Maria Horn

Today is the anniversary of the attack on our nation's capital on January 6, 2020, and it has sparked a lot of important, and somber, conversations. Like many of you, I remember distinctly where I was that day. 
 
That morning I had been sworn in, along with the rest of my colleagues in the CT General Assembly, in a chilly outdoor ceremony.  Following that, I returned to my new office as House Chair of the Public Safety & Security Committee, with jurisdiction over many issues involving state and local police.  I was setting up my office, with help from building staff, and reading a lot of material to get up to speed on the issues we would take up. 
 
With that lens, I watched supporters of the former president violently attack the US Capitol and the police officers whose job it was to defend the building and the people who work there.  They picked that day at the encouragement of the former president, because Congress was meeting to certify a national vote the former president had lost, as demonstrated by the count itself, state officials of both parties, nonpartisan election commissions, and a series of court cases.  They targeted elected officials with death threats, and ransacked their offices.  They got access to those offices by repeatedly, violently, attacking the inadequately supported Capitol Police. 
 
About 150 officers from the Capitol and Metropolitan Police Departments and local agencies were injured during the violence, more than 80 from the Capitol Police alone.  That’s a lot of trauma, not just from physical wounds, and these officers are still dealing with this one year later. Many of these officers were political supporters of that former president, which in some ways made the violence they experienced even harder to grapple with.  For a full accounting, I recommend an article in this week’s New York Times, “The Capitol Police and the Scare of January 6”.  It’s a long read, but a worthy one, which ensures we do not turn away from the aftermath of the horrific events of that day.
 
It’s also important not to lose sight of the target of the attack that day, which was basic democracy, and the freedom to vote in every state. Our elections are decided by the voters, who exercise that franchise in the privacy of the voting booth.  They are not decided by those willing to use violence and intimidation to get their desired result.  That’s about as basic and fundamental as it gets in our country, and we should be ready and willing to defend that principle.

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• COVID Data. Click here. 
• Regional Vaccination Clinics. Click here. 
• All long-term care facility and state hospital employees to receive COVID-19 boosters. Click here. 
• DEEP Launches Energy Strategy Scoping Process. Click here.
• Testing at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Click here.
• Access Health CT Open Enrollment Deadline is Approaching. Click here.
• FDA Authorizes COVID Booster for Children Aged 12 to 15. Click here. 
• CT Launches CareerConnect. Click here.
• COVID Assistance Fund Now Open. Click here.
• CT Children's Presents "Ask the Experts". Click here. 
• CT DPH Updates COVID Guidance. Click here. 

COVID Data

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.”

Regional Vaccination Clinics

Pediatric Vaccination Clinics (ages 5-11) will be held at North Canaan Elementary School  in their building in partnership with Griffin Health.  These are open to the public and no appointments are necessary. Only pediatric (ages 5-11) vaccination will be administered at these clinics.
The dates and times are:

• Thursday, January 13th, 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, February 3rd, 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.

A parent or guardian must accompany the child, ages 5-11, and only the pediatric Pfizer vaccination will be administered.  A Pediatric Intake Form (1).pdf  must be completed - you may print and complete it in advance, or forms will be available to complete at each clinic.  

Adult Vaccination Clinics (ages 12 and over) will be conducted at the following locations and dates:

• Town of North Canaan: Saturday, January 8, from 10am – 4pm at 100 Pease Street
• Housatonic Valley Regional High School: will be holding vaccination clinics for ages 12 and up on their campus on the following dates (all three vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, and all boosters): 
  • Friday, January 28, 2022, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, February 4, 2022, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, February 25, 2022, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

All long-term care facility and state hospital employees to receive COVID-19 boosters
Governor Lamont today announced that he has signed two executive orders (Executive Order No. 14B and Executive Order No. 14C) requiring employees of all long-term care facilities and state hospitals in Connecticut to receive COVID-19 booster shots by February 11, 2022.
 
The orders are similar to ones he issued last summer (Executive Order No. 13F and Executive Order No. 13G) that required these employees to receive their initial COVID-19 vaccination doses by September 27, 2021.
 
In addition to the governor’s orders, leadership from the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) today announced that they are implementing a similar mandatory booster shot requirement for all hospital and health system employees and clinical staff statewide.
 
Long-term care facilities include nursing homes; residential care homes; assisted living services agencies (i.e. agencies that provide staff to certain long-term care facilities); intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities; managed residential communities; and chronic disease hospitals. Similar to the prior order, failure of these facilities to comply subjects them to a $20,000 civil penalty per day.
 
State hospital employees include anyone who is employed by, provides services in, or whose job duties require them to make regular or frequent visits to Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center-South; Whiting Forensic Hospital; John Dempsey Hospital; Connecticut Valley Hospital; and any Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services state-operated facility providing hospital level of care.
  
To find a location in Connecticut to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster shots, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.
 
**Download: Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 14B
**Download: Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 14C
 
 
CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) launches energy strategy scoping process
 
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today the kickoff of the process to develop the 2022 Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES), which will examine future energy needs in the State and identify strategies to reduce costs, ensure reliable provision of energy, incorporate energy equity in the State’s strategies, maintain the state’s economic competitiveness, and reduce the public health and environmental impacts of Connecticut’s energy use.  
  
Aligning with Executive Order 21-3, this CES will focus on energy-related greenhouse gas emissions from residences, commercial buildings, and industry, on affordable clean heating and cooling options, on energy equity, and on strategies to improve the resilience of the State’s energy sector to extreme weather events, fuel price spikes, and other disruptions. The Comprehensive Energy Strategy will build on other recent planning documents, including the Integrated Resources Plan for the electric sector, the Electric Vehicle Roadmap for the transportation sector, and the latest annual greenhouse gas inventory report.  
DEEP will hold a public meeting on the scope of this plan on February 17 at 9:00 a.m. and accept public comment through March 3. 
 
Participants interested in keeping up to date on this effort should email DEEP.EnergyBureau@ct.gov and ask to be put on the distribution list for the 2022 Comprehensive Energy Strategy. 
 
Go here for more information on the 2022 CES scoping process. 
 

Testing at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington
 
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is expanding testing in response to community needs, and will be providing testing at Coe Memorial Park (101 Litchfield Street, Torrington) on January 6, 7, 8, 14, and 16, from 11:30am-6:30pm.  Appointments are required, and walk-ins will not be accepted.   
 
Asymptomatic patients may enter the building for testing. Symptomatic patients should stay in their car upon arrival and call 860.459.0854 for further instructions. 

Access Health CT Open Enrollment Deadline is January 15, 2022          
 
Access Health CT urges Connecticut residents to shop, compare and enroll in health insurance before the end of Open Enrollment on midnight, January 15. Current Access Health CT customers who want to renew coverage or change their health insurance plan also have until the January 15 deadline – and they must report any financial income and household information changes at this time. 
 
Access Health CT is the only place to qualify for financial help to lower health insurance costs. Some Connecticut residents may be eligible for free or low-cost coverage through HUSKY Health (Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Plan) and the Covered Connecticut Program.
  
For free online help, residents may visit AccessHealthCT.com. Live chat is available by clicking the “live chat” icon to connect with a customer service representative in real time. Live chat is available Monday – Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., Saturday January 8 from 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and Saturday January 15 from 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. 
 
For free in-person help, residents may work with a certified broker or enrollment specialist in their community. To find a certified broker or enrollment specialist, visit AccessHealthCT.com and click the Get Help page. 
In addition, residents may visit any of Access Health CT’s enrollment locations or either of the Navigator partner locations.
There are two enrollment fairs scheduled in January. Both will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the following locations: 
·       Saturday, January 8 at Torrington Library, located at 12 Daycoeton Place, Torrington  

• Saturday, January 15 at Whitneyville Cultural Commons, located at 1253 Whitney Avenue, Hamden  

Residents may also contact our call center at 1-855-805-4325, Monday — Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday, January 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Saturday, January 15 from 9:00 a.m. to midnight. Customers who are deaf or hearing impaired may use TTY at 1-855-789-2428 or call with a relay operator.
 
FDA authorizes COVID-19 vaccine Boosters for children aged 12 to 15
 
The Food and Drug Administration and Center for Disease Control have cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster dose for children ages 12 to 15. The agencies also authorized a third shot for children aged 5 through 11 years who are immunocompromised. 

Visit www.vaccines.gov/search to find a vaccine provider near you.

Connecticut launches CareerConnect, investing $70 million to help workers impacted by COVID-19

 
This week CareerConneCT, a program designed to help workers whose employment was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, was launched. Individuals will now have access to short-term training programs, where they can earn an industry-recognized credential and enter employment in high-quality and in-demand careers.
 
Administered by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, the program is supported through $70 million in funding that Governor Lamont and the state legislature allocated from the state’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
 
Under the program, training providers are eligible to apply for grants over the next four years to design programs that provide industry-recognized credentials and job placement services across several sectors, including manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, infrastructure, clean energy, and other in-demand industries. The program is anticipated to support training for approximately 8,000 participants. Grants will be issued twice per year, every February and August.
 
The first application round is now open, and training providers can apply through February 20, 2022. Applications can be submitted online by visiting portal.ct.gov/careerconnect.
 
For more information on CareerConneCT, visit portal.ct.gov/careerconnect.

COVID-19 Assistance Fund now open

The Connecticut Essential Workers COVID-19 Assistance Fund is now up and running. It was authorized by the legislature in June for the purpose of easing the financial burden on essential workers who became ill and were unable to work, or died, between March 10, 2020 and July 20, 2021.
The program assists with:
·       Lost Wages – Unpaid leave and lost wages if an employee was unable to work after contracting COVID-19, or due to symptoms later diagnosed as COVID-19. 
·       Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses – For medical services related to contracting COVID-19 that were not covered by insurance.
·       Burial Expenses – Burial/funeral expenses of $3,000 for an eligible essential worker who died from COVID-19.
Families can also apply for any combination of the three benefits on behalf of a qualified essential worker who died after contracting COVID-19. The program can distribute up to $34 million on a first-come, first-served basis through June 30, 2024, or until the fund is depleted. The application portal is now open and can be accessed by clicking here.
The program stands to help thousands of first responders, hospital workers and many more who put their lives on the line to help Connecticut stay safe.
 
If you or someone you know is eligible and in need of assistance, please apply and share the information about the Connecticut Essential Workers COVID-19 Assistance Fund with them so they can apply, too.
 
Connecticut Childrens’ presents “Ask the Experts” for those who work with children
 
This Friday, January 7, from 8-9am, Connecticut Children’s will once again be hosting its weekly Ask the Experts virtual series. Ask the Experts is a program targeted at community pediatricians, launched at the beginning of the pandemic. Hosted by Dr. John Schreiber, who provides an update on COVID epidemiology and trends, the series features a wide range of experts who comment on the various implications of the pandemic. Given the current state of the pandemic and the highly contagious omicron variant, this session may be of interest to local health department staff, community health workers, and those who work with children. (Watch here)
 
 
Connecticut Department of Public Health updates COVID-19 guidance for PreK-12 schools
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health has released updated COVID-19 guidance for PreK-12 schools regarding quarantine, isolation, testing, and contact tracing policies and procedures.
 
The document was developed in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education and is based on the updated guidance that was released by the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention on December 27, 2021. This update outlines a set of optional policy and procedural changes that school districts may choose to implement at this time.
 
These options refocus the resources currently available to PreK-12 schools for COVID-19 prevention toward those activities most likely to reduce the risk of transmission and in consideration for quarantine and isolation for individuals testing positive for or exposed to someone with COVID-19.
 
This guidance reinforces the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s three-pronged approach to fighting this virus – vaccination, masking, and testing. These simple steps are crucial in decreasing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.
 

**Download: Updated guidance from the Connecticut Department of Public Health for PreK-12 schools

 

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.