Hello Everyone,
I hope you all were able to enjoy the many St. Patrick’s Day festivities over this past month. I was proud to have marched in the Holyoke Parade last weekend alongside my fellow elected officials from the Paper City. I’m already looking forward to next year’s celebrations!
Speaking of Holyoke, I’m proud to announce that the City was awarded over $89,000 in funds from the Municipal Americans with Disabilities Act Grant. This money will go a long way to make the City of Holyoke a more accessible place for people of all abilities.
To start off the week I was proud to join Senator Mark at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Your Six Recovery program at Swift River Recovery in Cummington. In addition to all the services provided by Swift River, this new program, “Your Six”, specializes in supporting those who have served in the Armed Forces that are struggling with a substance use disorder. The experiences veterans endure while serving our nation are so often a contributing factor to these struggles and a recovery program that specializes in their care will go a long way in helping our veterans get the treatment they need. In addition to this important celebration, my team attended the grand re-opening of Holiday Quail Run Estates in Agawam. This newly renovated facility allows seniors to live independently while receiving the care that that they need.
This week while at the State House I had the opportunity to meet with several medical students currently beginning their careers with Baystate Medical Center. It was great to hear from them all that they are learning and the incredible job that Baystate Health does to equip them with skills to support their patients’ mental health. On Friday, I joined Baystate Health for their annual legislative lunch where I was able to commend them for their program and learn more about the ways I can help support their work.
This week my office hosted office hours at the Easthampton COA on Tuesday and at the Holyoke COA on Wednesday. Next week, we will be at the Westfield COA on Monday from 11:30am to 12:30pm and at the Southampton COA on Wednesday from 9:30am to 11:30am. If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Sincerely,
John Velis