Massachusetts Health Connector can help residents who have lost their jobs and job-based health coverage swiftly and easily make their way into health coverage. Visit www.mahealthconnector.org to apply for coverage. The ConnectorCare program connects qualifying Massachusetts residents with affordable health coverage with low or $0 premiums and low co-pays and no deductibles.
A special enrollment period runs through May 25 to ensure that everyone who has lost or may be about to lose job-based coverage can get the help they need.
A COVID-19 Artist Relief Grant for Artists and Cultural Producers is available throuth the Northampton Arts Council.
All artists and cultural producers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and contribute to the cultural vibrancy of Northampton, Florence, and Leeds are eligible to apply.
The application is due May 15, 2020.
The Northampton Arts Council usually administers the ArtsEZ grant round in the spring to support local arts and cultural projects that take place in Northampton, Florence, and Leeds. Since all public gatherings are on hold, and in light of the severe economic impact of COVID-19, the board has voted to allocate $10,000 to fund artist relief.
“Give Back to the Land” will be a 24-hour online giving day on April 22 to raise funds for four regional land trusts that work to conserve forests, farms, and waterways in central and western Massachusetts. It marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day.
Kestrel Land Trust, based in Amherst, is joining with Hilltown Land Trust based in Ashfield, Franklin Land Trust based in Shelburne Falls, and Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust based in Athol, to host the area’s first Earth Day-themed online giving day.
The event’s organizers emphasize that today, as in 1970 when Earth Day was founded, the land needs the help of its human inhabitants as much as ever. Community support is what makes possible the work of nonprofit land trusts to protect wildlife habitat, to make trails on conserved land accessible to the public, and to ensure that forests and soils are protected so they can play a vital role in sequestering carbon to help mitigate climate change.
Land trusts also play a critical role in preserving the region’s rich farmland as the foundation of a thriving local food system, which has become even more important during the current crisis as grocery stores are being challenged to keep food on the shelves.
Each of the four land trusts generally serves a different geographic focus area, though the organizations also work together on larger projects where lands cross town or county lines. Collaboration is an important part of how land trusts work every day, as land conservation requires the participation of willing landowners, town leaders, and often state and federal funding partnerships.
Community members are invited to visit www.givebacktotheland.org to learn about the work of local land trusts and donate to one or more of the organizations in support of the land. Generous donors are matching online donations made before midnight on April 22, and donors will also have an opportunity to round up their gift to support regional organizations working to address food insecurity.
The Baker-Polito administration has implemented CARES Act Unemployment Benefits for self-employed, gig economy and other workers. Massachusetts residents who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits can now apply online for the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
The new federal PUA program provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits for those who are unable to work because of a coronavirus-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits. This includes self-employed workers, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and those with limited work history.
Applicants can learn more and apply at www.mass.gov/pua.
The Northampton Health Department issued an order for all members of the public to wear face coverings when around people outside of their household where social distancing cannot be maintained. Following this announcement, the health department has received over 2,500 requests for face coverings from residents, social service agencies, police departments, fire rescue departments, and businesses.
Cooley Dickinson Hospital and the city of Northampton have partnered to streamline collections, to launder and package donations, and to distribute face coverings to those in need. Face coverings can be simple and homemade, made of cloth, fabric, or other soft or permeable material without holes that cover the nose and mouth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides instructions on how to make face coverings acceptable for distribution by the health department.
Residents who wish to donate face coverings should drop them off at Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s North Entrance, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For more information on where to drop off face coverings, visit Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s donations website.
To facilitate the home production of cloth face coverings for the community, the city of Northampton is collaborating with local volunteers who sew. To volunteer, please contact Lilly Lombard, jollyforager@gmail.com, who can help equip you with complete kits for assembling reusable cloth masks for donation.
To further aid this volunteer effort, the city is gratefully accepting the following donated items for drop-off in the yellow bin outside the Northampton Fire Department at 26 Carlon Drive:
■all cotton, tight-woven fabric (e.g. sheets, including flannel);
■polyester thread;
■elastic band, an eighth to three-eighths of an inch wide.
Residents and businesses in need of face coverings are encouraged to purchase them when possible. One local supplier that is employing local people who sew is westernmaskproject.com.
Public agencies, businesses, and high-risk individuals that cannot afford face coverings can request them by submitting the following form or by visiting Northampton’s COVID-19 information page. In meeting these requests, the city will prioritize the highest-risk facilities and individuals.
The face covering must be worn in three main settings:
■at essential businesses, or other businesses and facilities engaged in minimum basic operations; essential infrastructure; or essential government functions;
■when seeking health care (health care workers and facilities have a different set of requirements);
■on public transportation or other types of shared transportation.
Employees, contractors, owners and volunteers in all these settings must wear a face covering where the public is present or likely to be present, and at any time when others are nearby.
University of Massachusetts Amherst has donated 300 face shields to the Skilled Nursing Center at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing in Springfield. The face shields were developed by UMass researchers, engineers, nurses and other health care professionals. The donation comes as personal protective equipment is in very short supply for nursing facilities.
The design created by UMass enables the face shields to be mass-produced quickly by existing manufacturers. The first order placed by the Face Shield COVID-19 Response Team at UMass Amherst produced 80,000 face shields, manufactured by K+K Thermoforming, Southbridge.
UMass contributed more than $30,000 toward the initial production of face shields and hundreds of volunteer hours spent designing, testing, revising and manufacturing the shields.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has unveiled “We Are Mighty, Massachusetts,” a campaign that celebrates our commonwealth’s resiliency and unity in the fight against COVID-19.
The campaign seeks to recognize the strength, compassion, and resolve of all those on the front lines putting their health at risk during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as those who are doing their part every day through acts of kindness.
#WeAreMightyMA launched with a video that shares a message of collective action across Massachusetts and celebrates the innumerable ways individuals have shown resolve and solidarity since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. You may view it at bluecrossma.org/we-are-mighty-mass/.
Because actions big and small matter in this fight, Blue Cross also invites individuals to shine a spotlight on those making a difference across the commonwealth by sharing “mighty” stories and unsung efforts using the hashtag #WeAreMightyMA across social media channels.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Blue Cross has committed over $2 million to community relief efforts across the commonwealth, with grants to organizations helping people stay healthy during the pandemic and reallocation of funds to nonprofits providing front-line aid.
As part of this effort, Blue Cross has launched an online giving platform that enables employees to donate directly to any Massachusetts-based not-for-profit affected by COVID-19, matched dollar-for-dollar by the company. It has also introduced virtual volunteer initiatives for employees, including remote skills-based volunteering, college mentoring, and virtual storytelling.
Additionally, Blue Cross has taken significant steps to expand access to care throughout the duration of the Massachusetts public health emergency, including removing copayments, co-insurance, and deductibles for all medically necessary COVID-19 testing, supportive care, and treatment, and covering all medically necessary medical, dental and behavioral health services via phone or video with in-network providers at no cost to members.
The company also launched the Coronavirus Resource Center, a regularly updated website page that includes information on all it’s doing to help members during this time, as well as other critical resources. In addition, Blue Cross’ health news site, Coverage, produces timely, original news articles reporting what health consumers need to know about COVID-19.
Rachel’s Table has launched a new initiative to get food to those in need. With more people unemployed and, simultaneously, less food available, Rachel’s Table is partnering with local food businesses in order to purchase and deliver healthy basics such as protein and produce.
The food will be delivered to the soup kitchens, pantries, and newly established homeless shelters in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties to meet the desperate need.
With a generous gift from local community members Steve and Alissa Korn, the program to assist those who are unemployed and food insecure has successfully launched. Sending nutritious basics to the soup kitchens and other agencies will feed thousands of individuals in desperate situations.
The first shipment took place on April 8; efforts will continue for the duration of the crisis. Sites in all three counties that will receive food in the coming few weeks include
■Highland House, Springfield Rescue Mission, Friends of the Homeless (Hampden County);
■Amherst Survival Center (Hampshire County);
■Salvation Army and the Franklin County Community Meals Program (Franklin County).
This initiative’s funding will be depleted by 25% in the next few weeks, and the need is growing. Community members are requested to join the Korns and to please donate at whatever level is possible to help feed neighbors who are out of work, food-insecure, or homeless.
Donations may be made at rachelstablespringfield.org, Healthy Community Emergency Food Fund. Donations will go directly to providing protein, produce, and nutritious food to more than 45 partner agencies.