In a time of our great public health crisis and overwhelming financial hardships, when it has been hard to see heroes at the national level, there have actually been heroes all around us.
Your post office person arriving each day, the grocery worker wearing a mask standing behind a plexiglass shield, the teachers and school staff bearing the responsibility of not only education but the social, emotional learning of our children and the brunt of a society with inadequate child care. None of these folks signed up to be first-line responders and yet today, they are.
Folks who did indeed sign up for the front line are facing the second surge of this virus. They are exhausted and traumatized from the first surge. My friend, a nurse for more than 30 years said, “some will be stronger but others will be broken.” We call them heroes: EMTs, nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, the cleaning staff, and all the people who are seen and unseen that that make the system work, but we are not listening to them. Their voices continue to call for PPE (personal protective equipment) standards, appropriate co-horting of patients, safe staffing for patients and personnel, keeping our hospitals and essential services open, and “standing up ” emergency facilities like the DCU center in Worcester.
If you are looking for a hero- just look around. Treat all these individuals like heroes with respect for their actions and deference to their hard-earned wisdom. Make sure they have what they tell us they need for the battle and show them by our actions that we are fighting the virus too. In a week when there is talk of “thanks” and “giving” – please do both. I am sharing with you this video from Beth Israel Deaconess Needham, which features stories of some of our communities’ health care front-line team.
- In Needham, the Community Preservation Committee is now accepting applications for Community Preservation Projects for consideration for the May 2021 Annual Town Meeting funding. Applications are due December 4, 2020. For more information, click here.
- In Dover, the Board of Health shared a COVID-19 update on Friday, November 20. This update includes information on confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dover and information on COVID-19 and thanksgiving. For more information, click here.
- In Medfield, the Board of Health is holding a Q&A session to provide clarity to the community regarding COVID-19 guidances and recommendations. This session will take place tonight, Monday, November 23 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information, click here.
- In Needham,
- the Needham Cultural Council will be meeting tonight, Monday, November 23 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. The Council will be discussing an update on Art Box and on potential public art projects. To learn more, click here.
- the Needham Select Board will be meeting on Tuesday, November 24 at 5:00 PM via Zoom. The Board will receive a presentation on the School Master Plan and hear from the Town Manager on the proposed MBTA Service Cuts. To learn more, click here.
- In Dover,
- the Capital Budget Committee will be meeting tonight, Monday, November 23 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. The committee will receive a presentation by the Superintendent of Buildings in Dover. For more information, click here.
- the Caryl Community Center Building Committee will be meeting Tuesday, November 24 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. The committee will be reviewing the presentation for the Public Forum in December. For more information, click here.
- In Medfield,
- the Board of Health will be holding a public Q&A session tonight, Monday, November 23 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information, click here.
- the Dale Street School Building Committee will be meeting tonight, Monday, November 23 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. The committee will be discussing sustainability and project updates. For more information, click here.
- On Friday, the Department of Public Health removed New Hampshire and Maine from the list of lower-risk states exempt from the COVID-19 Travel order. Currently, Vermont and Hawaii are the states exempt from the travel order.
- The Department of Public Health has announced it will not publish the daily or weekly COVID-19 reports on Thursday, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The dashboard on Friday will include the information for both Thursday and Friday.
- Today, Governor Baker announced the launch of a new public awareness campaign, #GetBackMass. The campaign will encourage residents to wear a mask, social distance, and get tested. For more information, click here.
- The State is currently in Phase 3 of Massachusetts Reopening. If you have questions, input, or comments regarding the Reopening Massachusetts plan, you can submit comments online. These comments can be used by the Administration to support efforts to methodically reopen the economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for the form.
- If you are in need of resources, information, or support, please visit my website for a list of resources. Additionally, our local boards of health, the Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control are continuing to maintain websites with the most updated information regarding COVID-19 that you can access here:
- Needham Health Department Updates
- Medfield Updates
- Dover Updates
- Department of Public Health: Click here or Call 2-1-1.
- Reopening Massachusetts
- COVID-19 Travel Order
- Centers for Disease Control