Merrimack Valley Magazine

Baker Exploring “Important” Vaccine Verification Options

September 17, 2021 by State House News Service

Admin Talking With States About Their Experiences

by Colin A. Young

It will be important for people to have a simple way to prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday as he stopped just short of saying that some kind of vaccination verification system will be coming to Massachusetts.

With about two-thirds of the workforce soon to be impacted by a federal vaccination-or-testing mandate, a growing number of venues requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result to enter, and with the market for phony vaccine cards exploding, some states like New York and Minnesota have launched free and voluntary platforms to provide digital and authentic proof that the user has either been vaccinated or has tested negative.

“We’ve been talking to the states that have developed this and it’s certainly something that,” Baker said, slamming on the brakes mid-sentence during an appearance on GBH Radio. “I mean, I just happen to think that getting to the point where there’s a relatively simple process for people to credential the fact that they’ve been vaccinated will be important for a whole bunch of reasons.”

The governor pointed out to co-hosts Margery Eagan and Jim Braude that people in Massachusetts can get vaccine verification or a credential from the provider who administered the vaccine.

“But obviously, there are states and municipalities that have done something more universal than that and we’ve been talking to those folks and working through how that would work here in the commonwealth,” the governor said.

Baker did not take the bait when Braude said that it sounded likely that Massachusetts is “going to have such a thing at some point.”

“I certainly think it’s going to be an important thing for people to have,” he said. “But again, you can validate and verify that you’ve been vaccinated right now.”

When President Joe Biden announced on Sept. 9 that the federal government will soon require companies with 100 or more workers to mandate that their employees either be vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing, it sent the illicit market for forged U.S. Centers for Disease Control vaccination cards soaring.

The price of a fake vaccination card with a CDC logo jumped from $100 to $200 right after Biden’s announcement and the number of people in a group on the social messaging app Telegram dedicated to the forgeries rose from 30,000 to more than 300,000, according to Check Point Software Technologies. In August, there were about 1,000 vendors offering fake vaccination cards on Telegram, the company said, and now there are more than 10,000.

“The growth of the black market for fake vaccination cards has been exponential,” Ekram Ahmed, a spokesperson for the cybersecurity firm that studies the illicit market, told Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline publication. “Our expectation is that the black market for fake coronavirus vaccination cards will continue to thrive as more policy requiring vaccination proof gets rolled out.”

Former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, now U.S. secretary of labor, is overseeing the drafting of Biden’s mandate. Asked about the forthcoming federal policy Thursday, Baker said that he was hesitant to comment.

“I’m obviously a big fan of people getting vaccinated and I’m obviously comfortable with employers creating programming for their own people to get vaccinated … But we have not seen yet any details on what this looks like,” he said. “At this point, it’s commenting on a press release and speech, and for something that is as significant, widespread and as complicated as this, I would really like to see how they think this would work, who qualifies, who doesn’t, what the rules are and all the rest.”

The governor was similarly non-committal when asked about the possibility of requiring vaccination for Massachusetts school students, though he suggested that having a vaccine secure final FDA approval for use in younger people could be a key factor in his thinking. In Los Angeles, district officials on Thursday voted unanimously in favor of a policy that requires eligible students (currently those 12 or older) to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Keep in mind that we don’t have any ability to vaccinate anybody who is under the age of 12 yet and there’s some discussion about when that might happen. We also won’t have, for kids under the age of 16, I think, a final approval on a vaccine at this point in time. Pfizer’s approved for, I think, for 16 and up as a final approval but we’re still working under emergency use authorizations below that. And Moderna doesn’t have a final approval at all, it’s still an emergency use authorization,” the governor said.

Baker added, “I think it’s important, when you don’t have sort of a final signoff from the feds, to be careful about how you think about this stuff.”

Asked directly whether he would consider mandating vaccines for students for whom final FDA approval has been granted, Baker said neither yes nor no.

“You know, I don’t know when those things are going to happen, Jim. So in the meantime, I’d rather just focus on trying to get more kids vaccinated in those communities with the rules and the standards and the processes and procedures that we have in place currently,” the governor said.

Baker Urges Lawmakers To Move On Climate Projects

September 7, 2021 by State House News Service

Katie Lannan, with contributions from Michael P. Norton

Available federal resources create an opportunity for Massachusetts to undertake “transformational” work on climate and environmental issues, Gov. Charlie Baker said last Tuesday as he again pitched his plan for spending a portion of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

Visiting Easthampton to announce the latest round of awards through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, Baker brought up the bill he filed in June to spend $2.9 billion in ARPA money on what he identified as urgent priorities, including $1 billion for “critical infrastructure initiatives to deal with environmental challenges.”

Of that $1 billion, Baker said, $300 million would go to climate-resilient infrastructure.

Baker’s bill (H 3922) remains before the House Ways and Means Committee. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, and his Senate counterpart, Sen. Michael Rodrigues, in July launched a series of hearings to help them determine how to spend the state’s ARPA money.

After an August break, they plan to hold at least four more hearings sometime after Labor Day, including one focused one economic development, transportation, arts, and tourism, climate and infrastructure.

“There’s a tremendous amount of interest and a lot of proven success associated already with this MVP program, and our municipal partners throughout the commonwealth have demonstrated that this is a program that works and that we should do much more of it as we go forward,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of work left to do here. We do have an opportunity to do some transformational work based on the federal resources that are available, and we hope and anticipate that our colleagues in the Legislature will see this as the big opportunity that we do and put a ton of resources to work from one end of Massachusetts to the other on it as we go forward.”

Baker said the local projects supported through the MVP program “are exactly the kind of projects that we believe we need to do far more with across Massachusetts, and we need to do it now.”

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said that 328 of the state’s 351 cities and towns, or 93 percent, are participating in the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which provides state money to local efforts to identify and mitigate potential climate hazards.

“Ninety-three percent is an A-minus. We’re going to get an A-plus, because we’ve got to get all of the communities to participate,” she said. “But we clearly have a lot of demand and need, and we have some dollars but we need more dollars. If we could put some of that special ARPA dollars, the federal dollars, to work with your dollars, we could see more of these kinds of projects done throughout the commonwealth.”

During an appearance with political analyst Jon Keller that aired Sunday morning on CBS Boston, a disappointed Baker acknowledged that some housing and flood control investments he’s proposed using American Rescue Plan funding may not happen until next year, and urged lawmakers to act on an ARPA pending bill this fall.

“Just think about all the flooding we’ve seen since June,” Baker said. “I mean it’s happened all over the Commonwealth, and every time that happens businesses lose customers. In many cases they have to pay to repair their facilities and their operations. And this is not going away. We’re going to be dealing with more storms and storm severity, and we really need to get real about this stuff and I would obviously like to see the Legislature move quickly on this. It’s disappointing to me that none of this may start until sometime next year. I think that’s a missed opportunity.”

Baker Announces Vaccine Timeline for All Residents

March 17, 2021 by Digital Manager

Today, the Baker-Polito administration announced the timeline for all remaining residents to be eligible for a vaccine. The administration also announced the weekly distribution of vaccine doses statewide for providers and a new $24.7 million investment in the administration’s Vaccine Equity Initiative.

Vaccine Eligibility Timeline

Baker today announced the dates that all remaining residents and certain worker groups will be eligible for a vaccine. The commonwealth’s detailed timeline adheres to the original timeline for the three phases announced in December. All residents can preregister to book an appointment at a mass vaccination site at mass.gov/COVIDVaccine. Appointments will be offered based on eligibility and available appointments nearby. It is expected that more sites will come online as part of the preregistration process in April.

Timeline for remaining groups

March 22: Residents 60+ and certain workers
April 5: Residents 55+ and residents with one certain medical condition
April 19: General public ages 16 years of age and older

The full timeline is available at mass.gov/COVIDVaccinePhases. The administration has received assurances from the federal government that an increased vaccine supply will be available to states soon. Depending on supply, it could take weeks for people to be notified that an appointment is available at a mass vaccination site.

Dose Update

The administration provided the weekly update for doses allocated from the federal government.

This week, the state is receiving a modest increase in supply of first doses, approximately 170,000. This includes an unexpected 8,000 doses of J&J vaccine.

In total, the commonwealth will receive 316,000 first and second doses as part of the state allocation. These figures do not include doses provided through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program or to Federally Qualified Health Centers.

This week, first doses and second dose state allocations (total doses), were distributed among providers as follows:

Mass vaccination locations: 101,890
Health systems and health care providers (excluding CHCs): 99,230
Community Health Centers: 27,450
Regional Collaboratives and Local Boards of Health: 59,580
Regional Collaboratives: 40,370
Local Boards of Health: 19,210
Retail pharmacies (non-CVS)
State allocation: 8,490
Mobile Clinics supporting long-term care facilities, congregate care, affordable/low-income senior housing and homebound individuals: 19,180

Weekly allocations are subject to change based on federal availability, demand from providers, and obligations to meet second doses. Providers have 10 days to use their doses and must meet specific performance thresholds.

Federal Doses:

In addition to the state allocation, the federal government distributes vaccines to CVS Health sites as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership as well as to certain Massachusetts federally qualified community health centers. These quantities fluctuate on a weekly basis and are not counted as part of the state’s weekly allocation.

This week, 106,440 first and second doses have been allocated to the retail pharmacy program and 9,500 doses have been allocated to the federally qualified health centers.

Individuals looking to book appointments across any of these providers should visit mass.gov/COVIDvaccine to learn more.

Vaccine Equity Initiative

The administration also announced the release of $27.4 million in federal funds to increase trust, vaccine acceptance and administration rates as part of the administration’s Vaccine Equity Initiative and to meet the needs of priority populations. Recognizing equity as a critical component of the state’s vaccine distribution plan, the Department of Public Health (DPH) is working closely with 20 hardest hit communities in Massachusetts as they identify their specific community needs, further building on existing support.

These federal funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) build upon current and past efforts supporting vaccination in these communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and includes partnerships with municipalities, local boards of health, community- and faith-based organizations, community health centers and others to reduce barriers to vaccination. These funds also will provide direct vaccine administration to populations that are not effectively reached through existing vaccine supply channels.

These federal funds include:

$10.6 million to provide direct assistance with vaccine access, including appointment registration assistance, transportation to vaccination clinics, mobility assistance, medical interpretation, and other supports. These services will be delivered through contracted community-based organizations (CBOs), community health centers (CHCs), and behavioral health providers.
$5.1 million to invest in community health centers through the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to expand vaccination capacity at community health centers, including Community Health Worker Ambassadors.
$4.7 million to support municipalities and local boards of health through direct funding of the 20 equity municipalities for coordination and support for vaccine clinics and acceptance.
$4 million to help tailor community outreach and education through direct funding of local community-based and faith-based organizations in the 20 equity municipalities.
$3 million for direct vaccine administration in community settings by funding qualified organizations to directly administer vaccination to groups not effectively reached by other mechanisms.

These activities will build on DPH-supported initiatives already in progress, such as outreach and collaboration with community and faith-based organizations, increased connections and investment in Community Health Centers, and grassroots neighborhood outreach by teams of trained staff and residents led by Archipelago Strategies Group (ASG), a minority-owned business, and Health Care For All (HCFA).

Other activities already underway include the DPH COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador Program, which has assisted with dozens of local meetings to answer questions about vaccine, wide dissemination and amplification of the state’s “Trust the Facts. Get the Vax” multilingual public awareness campaign, and the DPH Community Liaisons who are meeting weekly with representatives from the communities to identify and lift barriers to vaccine access and support community-based solutions.

The administration’s Vaccine Equity Initiative focuses on 20 cities and towns with the greatest COVID-19 case burden, taking into account social determinants of health and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). In the Merrimack Valley, these communities are Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell and Methuen.

Sign Up for COVID-19 Text Alerts in Massachusetts

March 24, 2020 by Digital Manager

The Baker-Polito Administration today announced the launch of a new text-based notification system to deliver important information about the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response to Massachusetts residents.

“Throughout this outbreak, we have consistently reminded our residents to get their information from trusted sources. Today we’re making that easier,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “With the addition of this new communication tool, we’re making it easier for everyone to stay informed about state actions and important announcements related to COVID-19.”

The new messaging tool called “AlertsMA” will allow residents to subscribe to real-time notifications by texting the keyword COVIDMA to 888-777. After signing up, state and public health officials can send short messages and links to information directly to a resident’s cell phone or other mobile device.

“Being well-informed during this public health emergency, and following health officials’ advice, can help us to slow and eventually stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” said Secretary Marylou Sudders, the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Command Center Director. “Staying connected with our residents is a central part of our response.”

You can also call the information and referral hotline at 211.

For additional information, including up-to-date date on cases, the state of emergency and the status of in-person state locations for Executive Branch agencies, visit https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Stronger Together

December 3, 2018 by Kim Whiting Leave a Comment

Tunefoolery’s Mission to Unlock the Healing Power of Music

Part support group, part therapeutic aid and part booking agent, Tunefoolery was established in 1994. Its mission involves eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health issues, providing a performance outlet for musicians who have suffered from mental health problems, and performing for individuals in recovery at shelters and psychiatric hospitals.

“So much mental health treatment is focused on minimizing symptoms,” says the nonprofit’s executive director, Jens Rybo, 54. “If someone is depressed, the goal is to make them less depressed and, of course, that’s really important, but where Tunefoolery comes in is kind of the next level. It’s more about finding purpose and meaning and doing more than just maintaining your mental health.”

Rybo was a 1980s-era punk rock guitarist from Sweden who moved to the U.S. after his band was unable to achieve its desired notoriety. He decided to pursue a career as a mental health counselor. While studying counseling psychology at Lesley College in 1994, he began an internship at the Cambridge-Somerville Social Club, a mental health drop-in center.

Just a few months earlier, four musicians had started Tunefoolery at the social club with a $2,000 grant. When Rybo learned about the group and its mission, he was immediately drawn to the way Tunefoolery’s work combined his passion for helping others with his love of music. He started working with the group as a volunteer and became executive director in 2000. Rybo went on to marry one of Tunefoolery’s founding members, Theresa Thompson, who remains active in the organization as a workshop leader and performer.

Nate and Richard performing at Tunefoolery’s monthly coffee house. Photo by Fern Fisher.

When the Cambridge-Somerville Social Club was closed following state budget cuts, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health stepped in to provide Tunefoolerywith a new home in Boston’s South End. The group secured funding from various sources, including the Mass Cultural Council. It now boasts a roster of 55 artists and, in 2017, performed at over 270 gigs. It also has its own recording studio, where CDs are produced for sale. From the haunting viola da gamba of Hannah Davidson to Rick Davenport’s original rock ’n’ roll and Rybo’s own “Stronger Together,” the title track of Tunefoolery’s latest album, the compilations showcase originals and covers in numerous musical genres.The group captured the attention of Lowell attorney Michael Gallagher, who held a fundraiser for Tunefoolery and the Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell in 2017. “There is a mental health crisis in this state and across this nation, and organizations like Tunefoolery are on the front lines,” Gallagher says. “The beauty of Tunefoolery is that it gives folks with mental health challenges a chance to express themselves in a creative, productive way through music. Further, they often perform for individuals suffering from their own mental health issues in hospitals or other institutional settings. These are very talented performers for whom Tunefoolery provides a welcoming, supportive environment.”

Rybo notes that countless studies have demonstrated the benefits of music therapy. Though he doesn’t collect data, Rybo has definitely seen a reduction in the need for emergency services for the artists involved. He says of one member, “He had gone through periods of severe symptoms. He really struggled with isolation … and he was hospitalized on a regular basis. Since he joined Tunefoolery 17 years ago, he hasn’t been hospitalized once. It’s really made a difference for him. Before that, he was maybe sometimes playing in the subway, but now he’s playing at shelters and making money.”

Rybo says he has also seen a shift in the public’s perspective on mental health, perhaps because so many celebrities have gone public with their struggles. He realizes there’s still a long way to go, noting, “The ultimate goal is that we shut down because we’re not needed anymore … and there is no more stigma about mental health, but I don’t think that will happen in my life.”

Tunefoolery.com
Boston, Mass.
(617) 626-8991