Happy March Everyone,
Now that spring has begun and we can be outside for longer than fifteen minutes, I’m looking forward to some more outdoor events in the community.
On Tuesday I presented two Senate citations to members of our medical community, one to Physicians’ Assistant Kenzi Holden and the other to Doctor Sarah O’Shea. During the onset of the pandemic, these two went above and beyond for their clinic, routinely seeing more than twenty patients a day and almost completely giving up time with their families in order to best protect their patients. The Commonwealth is lucky have them working in our healthcare system.
Thursday, I attended the Baystate’s COVID-19 legislative update alongside other legislators from Western Mass. Members of both the public sector and Baystate staff discussed the many issues facing healthcare workers right now, chief amongst them being lack of vaccine supply. Positive test rates are–thankfully–starting to drop across the Commonwealth. However, there are still miles ahead of us and I urge everyone to continue to taken proper precautions.
Later on Thursday I visited the State Police headquarters in Framingham to discuss public safety in the Commonwealth and projects that they are co-opting with the Department of Homeland Security on. I also toured the Massachusetts Fusion Center, which is the operational hub of the Commonwealth’s homeland security efforts. The work these agencies are doing to is paramount to keeping the Commonwealth safe and I look forward to working with them to determine how the Massachusetts legislature can best aid them in their duties.
To finish the week, I sat in on a roundtable for the Connecticut Valley Superintendents. This group is comprised of superintendents from Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin counties as well as officials from local universities and community colleges. Educational institutions have already been left reeling by the pandemic. From declining enrollment to the more intangible learning loss, the complex ways in which schools have been changed will be felt for years if not decades to come. The state legislature needs to be prepared to aid however it can and I will continue to support strong funding for our public school systems in the state budget.
Recently, I also started sending out both quarterly newsletters and weekly email updates regarding the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. To sign up for my COVID-19 updates, head to senatorjohnvelis.com/covid-19-updates/ To sign up for my quarterly newsletter, head to senatorjohnvelis.com/quarterly-newsletter/
As always, if there is anything I can do to assist you, please never hesitate to reach out to my office. I can be reached at my email: john.velis@masenate.gov or by phone: (413) 572-3920 and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Sincerely,
John Velis