Maria Horn

On my run this morning, I listened to a podcast interview with Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School, who has a new book out: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.  Grant talked about the importance of thinking like a scientist, and being willing to challenge your own ideas: to choose humility over pride, curiosity over closure, and not to let your ideas become your identity.  It’s a theme that resonated with some training I had as a prosecutor: that, particularly when you exercise great authority, self-doubt was not only normal, it improved your decision-making.  That’s true in criminal justice, medicine, and finance.
 
I think it applies to legislating as well, particularly as we approach some of the thorny issues ahead of us, involving criminal justice, affordable housing, aid in dying, and vaccination, to name a few.  I appreciate hearing from all of you on these issues, particularly when you challenge my own thinking, or provide a perspective I hadn’t heard. 
 
If you want to listen to the podcast featuring Adam Grant (which I highly recommend), you can find it here.
 
We have some improving vaccination news in the district, with the announcement of a mobile unit coming to North Canaan (on April 15) and Winsted (on April 14) – more details are below. And if you missed my forum on vaccines last week, here is the link.  

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Connecticut receives first FEMA mobile vaccination unit in the nation. Click here.
• Additional Investment in Early Childhood Programs Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Click here.
• 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for Connecticut First Responders. Click here. 
• Grange Easter Service. Click here. 

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”
 

Specific Updates for Our Community

 

Town	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Number of Tests	Number of Positive Tests
Canaan	11	0	751	13
Cornwall	46	0	1,994	54
Goshen	137	1	4,604	164
Kent	153	0	9,604	183
Norfolk	62	0	2,123	71
North Canaan	188	8	9,159	209
Salisbury	132	0	10,347	158
Sharon	101	1	4,935	139
Torrington	3,096	133	82,992	3,767

 
 
Connecticut receives first FEMA mobile vaccination unit in the nation
 
Connecticut is the first state in the nation to receive one of FEMA’s newly created mobile vaccination units, which will help the state in its ongoing efforts to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to people who live within socially vulnerable neighborhoods. The unit consists of two trailers and will be on loan to the state for the next 60 days. It made its national debut yesterday at a pop-up clinic that was held in the parking lot of the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport.
 
Over the next two months, the Lamont administration will deploy the unit to 17 targeted communities, including North Canaan and Winsted, that were selected based on the CDC’s social vulnerability index. The locations include:
 

• Bridgeport
• Danbury
• East Hartford
• Hartford
• Killingly
• Meriden
• Middletown
• New Britain
• New Haven
• New London
• North Canaan (on April 15)
• Norwalk
• Norwich
• Stamford
• Waterbury
• Windham
• Winsted (on April 14)

 
Municipal and community partners in these locations are coordinating outreach to high-risk and vulnerable residents to make them aware of the mobile vaccination unit and are assisting with appointment scheduling. When details about exact location, hours, and whether or how to sign up in advance, I will make them available.
 
Medical staffing for the unit will be provided by UConn Health, Griffin Health, Hartford HealthCare, and Trinity health of New England. The sites will also be supported for non-clinical staffing by the Connecticut National Guard and municipal partners.
 
The unit is expected to handle a minimum of 250 people per day. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be used to enhance efficiency and maximize the number of doses administered through the team.

Additional investment in early childhood programs impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic 
 
Governor Lamont announced that his administration plans to make a historic investment in early childhood programs across Connecticut to assist in their ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic impact, including through the release of $210 million from the federal funding the state has received to date to support pandemic recovery efforts. The plan will be finalized in collaboration with the state legislature.
 
Child-care programs and child-care workers are also the focus of the Governor’s Workforce Council and the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls. Those groups, together with the Office of Early Childhood, are collaborating to study the cost of providing quality child-care, to encourage workforce development and adequate compensation by aligning credentials with higher wages, and to engage the private sector. The councils have early commitments from Boehringer Ingelheim, Electric Boat, LEGO Systems Inc., and Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, to help spearhead the private sector engagement portion of their work.
 
 
9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for Connecticut First Responders
 
Many first responders to ground zero in the wake of 9/11 were exposed to toxins that have caused cancers and other respiratory illnesses, which necessitated the creation of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.  On Wednesday, April 7, the Police Officers Association of Connecticut will offer an information session to explain how the Victim Compensation Fund works and may be able to help. The deadline for filing with the Fund has been extended to July 29, 2021. 
 
Registration is required. All are welcome.
 
Click here to register. 
 

Providing information to Connecticut residents
 
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
 
Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This 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 are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.