Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone was able to enjoy some end of the summer fun with the long weekend, especially with the hot weather. Remember to stay cool in the heat this week. If anyone needs any information on local cooling centers or splash pads, do not hesitate to reach out to my office.
As Summer comes to end, formal session in the legislature begins again. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Recovery, Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, and a member of several other Committees. I’m looking forward to bringing the voice of Western Mass to Boston and having an impactful legislative session.
Wednesday, I was invited to join my fellow Greek-Americans at Springfield City Hall to celebrate the beginning of Glendi— a week long cultural festival celebrating the Greek diaspora and Greek culture. Local officials and members or the Greek Orthodox Church gathered around for some brief remarks and to raise the Greek flag over city hall. A big thanks to Mayor Sarno for hosting us.
Later that afternoon, I was interviewed by Maria Quinn, the Director of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Support Center at Holyoke Medical Center. We discussed the many ways that the substance abuse crisis is affecting our communities and the many ways that legislature and healthcare industry can work together to combat it. I was also able to tour their facility afterwards and get a first hand glimpse of all the great work they are doing over there.
Thursday morning, Senator Lydia Edwards, the Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, took the time to come to Western Mass to discuss the unique ways that the housing crisis is affecting both our region and the state as a whole. We were joined along with many other local housing advocates who are working tirelessly to help end this crisis.
This week we also celebrated several new beginnings, starting with a ribbon cutting on Thursday for Westfield’s Columbia Greenway Shared Use Path. This MassDOT project has been a longtime in the making and I am grateful to all the state and local officials who have made this possible. On Friday, my team joined community members in Agawam for the ribbon cutting of the Behavioral Health Network’s new youth community crisis stabilization center in Agawam. The center will operate 24/7 and is an important part of the state’s Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform.
This week my team hosted office hours at the Agawam COA on Tuesday. Next week, we will be at the Chicopee COA on Tuesday from 10:00am to 11:00am and on Wednesday, we will be at the West Springfield COA from 11:00am to 12:00pm. If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 527-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com
Sincerely,
John Velis