrupt their education further, unless and until local conditions specifically dictate the need to do so. We are monitoring schools on a town-by-town basis and will make decisions with regard to the specific needs of each community. I am regularly in touch with Board of Education members to ensure that we are all in agreement about how to proceed as our situation changes. We respect the fact that the uncertainty regarding if or when any one of our schools may pivot to distance learning is unsettling; however it is a difficult time to plan beyond the hour or the day. We are doing the best we can to communicate with each other and with all of you and to provide as much information as we can to help everyone understand the situation within each of our schools. Please be assured that we are poised to make a decision to switch to distance learning when necessary and that teachers and staff will work hard to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible.

From Region Six Superintendent Chris Leone:

• At this time, based on all data points there is not overwhelming evidence for a unilateral change from Phase 1 [in-person learning] to Phase 3 [remote learning] for our schools.  Therefore, the district will remain in Phase 1 for all students post-Thanksgiving and for as long as the data supports this decision. In announcing the decision, it is imperative the community understands since reopening, we have clearly stated that every part of this work, remaining in any phase, is day-to-day. I know it is not ideal, but there are factors beyond everyone’s control that dictate our phase of operation.

 
PURA extends COVID-19 payment program enrollment date
 
Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is reminding all customers that the enrollment period for the COVID-19 Payment Program for both residential and non-residential customers is extended through at least February 9, 2021. Further, the Winter Protection Program, which protects eligible households against head source shut-offs during the winter months, is also in effect from November 1, 2020 through May 1, 2021.
 
PURA encourages customers experiencing difficulty paying their utility bills to contact their utility company and ask:
 

• First, whether the residential customer is eligible to be “coded hardship” and enrolled in the Winter Protection Program.
• Second, if ineligible for hardship status or a non-residential customer, to enroll in a COVID-19 Payment Plan.

 
All customers with past due balances are eligible to avoid utility shut-offs by enrolling in one of the programs provided by the state-regulated water, electric and gas utilities, Operation Fuel, or the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
 
Importantly, no customer actively enrolled in a COVID-19 Payment Program can have their service terminated for non-payment. COVID-19 payment plans are available to any residential or non-residential customer requesting assistance, without demonstrating financial need; require no initial or down payment, can be up to 24 months in length; waive any fees or interest in the calculation of the monthly payment amount; and facilitate the repayment of the past due balances in addition to the customer’s monthly bill.
 
For more information, customers should contact their utility company or PURA’s Consumer Affairs office.
 
 
Providing information to Connecticut residents
 
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus.
 

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Relay services can be accessed by calling 7-1-1. Anyone who is out-of-state or using Relay can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 toll free by dialing 1-800-203-1234. The hotline is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.