THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 3, 2020 Page 15 SOUNDS | from page 14 are currently offering a contact-free, drive-thru food pantry at Memorial Hall on Main Street in Melrose. If you are unable to pickup, some limited deliveries may be available. This offering is year round. Please call the Saugus Veterans’ Service Office at 781-2314010 or e-mail VeteransServices@saugus-ma.gov in order to register. Proof of Veteran status is required.” Rep. Wong supports legislative commission State Rep. Donald H. Wong (R-Saugus) recently joined with his House colleagues to support the establishment of a special legislative commission to address racial disparities in maternal health care. House Bill 4818, An Act to reduce racial inequities in maternal health, was passed by the House of Representatives on a vote of 159-0 on June 30, according to a press release issued this week by Wong’s office. In Massachusetts, a black woman is twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than a white woman. Representative Wong said the commission created under House Bill 4818 would work to identify the causes of these racial disparities, and to develop recommendations to address them. The 25-member commission would be co-chaired by the House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Health, and would also include the committee’s ranking minority members from both legislative branches, the Commissioner of Public Health, the Executive Director of the Health Policy Commission, and the Chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Members of the commission must have knowledge, expertise or experience related to maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity and must reflect the Commonwealth’s broad racial and geographic diversity, with the majority of the members coming from Black and Brown communities and representing the communities that are most impacted by inequities in maternal health outcomes. House Bill 4818 defines “maternal mortality” as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of the end of the pregnancy. Under the bill, the commission will be charged with investigating the following: best practices for reducing or eliminating racial inequities in maternal mortality or severe maternal morbidity; barriers to accessing prenatal and postpartum care; how historical and current forms of racism affect the prevalence of maternal morbidity; the availability of data collected by the Commonwealth, and what additional data is needed; limitations in defining severe maternal morbidity; the availability, affordability and adequacy of insurance coverage; relevant findings from the Health Policy Commission; and any other factors the commission determines to be relevant. Rep. Wong said the commission will be required to file a report with its findings and recommendations within one year of the bill’s effective date. House Bill 4818 now heads to the Senate for its consideration. Main attractions at the Saugus Public Library All programs and events scheduled at the Saugus Public Library are cancelled until further notice. Anyone who has books to return to the library gets a pass during the time the library is closed, according to Library Director Alan Thibeault. Meanwhile, the library announced a series of virtual programs that can be viewed each week on Zoom: The (virtual) Yoga Experience: Join us each Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm, for a free, basic yoga class that is ideal for beginners. This 45-minute slow flow class opens with a brief meditation, followed by a gentle warmup, some core strengthening, standing postures, and flexibility poses. Each session winds down with deep relaxation. This event will be held via Zoom. You can participate from your personal computer, mobile device or smart TV. For best results, download the Zoom app to your device. Registration is required and you must register separately for each weekly session. To register, please send an email to sau@noblenet. org and type the word YOGA into the subject line. You will receive an email within a few days containing a link for the event. Please register before noon on the day of the event. Spaces are limited. Lisa Poto is a registered yoga teacher and a member of the Yoga Alliance. She graduated from Barre & Soul’s 200-hour yoga teacher training program. “Yoga is my passion, and has been transforming in my life. I believe that yoga is for everybody. It is your own personal exploration and journey”. Virtual Music & Mother Goose: Every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.; registration required. Email melton@noblenet.org to register! Recommended for children ages one to four years. Join us for music & rhymes, dancing & skipping, shaking & marching! Virtual Meditation: Join us online for meditation on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. This is a free program, held via Zoom, but registration is required. Please email us at sau@noblenet.org to register. Type the word MEDITATION in the subject line. You will receive an email with the log-in information. You can participate from your personal computer, mobile device or smart TV. For best results, download the Zoom app to your device. The session will be led by Crayola Tidd, a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. Crayola led a meditation class at the library last February, and we are very pleased to welcome her back, although in virtual form! If anyone in town has any ideas they want to bounce off Library Director Thibeault, you can call him by phone at 781231-4168 x3122 or email him at athibeault@noblenet.org. Murder at Breakheart Laura Eisener wanted us to know about this interesting, upcoming program set for the fall, providing social distancing is no longer an obstacle: “Since the May meeting of the Saugus Historical Society had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, the program planned has been rescheduled to Sept. 9. Doug Heath and Alison Simcox have agreed to speak about their upcoming book which gives new details about the murder at Breakheart in the early 20th century. It will be the first program in the newly enlarged Saugus Historical Society building since the SCTV moved in and began broadcasting from this site. All Saugus residents, whether or not members of the Saugus Historical Society, are welcome free of charge.” For more details, contact Laura at 781-231-5988. Buy a brick to honor your vets The Saugus War Monument Committee, once again, is sponsoring the Buy A Brick Program to honor all those who have served their country. If you would like to purchase one in the name of someone who is presently serving or has served, in the memory of a loved one, or just someone from your family, school, etc., the general pricing is $100 for a 4” X 8” brick (three lines), $200 for 8” X 8” brick (five lines) and $500 (five lines) for a corporate brick. Each line is a maximum of 15 characters. The improvement and upkeep of the monument on the corner of Winter and Central Streets rely on the generosity of donors through fundraising. The brick application must be in by Sept. 30 to ensure the bricks will be ready for Veterans Day. Please contact Frank Manning at 781-929-9723 for more information and applications. Helping the Vet During these challenging times, your local Veterans’ Service Officers would like to share some information on a benefit program that is available to those who qualify. If you are a Veteran or the surviving spouse of a Veteran, the “Chapter 115 Benefits Program” is a Massachusetts state initiative that provides financial aid for Veterans and/or their surviving spouses who reside in Massachusetts and meet certain income and asset guidelines. Benefits may include monthly ordinary benefits and/or payment/reimbursement for medical expenses. Whether laid off, in transition or living on a fixed income, the program is designed to provide short-term or long-term assistance as needed to provide relief. The program is overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS), which runs the program in partnership with local Veterans’ Service Officers (VSOs). Every town or district in Massachusetts has a VSO. VSOs assist Veterans and their dependents in learning about, applying for and receiving Chapter 115 benefits. VSOs can also help you in applying for other benefits and connecting with local resources. Your local VSO handles applications, obtains program approval from DVS and provides local benefits. The program is funded by a combination of state and local funds. DVS pays for 75% and your city or town pays for 25% of the approved benefits. There are income and asset limits for the program. As a general rule, income and asset requirements are: Family of 1–monthly income less than $2081 and an asset limit of $5000; family of 2–monthly income less than $2818 and an asset limit of $9800. To determine if you may be eligible for financial assistance through the Chapter 115 program, visit the following link and follow the instructions: https://massvetben.org/. Or call your local VSO for more information. The VSOs are also able to help Veterans apply for Federal VA benefits and local benefits and provide food assistance monthly. For example, did you know that if you own a home and have a VA-service-connected disability, you are eligible for a partial or full exemption of your property taxes? Please contact your local VSO for more information on any of the services mentioned. “We are all here to assist. We are regularly checking voicemails and emails as we continue to work remotely and in our offices throughout COVID-19.” Melrose: Karen Burke, 781-979-4186, kburke@cityofmelrose.org Wakefield: David Mangan, 781-246-6377, dmangan@wakefield.ma.us Saugus: Jay Pinette, 781-231-4010, jpinette@saugus-ma.gov Recyclers won’t touch contaminated bins/barrels Due to increasing contamination rates in curbside recycling, JRM will not collect any bin/barrel with contamination, according to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree’s Office. Bins should contain aluminum/steel cans, food and beverage cartons, bottles and jars, mixed paper, newspaper, magazines and cardboard and kitchen, laundry and bath plastic containers. Please empty and rinse containers. Please remember: no plastic wrap or bags, clothing, hoses, Styrofoam, rigid plastic, kid’s toys, electronics, metal pans, glass dishes. These items would cause your bin/ barrel to be rejected. Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone at 781-231-4036 with any questions. For JRM Customer Service, please call 1-800-323-4285. Update for Compost/Recycling Drop-Off Site “At this time the compost/recycling site is open by appointment only. We are currently open Monday – Saturday 7:30 am – 2:00 pm. You can call 781-231-4036 to schedule an appointment. You can also e-mail lcerbone@saugus-ma.gov for an appointment. We are no longer accepting the rigid plastic for recycling, you can dispose of curbside on your trash day with a $2.00 green sticker. Town stickers are available at the Stop and Shop and the Big Y at their courtesy booth. Thank you.” Let’s hear it! Got an idea, passing thought or gripe you would like to share with The Saugus Advocate? I’m always interested in your feedback. It’s been four years since I began work at The Saugus Advocate. I’m always interested in hearing readers’ suggestions for possible stories or good candidates for “The Advocate Asks” interview of the week. Feel free to email me at mvoge@comcast.net. Do you have some interesting views on an issue that you want to express to the community? Submit your idea. If I like it, we can meet for a 15- to 20-minute interview while practicing social distancing outside a local coffee shop. And I’ll buy the coffee. Or, if you prefer to be interviewed from the safety of your home on the phone or via email, I will provide that option to you as the nation copes with the Coronavirus crisis.
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