Garlick Press – Thursday, August 17, 2023

Thursday, August 17, 2023

 

Last Tuesday’s flood has been catastrophic for many of our neighbors in Needham, Dover, and Medfield. During this time of crisis, clear communication is key between you, the town, and myself as State Representative. Click here to read the latest update on the actions I have taken, a summary of the Town’s response, what you can do in the immediate short-term, and an overview of how the state can respond. All future and older updates can be found on my website, here.

The Town requests that you report all flooding in your home or on public property, as well as blocked catch basins via a link on the Town’s dedicated webpage.

Read more about the flood and our response on the Needham Observer, here.

 

 

District Updates

 

 

Needham

• The Town of Needham declares a state of emergency effective August 8th. This declaration is to expedite the town’s emergency response and facilitate the deployment of any available state, federal, and private sector resources to help recover, repaid, and or replace lost or damaged property. To view the declaration, click here.

• Needham Public Health has free Narcan and Narcan training available for residents 18 years and older. Residents can sign up for the training here. To learn more about the event, click here.

• The Needham Council on Aging will be hosting master illusionist Lyn Dillies. The event will be held on Thursday, August 24th at 1 pm at the Center at the Heights. Registration is required for the event, to register, call the Needham Council on Aging at (781)455-7555. To learn more about the event, click here.

• Join Dover Town Library for a magic show by the Nickelodeon award-winning children’s entertainer, Mike Bent. The event will take place at the Dover Town Library on August 16th from 4 pm to 4:45 pm. No registration is required for the event. To access Dover Town Library’s full calendar of events, click here.

• Enjoy a free guided walk up Hale’s Powisset Peak on Saturday, August 12. The walk will be held from 10:30 am to 12 pm. Walks will not be too strenuous but participants are warned of uneven ground, possibly slippery rocks, and steeper pitches. The event is free, but participants are encouraged to pre-register, click here.

Dover

• Celebrate summer with an End-of-Summer concert by Stacey Peasley. The concert will be held on Thursday, August 24th at 4 pm on the Dover Town Common. The event is free to the public and no registration is required. To learn more, click here.

• The Town of Dover is accepting applications from residents to fill vacancies in town committees. This is a great opportunity to serve your community. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To view openings, click here.

Medfield

• Medfield Public Schools was awarded the Expanding High-Quality Instructional Mathematics Materials Grant by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This grant will provide support to purchase and implement new high-quality mathematic materials such as books, consumables, digital student licenses, and foundational professional learning to support the school’s first year of curriculum implementation. To learn more about the grant, click here.

• Join MEMO for the last concert of the summer on Thursday, August 17 featuring musician Stacey Peasley. The concert will be held at the gazebo next to the public library from 6 pm to 8 pm. The event is free to the public and registration is not required.

• Registration is open for Medfield TV’s Scarecrow Spooktacular. The event takes place on October 14 from 12-2:30 pm at Baxter Park, register now to showcase your best scarecrow. To view the event rules and regulations, click here. To access the Scarecrow Spooktacular Registration form, click here.

Norfolk County Arbovirus Report

The hot months of summer bring an increased risk of mosquito-borne

illnesses. West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE or “Triple E”) are viruses that occur in Massachusetts and can cause illness ranging from mild fever to more serious disease like encephalitis or meningitis. Mosquito testing for EEE and other diseases began on June 12. This section of Fresh Garlick will share weekly reportings of Arbovirus in Norfolk County.

Risk Levels:

Needham: Remote

Dover: Low

Medfield: Low

To learn more about mosquito-borne illnesses, click here.

To learn how to protect yourself against mosquito-borne illnesses, click here.

Statewide Updates

 

• Nurse Assistant exams are to be offered in Spanish and Chinese next year. Under the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget recently signed into law, the Department of Health must offer CNA exams in a language other than English by October 1, 2024. This is part of a multilingual policy that advocates and lawmakers say will tackle a major workforce shortage in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The English-only exam has prevented non-native speakers from accessing entry-level healthcare roles. To learn more, click here.

• Massachusetts will launch a new Domestic Violence Service Provider Grant Program. This program aims to make domestic violence victims aware of the services and resources available to them. The $100,000 grant is funded through the Fiscal Year 2024 budget which was recently signed by the Governor. Nonprofits will be eligible for grant funding to help provide them with resources to reach victims. To learn more, click here.

• Massachusetts Health Connector ConnectorCare coverage expands to 50,000. Included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Governor Healey signed into law, an estimated 50,000 people became newly eligible for ConnectorCare health insurance. ConnectorCare health insurance offers no or low monthly premiums, low out-of-pocket costs, and no deductibles. The FY24 budget expands the income limits for ConnectorCare from 300% of the federal poverty level to 500%. To learn more, click here.

• Governor Maura Healthy signed into law a $56 billion budget for fiscal year 2024. This budget includes a program providing free school meals to all students, in-state tuition and financial aid for high school graduates without illegal immigration status, free community college for MA residents 25 and older, and more. I am immensely proud of our historic levels of investment in education, housing, healthcare, and more, as part of a broad strategy to grow our state’s economy and make Massachusetts more affordable, inclusive, and competitive. To read my press release on the FY24 budget and highlights, click here.

• Veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving are eligible for expansion of VA benefits and healthcare. The PACT Act expands VA benefits and health care for veterans and servicemembers exposed to toxic substances while serving. While there is no deadline to apply for the benefits, veterans, and families will get the most of those benefits if filed by August 9. The PACT Act helps veterans get much-needed help related to health conditions caused by exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. If you submit your PACT Act application — or your intent to file — by August 9, you could get benefits backdated to August 10, 2022 — when the PACT Act was passed.
• Avoid Scams:
• Don’t pay to file: It’s free to apply for any type of veterans’ benefits. File your PACT Act claim for free online through the VA’s website or in person at a VA regional Office.
• Don’t pay for help: Scammers may offer help to you to file your application for benefits for a fee or percentage of the benefits you get, Get free help from an accredited representative, here.

Learn more about the PACT Act, here.

• The Sumner Tunnel will be closed seven days a week from July 5th to August 31st, 2023. During this time, the blue line on the MBTA will be free to riders. Detour options and more information on the closure can be found here.