Page 12 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 City seeks developers to transform former Pope John property to affordable senior, veterans housing The city is soliciting proposals to redevelop the former Pope John XXIII High School site as affordable senior and veterans housing. Request for Proposals for the disposition and redevelopment of the former Pope John XXIII High School located at 888 Broadway in Everett, Massachusetts, as Affordable Housing will be received at the Office of the Purchasing Department, Room 14, City Hall, 484 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149, until noon on December 7. Connolly Center temporarily closed D ue to the Thanksgiving holiday, the Connolly Center Food Pantry will be closed on Wednesday, November 25. The pantry will take this opportunity to restock the shelves to ensure that they will be prepared to serve the public over the coming weeks. Home deliveries will still be made on Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24 to those in need. Additionally, they will be accommodating appointments for the Human Service Holiday program. The pantry will reopen the following week, on Wednesday, December 2. AG Healey calls for action to advance racial justice, equity in health A new report released by Attorney General Maura Healey advances a far-reaching set of recommendations for reducing health inequities that impact communities of color in Massachusetts. The report – “Building Toward Racial Justice and Equity in Health: A Call to Action” – highlights longstanding disparities and also addresses the disproportionate toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the health of Black, Hispanic and Latinx communities, who have experienced significantly higher infection rates, hospitalization rates and age-adjusted death rates than other communities, and are more vulnerable to the economic impacts of the virus. “Our health care system works well for many, but the disparate effects of the pandemic provide a somber reminder that our system fails to equitably serve communities of color,” said Healey. “The intent of this report is to advance the urgent work that is needed to address these disparities. We are eager to work with stakeholders from across the state – health care institutions, policymakers, academics, patients and community-based organizations – to set out an ambitious plan for progress toward racial justice and health equity. COVID-19 has shown us that these actions cannot wait.” The report calls for action in five domains: data for identifying and addressing health disparities, equitable distribution of health care resources, telehealth as a tool for expanding equitable access to care, health care workforce diversity, and social determinants of health and root causes of health inequities. Healey, along with staff from her office, presented these recommendations during the virtual launch event that featured reflections from frontline health care providers and health equity leaders: Dr. Simone Wildes of South Shore Hospital, Dr. Altaf Saadi of Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Mothusi Chilume of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Monica Lowell of UMass Memorial Health Care and Dr. Frank Robinson of Baystate Health. Key recommendations from the report include: Data • Improving the collection and reporting of data on patient race, ethnicity and other demographic characteristics to help stakeholders better understand existing disparities and develop strategies to address them • Setting and measuring statewide equity benchmarks to demonstrate commitment to advancing health equity and racial justice Equitable distribution of resources • Promoting equitable health care provider payment rates to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color have access to the same resources available to any other community in order to meet their health needs • Reducing patient cost-sharing during the pandemic for primary care, behavioral health, and prescription drugs for certain chronic conditions so that underserved patients can get the services they need during the COVID-19 emergency Telehealth • Addressing the divide in digital access by increasing the availability of free and low-cost internet plans and devices and making sure that underserved patients are aware of available resources • Supporting coverage and payment parity for telehealth services, including telephonic visits, where clinically appropriate, for the next two years • Ensuring equitable access for individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency through standardized provider procedures and accommodation services to minimize existing disparities in clinical care Workforce diversity • Expanding affordable and inclusive educational opportunities to increase access to health professions • Including anti-racist and cultural humility training in medical education, licensure and certification processes Social determinants of health • Prioritizing investments in key social determinants of health – including education, employment, housing, the environment and violence – in order to address upstream inequities that lead to health disparities • Exploring new models to bring together stakeholders who can apply a health equity lens to regional decisions that affect social determinants of health, such as regional health equity authorities MBTA joins Boston Foundation and Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to make public transportation easier to use T he MBTA recently announced that it is partnering with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and The Boston Foundation to provide CharlieCards to more neighborhoods throughout Boston. CharlieCards are reusable plastic fare cards that can be loaded with cash value or one-day, seven-day or monthly passes. “Too many of our customers have difficulty getting CharlieCards,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “This is especially true in transit-dependent communities where bus service is often the predominant mode of transportation. With today’s partnership announcement, we are addressing this issue by making CharlieCards more widely available and making taking the T more accessible.” The T will provide 5,000 CharlieCards preloaded with $5 each to East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Mattapan Community Health Center, South End Community Health Center, Upham’s Corner Health Center and Whittier Street Community Health Center. Each Health Center will receive 1,000 CharlieCards to distribute to their clients. By providing easier access, the T hopes to incentivize riders to use CharlieCards and fare vending machines throughout their travels, thus saving time and improving customer convenience. “We are extremely grateful to the MBTA and The Boston Foundation for making the convenience of CharlieCards more accessible to health center patients, many of whom rely on public transportation to get to work and to see their healthcare providers,” said Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers President/CEO James Hunt, Jr. “What’s more, this is a generous and inclusive approach to preparing city residents for the T’s forthcoming transformation of its fare system.” Funds for this program are provided by a grant from The Boston Foundation’s Permanent Fund for Boston, Greater Boston’s only endowed fund focusing on the pressing needs of Greater Boston. The Permanent Fund has been made possible by more than a century of gifts from those who seek to support innovative solutions to the region’s most pressing problems since 1915. “We are pleased to provide support for this innovative way to improve transit access and affordability for thousands of Boston residents,” said The Boston Foundation President/CEO Paul Grogan. “Making these preloaded CharlieCards available at community health centers improves access to health care and is a small but important way to level the field of access to critical transit throughout the city.” Transitioning customers away from the paper CharlieTicket to the CharlieCard has taken on additional importance as the MBTA moves ahead with efforts to transform the existing fare collection system to a next generation system as part of the MBTA’s Fare Transformation program. In the next three years, customers will find it easier to locate fare vending machines in their neighborhoods as the T undertakes an aggressive effort to bring new fare vending machines to the neighborhoods where customers live, work and play. The new fare system will include a new CharlieCard with tap technology as well as the ability for customers to use their smartphone to pay their fare. In 2019, the MBTA first launched the CharlieCard Access Program – working with nonprofit organizations, cities and towns to distribute more than 20,000 CharlieCards. Free no-balance CharlieCards were made available at Boston City Hall, the Boston Public Library and neighborhood library branches. Other locations included the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, city halls, libraries, and other organizations in Ashmont, Chelsea, Fairmont, Lower Roxbury, Lynn, Revere, Salem, Somerville, Watertown and Winthrop. Additional customer fare improvements include: • Fare equity between CharlieTicket, cash fares and the CharlieCard: As of September 1, 2020, all fare payments are the same, regardless of whether a customer is using a CharlieCard, CharlieTicket or cash; • CharlieCards are also accepted at all Fairmount Commuter Rail Line stations, with free bus transfers allowed from Zone 1A Fairmount Line stations as well as free transfers to the subway at South Station; • Youth Pass holders are able to purchase half-price Zone 1A Commuter Rail tickets; • The availability of the five-day Flex Pass on mTicket, a bundled Commuter Rail fare good for any five days of travel within a 30-day period; and • The extension of the Lynn Zone 1A Pilot through December 31, allowing travel from Lynn and River Works Commuter Rail Stations using a Zone 1A fare in order to provide additional travel options for North Shore customers and ease crowding on nearby bus routes.
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