Newsletter
August 4, 2021It's been an interesting week in terms of how rapidly changing guidance is around the Delta variant. I find myself in a similar place to where I was at the beginning of the pandemic and maybe you do, too. To mask or not to mask? To test or not to test? What does this mean if we are vaccinated? Many questions and often changing answers as the research evolves.
While it may make you feel like you want to bury your head in the sand, as of this writing, and as you'll see below, the CDC is recommending for all eight counties in Connecticut to mask up indoors. The Delta variant is being compared to chicken pox for its ease of transmission and unfortunately, this variant does seem to be more concerning than earlier versions for children.
Best advice is to make sure the information you are receiving and especially the information you are sharing is accurate. More about that below.
Wishing you and your families a safe and healthy rest of the summer.
| TWO YEARS OLD AND UP, WEAR A MASK INDOORS |
Due to the the rapid increases in cases of COVID-19 in the state over the last 14 days as a result of the spread of the Delta variant, the Connecticut Department of Public Health is recommending that all Connecticut residents 2 years old and up, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, return to wearing masks when indoor public spaces.
Dr. David Agus on the Delta Variant
Let's be vigilant. Let's take care of ourselves and look out for those next to us as well.
| COMBATING HEALTH MISINFORMATION |
As you may have heard, the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, recently released a statement sharing his concern over the vast disinformation regarding COVID-19, vaccinations, and masks. The document below provides helpful information on combating misinformation broken down by various groups. I especially appreciated the section for individuals, communities, and families.
Click the image below to read the document.
| PRACTICING SAFE STORAGE OF MEDICATIONS & OTHER SUBSTANCES |
According to the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention (CDC), roughly 50,000 young children per year are hospitalized due to accidental ingestion of prescription and adult-use only medications. A statistic that is entirely preventable.
That is why the State of Connecticut has launched a campaign this week to remind families with young children to properly store dangerous medications.
State law mandates that substances that can be harmful for children be safely stored to protect children from accidentally ingesting them.
Here are some tips to make sure you and your family are practicing safe storage of medications:
- Lock all prescriptions and adult use only substances in a cabinet, safe, or private drawer. Choose a location that is secure and inaccessible to children and others for whom a drug is not intended.
- Keep medications stored out of the reach of children
- Store prescriptions and adult use substances in their original containers
- Bring unwanted, unused, or expired medications to a drug takeback location
- Require family members, houseguests, and other visitors to keep purses, bags, or coats that have medicine or drugs in them out of sight and reach when they are in your home.
To promote the proper disposal of unwanted medications, Connecticut has drop boxes available across the state for people to anonymously dispose of medications, which helps protect not only children from accessing prescription drugs, but also adults from taking medications that may have expired.
For a detailed list of local drop boxes please click here. If your child does ingest a potentially harmful substance, call the Connecticut Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
| IT'S FARMERS' MARKET WEEK |
It's Farmers' Market Week in Connecticut. Did you know . . .?
Nearly all farmers' markets in Connecticut are affiliated with the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) which serves participants of Women, Infant, and Children and seniors who are over the age of 60 and meet income eligibility guidelines with checks to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and cut herbs.
This includes some of our very own Canton Main Street Farmer's Market vendors. The market, which takes place every Sunday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., will dazzle you with the baked goods, sweet treats, artwork, and handcrafted soaps in stalls throughout the market.
For more information on FMNP please visit: https://portal.ct.gov/DOAG/ADaRC/ADaRC/WIC-and-Senior-Farmers-Market-Nutrition-Program
| SEVENTH ANNUAL HIKE TO THE MIC |
While this event is in neighboring Simsbury, it is a widely popular event for the Valley and beyond!
All proceeds from the Hike to the Mic will benefit the restoration and enhancement of the Heublein Tower. The Heublein Tower in Talcott Mountain State Park is unquestionably one of the most unique settings in New England for a concert event and will once again provide the perfect backdrop for the seventh annual Hike to the Mic on August 21 & 22, 2021.
For the latest information about the event please click on the image below.
| EQUAL PAY ALL THE WAY |
Tuesday August 3rd was Black Women's Equal Pay Day!
Imagine having to work seven extra months just to earn the same pay as a male co-worker. If you’re a Black woman in the United States, that’s a likely reality. New research from the American Association of University Women examines how systemic racism – decades of discriminatory employment practices, intentionally inadequate legal protections and persistent racial stereotypes — has contributed to a pay gap that remains far wider for women of color than for white women.
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY U.S. COAST GUARD |
Happy 231st Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard! To all of our active and retired Coast Guard service members, thank you for protecting the public and the environment on our nation's waterways, along the coast, and on international waters.
