COVID Update 5.4

May 4, 2020

Having heard from a number of constituents who work (or used to work) in either New York or Massachusetts and were experiencing challenges applying for unemployment or other work-related resources, I reached out to New York Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, who represents NY’s 106th District, including Millerton, Amenia, Hudson, and Poughkeepsie.

The Governors of NY and CT have been collaborating on a number of issues, most recently as part of a regional consortium to purchase PPE. In the national news, the connection between our states is most often portrayed in relation to New York City, but our region is also deeply connected to the Hudson Valley in NY, sharing many economic and cultural features and challenges. The conversation with Assemblywoman Barrett was an opportunity not only to help out those constituents with cross-border issues, but to talk about our shared interests, and to look forward to having a couple of coffees in the future, on both sides of the state border.

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

  • Sharon Hospital earns 3rd straight ‘A’ safety grade from healthcare watchdog
  • Update on Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for farmers and ranchers
  • Dairy Cooperatives, UConn 4-H, and UConn Extension coordinate to donate dairy products to food pantries statewide
  • Secretary Merrill Releases Election Plan in the Face of COVID-19
  • Statewide launch of free online job training for unemployment claimants
  • Update re Federal approval of $72.3 million in new SNAP food benefits for children in free and reduced-price school lunch
  • Seven states in regional re-open effort will collaborate in purchasing of PPE

Sharon Hospital earns 3rd straight ‘A’ safety grade from healthcare watchdog

Sharon Hospital earned an “A” from The Leapfrog Group for quality patient care and overall safety for the third time in a row. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization that informs the public which hospitals have the best patient safety records.

Sharon Hospital received the highest safety grade for focus on patient safety, avoiding harm and patient experience. The hospital also received an “A” in the spring and fall of 2019. Grades are updated every six months.

Leapfrog uses data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), its own survey of hospitals and other data sources to calculate grades and make them available to the public.

Update on Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for farmers and ranchers

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has decided to reopen the EIDL program to farmers and ranchers only on a limited basis.

According to the SBA’s updated EIDL page:

  • Agricultural businesses includes those businesses engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)).
  • SBA is encouraging all eligible agricultural businesses with 500 or fewer employees wishing to apply to begin preparing their business financial information needed for their application.

Information: https://www.sba.gov/page/disaster-loan-applications#section-header-0

Streamlined application: https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/

Dairy Cooperatives, UConn 4-H, and UConn Extension coordinate to donate dairy products to food pantries statewide

So many people are doing amazing work in our communities, and last week the UConn 4-H program coordinated with dairy cooperatives, 4-H members and volunteers, and the UConn Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program to have dairy products donated and delivered to food pantries statewide, helping feed families in need. Click here to read more.

Special thanks to Bill Davenport, Cricket Jacquier and Agri-Mark / Cabot Coop, Bonnie Burr, Litchfield County 4H members, Superintendent Chris Leone and Litchfield High School, and the many others involved in coordinating on the receiving end. And to Congresswoman Jahana Hayes’ office for bringing the video to my attention!

Secretary Merrill Releases Election Plan in the Face of COVID-19

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill released the Connecticut plan for the primary and general elections to make in-person voting in 2020 as safe as it can possibly be in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, by addressing in-person voting plans, cyber-security, and the expansion of access to absentee ballots. The plan can be found at myvote.ct.gov/2020Plan.

The Office of the Secretary of the State, following guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control, will work with the municipalities to give them the resources they need, including approving towns' plans for polling place locations and layouts, staffing levels, emergency plans, and cleaning and safety materials needed. The Office will also be able to help the towns recruit and train poll workers for Election Day. In order to make sure voters trust the safety of their polling places, the Office will also conduct a Safe Polls public education.

The Office of the Secretary is also going to leverage cyber-security funding to protect our elections from malicious actors at both the state and local levels. The Connecticut National Guard will perform a cyber-security assessment of the election infrastructure of each of Connecticut's 169 towns. To date, the Office has identified approximately 20 towns that have had chronic connectivity issues to the state's election infrastructure, and will be providing network upgrades in these towns to prevent potential security risks. The Office is also instituting a grant program whereby the Office will pay for 50% of the upgrade when towns commit to replacing outdated hardware and software, and is supporting our towns with more online certification and security training, a dedicated trainer, and Election Support Officers to serve as field support on a regional basis.

The circumstances of the current pandemic make physically appearing in a polling place difficult or impossible for many voters. In an effort to ensure that every eligible voter who wants to cast a ballot is able to do so, the Office of the Secretary, will be sending applications for absentee ballots to every registered voter in the state, and including postage paid return for those applications. After processing at the local level, those voters who request absentee ballots will be delivered ballots, and the cost of both the mailing and return of the absentee ballot will be borne by the Office of the Secretary of the State. The Office is also providing the towns with the resources necessary to deal with the anticipated increase in absentee ballots, including providing every town with secure drop-boxes and offering a grant program that can be used to defray additional costs and personnel related to a larger number of absentee ballots. This plan will allow a larger number of voters to vote by absentee ballot than ever before, and do it at no cost to the towns or the voters.

The plan relies on funding from the recently passed CARES Act specifically earmarked to making polling places safer and expanding accessibility to voting by mail, as well as additional appropriations made to protect the cyber-security and integrity of elections from the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

Statewide launch of free online job training for unemployment claimants

Governor Ned Lamont announced the statewide expansion of a program that will make free online learning licenses available to recipients of unemployment insurance, including those who have been impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The SkillUp CT program will significantly expand access to comprehensive online course work from a leading global provider for thousands of Connecticut residents. Originally launched in eastern Connecticut, a sustained rollout of the program across the state over the coming weeks will enable recently laid-off workers to upgrade their skills and earn industry-recognized certifications even while the doors to most brick-and mortar education and training providers remain closed.

The program is coordinated by the Connecticut Workforce Development Council in collaboration with the Connecticut Governor’s Workforce Council and the Connecticut Department of Labor. Based on a successful model implemented by the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, it is being offered through Connecticut’s five regional workforce development boards.

Eligible Connecticut residents will receive email instructions on obtaining a Metrix Learning license that provides them access to about 5,000 online Skillsoft courses in areas such as information technology, business analysis, customer service, project management, and digital literacy, among others. Anyone with an internet connection and a computer can access courses.SkillUp CT also offers training tracks leading to over 100 industry certifications and will provide career coaching through the workforce boards.

The program will be funded by the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA) under an existing grant to the state’s five regional workforce boards.

To enroll in SkillUp CT, unemployment insurance claimants in Connecticut should visit ct.metrixlearning.com/landing.cfm.

Update re Federal approval of $72.3 million in new SNAP food benefits for children in free and reduced-price school lunch

Governor Lamont announced on April 24 that the State of Connecticut has received federal approval for its plan to provide $72.3 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to children eligible for the free and reduced-price meals program. Authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the new Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program is expected to bring food benefits to about 270,000 Connecticut children who are not able to receive meals at school. All families in the 181 school districts in Connecticut participating in the federal free or reduced-Price Meals program are eligible to participate. This number is comprised of 162 public, charter, and magnet schools, 11 private schools, and eight residential child-care institutions.

DSS estimates that SNAP benefits will be deposited in EBT accounts beginning in mid-May. Benefits can be used at any location that accepts SNAP/EBT cards. This includes farmers’ markets and direct market farms, where authorized to accept SNAP benefits. P-EBT participants will also have online access to eligible food purchases through delivery or curbside pickup, when implemented in the overall SNAP program.

Families do not need to apply for these benefits, as children are automatically eligible because school is not in session. The planned benefit is $267.90 per child enrolled in the free and reduced-price meals program. Additional benefits may be provided if school closures extend beyond May 20. The program is funded until children return to school or the end of the regularly scheduled last date of school. As Connecticut schools currently have a return date of May 20, 2020, benefits are only allocated until this date. Should the Governor extend the date schools are scheduled to be closed, additional benefits will be provided.

DSS and the Department of Education will be collaborating to inform families about the P-EBT benefits and how they can be used. This will include postings on agency websites, news and social media announcements, and notification to community and school partners through emails and participation in statewide conference calls. The Department of Education will send email blasts to school districts with pertinent information for families of children receiving free or reduced-priced meals. Additionally, for eligible households not currently participating in SNAP, DSS will provide a mailer with information about P-EBT and SNAP benefits to be included with their EBT card.

Seven states in regional re-open effort will collaborate in purchasing of PPE

Governors of the 7-state regional re-open effort that CT is participating in agreed to the following working principles around the procurement of PPE:

States would join in an agreement to:

  • Cooperation in identifying regional needs of PPE and medical equipment (e.g.: masks, gowns, ventilators)
  • Goal of aggregating demand and realizing better pricing and delivery reliability/performance.
  • Joint or Independent state procurements - identifying beauty practices / quality control / responsible vendors / time/price/quality
  • Identification of in-country, in-region and in-state suppliers – who can scale to meet demand over the next three months.
  • Development of new, regional suppliers to with the goals of de-risking the potential for supply chain disruption and regional economic development.

The group is also discussing how to collectively explore emerging technologies on an ongoing basis to take advantage of the potential associated with alternative methods of production for existing products and innovation that would lead to more effective and/or less expensive alternatives. For example, 3D printers may represent an attractive alternative to manufacturing some products, e.g. face shields, masks and components for medical equipment, and oxygen hoods may be a effective and less expensive alternative to ventilators for some patients

Governor Lamont encourages residents to sign up for the state’s CTAlert notification system

Governor Lamont is encouraging Connecticut residents to sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system, which provides text message notifications to users. To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

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 and TDD/TTY access. It intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.