Hello Everyone,
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the incredible Moms and Moms-to-be out there! I hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow!
This week was another busy week filled with meetings and activities throughout the Pioneer Valley. I got my week started with a tour of Empower Health Group in Northampton. This facility provides a wide array of services for those suffering from substance use disorders. The treatment of substance use disorders is not one size fits all and so often specific to the substance in question. Empower does this important work of tailoring treatment plans to help those suffering stay in Recovery. Thank you to the staff over here for giving me a tour of the good work you all are doing.
After years of work, it was my pleasure to celebrate the grand opening of James Hardie’s new factory here in the City of Westfield on Tuesday. James Hardie renovated the old National Envelope Company manufacturing site and is bringing good paying jobs to create economic opportunity for residents across our region. This week we also celebrated the grand opening of Sigma Mattress where I was proud to join them for their ribbon cutting celebration and present a citation from the Senate. Congratulations and welcome to Westfield!
May also marks Mental Health Awareness Month and to mark the occasion, my team joined the folks over at Mira Vista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke on Thursday morning to raise the green flag. The mental health crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing the Commonwealth today and everywhere from Pittsfield to Provincetown has a shortage of hospital beds specializing in treatment for mental health disorders. That’s why the work being done by the good folks at Mira Vista is so critical and as the Senate Chair for the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. I look forward to continuing to work alongside them.
Wednesday morning, I was honored to have been asked to attend the West Springfield Public Library’s “Terrific Twos” reading time where I read the book “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” to a very lively audience of toddlers. Reading to your little ones is so important as they learn about the world and build language skills. Thank you for having me West Side!
Today is also the 100th Birthday for the Veterans’ Affairs Hospital in Leeds! Our veterans deserve the best care possible, and the Leeds facility works so hard to provide them with just that. Here’s to many years to come!
Next week my team will be hosting our office hours on Tuesday May 14th from 10:00am to 11:00am over at the Chicopee COA and again at the Holyoke COA on Wednesday May 15th, from 10:00am to 11:00am. 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