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Tag: social services

  • Romaine: Looking back on 2025, Suffolk County is safer, stronger and more affordable | Long Island Business News

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    In Brief:
    • Suffolk County earned AA- from Fitch and S&P, both with positive outlooks, reflecting improved budgeting and strong reserves.
    • Major infrastructure initiatives include highway and bridge upgrades, fast-tracking repairs to Smith Point Bridge and expanding sewer systems.
    • reforms boosted timely SNAP application processing to 95.5% and strengthened interagency efforts to protect trafficked children.
    • measures increased police staffing and targeted illegal street takeovers and the sale of illegal vaping products.

    I recently had the chance to voice our region’s concerns to the New York State Senate Minority Delegation. And believe me, between the unfunded mandates from Albany, rising healthcare and pension costs, and a lack of state funding, there are many actionable steps Albany can take.

    I was happy, though, to showcase the progress we have made both this year and in my first term. It is that progress that contributes to my vision of a safer and more affordable Suffolk–a blueprint for other leaders around the state.

    Bond rating upgrades

    The clearest reflection of the positive budgeting changes implemented in Suffolk is our rising bond rating by both Fitch Ratings and S&P. Both agencies currently rate the county at ‘AA-‘ and have improved the ratings on outstanding bonds.

    Similarly, both ratings agencies give Suffolk County a positive outlook going forward. Backing up this assessment are Suffolk’s large reserve funds, conservative budgeting practices and estimation and our sizable tax base.

    Infrastructure

    Suffolk County maintains 1,150 lane miles of highways, 110 bridges (including 39 NY State bridges’ wearing surfaces), 194 culverts, 57 spillways, 31 bulkheads, and 4 bascule (movable) bridges, has oversight over 80 priority navigational channels and manages approximately 650 traffic signals. These tasks include permitting and regulatory compliance required by various state and federal agencies to ensure transportation remains safe.

    We saw our Department of Public Works collaborate with regulators in real time this past year when the aging Smith Point Bridge was temporarily reduced to a three-ton weight limit by the New York State Department of Transportation. Working with the state, we were able to keep one lane open at 15 tons, allowing emergency vehicles to access the beach. Through executive action, I have fast-tracked the retrofitting of the bridge and the construction of a new bridge.

    Sewering

    Thanks to voters who passed the referendum authorized by the Suffolk County Clean Water Act, the county now has the revenue stream needed to support many of the ambitious sewer projects underway.

    Voters in Oakdale and Great River approved the Great River with 89% of the vote. This project will connect 400 homes to the Southwest sewer district, with connection costs covered by state and federal grants.

    Earlier in the year, the Forge River Sewer Treatment plant connected nearly 2,000 homes and businesses in the Forge River Watershed to the district.

    Up and down the island both have ambitious wastewater projects underway that serve the dual purpose of economic development and removing nitrogen from our surface and groundwater.

    Social services

    How many harrowing, horrible stories have we heard on the nightly news of children trafficked, abused—or worse—in our county? Too many.

    My office has spearheaded Operation Safe and Lasting Return to facilitate a multi-agency effort to locate and return trafficked children and adolescents. By examining the worst cases, we have identified major gaps in communication between departments, law enforcement and not-for-profits, and have remedied these deficiencies with new technology and processes.

    We unveiled these changes at our annual child protection conference, attended by hundreds of social workers, law enforcement officers and educators.

    On other matters of social services, such as administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), we have increased the number of applications fulfilled in a timely manner to 95.5% currently, from 59% in January of 2024.

    We accomplished this without any budgetary changes.

    Together, through common-sense policies, we can continue to increase the of basic government services without straining our finances.

    Public safety

    These past two years, I have increased the number of police officers and detectives in the Suffolk County Police Department to keep our communities safe.

    Working with our legislature, I passed laws to stop illegal street takeovers, prevent the sale of illegal vaping products and protect our communities. Quality-of-life concerns are a major priority for my administration.

    Many of these issues have real victims and consequences. For example, a street takeover earlier this year blocked emergency responders, delaying ambulance arrival to a critical call, putting lives at risk. Likewise, flavored vape products are actively marketed to children, increasing risks among youth in our community.

    Together with our partners in government and community leaders, I remain committed to making Suffolk safer and more affordable. Thank you for your continued support.

    I wish you happy holidays and a happy New Year.

    was elected Suffolk County executive in November 2023. Prior to his current position, Romaine served as Brookhaven town supervisor for 12 years.


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  • Canadian Pensions Might Need to Invest More Domestically, Official Says

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    TORONTO—Canada’s large public pensions might need to start investing more in Canadian businesses as the country tries to shield its economy from the effects of President Trump’s tariff war, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said.

    Conversations with the pension funds for more domestic investment have already started, Joly said in a telephone interview.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Vipal Monga

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  • Maryland leaders tell Trump they don’t need the National Guard to curb gun violence

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    BALTIMORE — In a pointed show of solidarity against President Donald Trump, state and local leaders walked through one of Baltimore’s most historically underserved neighborhoods Friday evening amid ongoing efforts to curb gun violence.

    Those efforts are working, Gov. Wes Moore said. Homicides in Baltimore have reached historic lows with sustained declines starting in 2023. He said the last thing Baltimore needs is the National Guard presence Trump has threatened.

    “We do not need occupiers,” Moore said to a crowd of law enforcement officers, anti-violence advocates, local clergy and other community leaders who gathered in northwest Baltimore’s Park Heights neighborhood.

    Moore wrote a letter to the president last month inviting him to visit Baltimore and see its recent success firsthand. Officials attribute the progress to their crime-fighting strategies, which include social services meant to address the root causes of violence.

    In an escalating feud over public safety, Trump responded to the invitation by calling Baltimore “a horrible, horrible deathbed” and insulting Maryland leaders.

    “I’m not walking in Baltimore right now,” he said.

    His refusal prompted state and local leaders to present a strongly united front.

    Moore, a U.S. Army veteran, criticized Trump for using National Guard members to send a political message in a “purely theatrical” show of force.

    Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott joined the governor Friday in his childhood home of Park Heights. The sprawling majority-Black community in northwest Baltimore has suffered from decades of disinvestment, but Scott has made a point of investing in its future. Park Heights once boasted a thriving economy and picturesque tree-lined streets surrounding the historic Pimlico Race Course. But white flight and other factors led to increased rates of poverty, violence and economic decline.

    As the group started walking, they chanted: “We all we got, we all we need.” They passed a dollar store and other rundown businesses. They turned down a residential street where people waved from the porches of brick rowhomes.

    Kevin Myers, a longtime Park Heights resident, was climbing into his truck when the group passed. He said Baltimore leaders are making him proud.

    “Let Trump know you can handle Baltimore,” he yelled to the mayor, who smiled widely in response.

    Another man briefly heckled the group, saying the event was just a media stunt, not proof that elected officials are truly committed to helping the community.

    Scott has repeatedly accused Trump of using racist rhetoric and targeting Black-led cities with his promises to deploy National Guard troops. In remarks after the walk, he urged Baltimore residents to push back against that rhetoric.

    “Do not shrink. Stand up in the moment,” he said. “So a hundred years from now … they will know that you stood up to fascism, that you stood up to racism, that you stood up to folks who were trying to destroy your democracy.”

    Earlier this week, the president renewed his threats to send National Guard troops to Baltimore, though he appeared more focused on Chicago. He has already sent troops into Los Angeles and Washington, where he has also federalized the police force. He has said he plans similar moves in other Democrat-run cities even as a federal judge on Tuesday deemed the California deployment illegal.

    This isn’t the first time Trump has taken aim at Baltimore. He previously called the city a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Those comments came amid the president’s attacks on Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, whose district included Baltimore until his death in 2019.

    In his letter to the president, Maryland’s governor noted recent cuts to federal funding for violence intervention programs. He asked Trump to “be part of the solution, not the problem.”

    Homicides and shootings in Baltimore have plummeted over the past two years. The city recorded 201 homicides in 2024, the lowest annual total in over a decade and a 23% drop from the previous year. The downward trend has continued throughout 2025, including the lowest number of homicides on record for the month of August. It is a relief for Baltimore, where violence surged following the 2015 in-custody death of Freddie Gray and subsequent protests against police brutality.

    While Baltimore’s numbers are especially dramatic, other cities are also seeing post-pandemic declines in violence.

    Baltimore officials say that is because they are taking a holistic approach to public safety, instead of relying solely on law enforcement. The city is investing in historically neglected communities to help address the myriad factors that perpetuate cycles of gun violence: hopelessness, joblessness, poverty, mental health, substance abuse, housing instability, poor conflict resolution and more.

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  • Grandfather begged for custody before San Jose boy, 6, stabbed to death, lawsuit says

    Grandfather begged for custody before San Jose boy, 6, stabbed to death, lawsuit says

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    Before 6-year-old Jordan Walker was stabbed to death, his grandfather had begged for custody, warning Santa Clara County social workers that the two-bedroom apartment where the San Jose boy lived with a cast of nefarious relatives with criminal backgrounds coming and going was dangerous.

    But those red flags were either ignored or mishandled, grandfather Morian Walker Sr. said. Now as one of the boy’s uncles sits in jail on murder charges in the killings of Jordan and Jordan’s great-grandmother a year ago, Walker Sr. is suing Santa Clara County’s child welfare agency, Washington Elementary School in San Jose and others, claiming they didn’t do enough to keep Jordan safe.

    “I talked to several people at Child Protective Services, to social workers,” Walker said in a phone interview. “I asked them to do criminal background histories on everyone that’s living there. I asked them to check the police reports, to see the police blotter at that location. It all fell on deaf ears.”

    Walker’s lawsuit filed Sept. 13 in Santa Clara County Superior Court is the latest complaint against the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, which has been making efforts to reform the agency after the Bay Area News Group investigated the death last year of baby Phoenix Castro, who was sent home with her drug-abusing father over objections from social workers. This news organization also exposed the county’s operation of a string of illegal group homes, called scattered sites, and highlighted two state reports that have been highly critical of the county’s child welfare agency.

    The lawsuit hasn’t been served yet, and the county had no comment except to say that “the murder of this child and his great-grandmother is a heartbreaking and shocking tragedy.” The school district also had no comment.

    The lawsuit also challenges a guiding principle of Damion Wright, the director of the county’s child welfare agency who is named in the lawsuit: that children always do best with their families. In this case, at least, despite intervention and support from his agency, Jordan was placed with the wrong relatives.

    As the lawsuit makes clear, Jordan’s brief life was chaotic and insecure. His mother, Danielle Walker Marshman, had a history of drug problems and allegations of neglect. In August 2022, a social worker came to her home amid reports that adults there were selling fentanyl and leaving drug paraphernalia around the house. When Jordan’s mother refused a drug test and social workers didn’t see any signs of drugs, the case was considered “unfounded” and closed, the lawsuit says.

    Two months later, social workers responded to reports that Jordan’s mother and stepfather were smoking fentanyl, and Jordan was left alone for hours and had to “scrounge” for food. The case was closed because “social workers said they were unable to make contact with the family,” the lawsuit said.

    Not until February 2023 was Jordan removed from his mother’s care — six months before he was killed — when he took a bag of methamphetamines to school and told his teacher that his mother had given it to him. The lawsuit accuses Washington Elementary of sending Jordan home that day with his mother and, in prior instances, failing to report her neglectful care of him.

    Even so, the incident with the bag of methamphetamine triggered prosecutors to charge Jordan’s mother with child endangerment. That’s when county social workers sent Jordan to live with Delphina Turner, his 71-year-old maternal great-grandmother.

    “The apartment was described as an endless revolving door of different drug users and homeless people — both short term and long term visitors,” the lawsuit said.

    Those coming and going through Turner’s apartment while Jordan was assigned to live there, the lawsuit says, were a convicted rapist, a felon who spent 20 years in prison, at least two drug addicts, and Jordan’s uncle, Nathan Addison, who had drug and mental health issues and a prison record and is charged with Jordan’s murder.

    At one point, it appears that a social worker flagged the family problems, writing in an “investigation narrative” that “the generational history of substance use, mental health, and criminal history indicate a risk for the family environment the child is exposed to.”

    Walker, who filed the lawsuit, “was upset and appalled that his grandson was being placed in Turner’s home after social workers were told that he wanted the boy, had a stable environment for Jordan to live in and Jordan loved his grandfather and wanted nothing more,” the lawsuit said. Turner was once Walker’s mother-in-law.

    Morian Walker, Sr., shares photos of himself with his late grandson, Jordan Walker, who was stabbed to death in Aug. 2023 allegedly by an uncle with a long criminal history. Walker is suing Santa Clara County’s child welfare agency for placing Jordan in an unsafe home instead of with him. (Photos Courtesy of Morian Walker) 

    Walker, 59, retired after a military career, says he purchased all of his grandson’s clothes and toys over the years in an effort to help his daughter who was struggling. In the lawsuit, Walker was characterized as “stable and had no drug or criminal history.”

    Even though Walker “adamantly expressed” to social workers “the unsafe living conditions and the number of convicted felons and drug addicts living with Mrs. Turner,” Jordan was allowed to remain at the apartment of his great-grandmother. Turner had a long-term job at NASA, but Walker says she enabled her younger, drug-abusing, dependent relatives.

    At one point, a social worker told a family member that “social workers knew there were dangerous people going in and out of Ms. Turner’s house, including Nathan Addison” and warned Turner that only she and Jordan were allowed in the home, the lawsuit says.

    “Social Services did nothing to ensure the warning was adhered to,” the lawsuit says, “and in fact, knew it was not.”

    The great-grandmother also promised that she would supervise all visits between Jordan and his mother, who had not been attending drug classes as agreed, the lawsuit said. When a social worker visited the mother’s home in June 2023 and found Jordan with her unsupervised — and the mother refusing a drug test — she called for the court to terminate parental rights. And that’s how — just weeks before the killing — Jordan was sent to live again with his great-grandmother in the two-bedroom apartment.

    By that time, Addison had been released from prison and was back living in the apartment, the lawsuit said.

    Walker says he was told by relatives that Turner had been giving money to Addison, and he may have become enraged when she cut him off, which led to the stabbing. Prosecutors wouldn’t immediately comment on a motive.

    Walker broke down with emotion as he remembered his grandson’s short life, how he liked to swim and ride his skateboard. He was funny.

    “I love him and I miss him,” Walker said. “And with every day that goes by, I won’t stop fighting for justice for Jordan and bringing to light the travesty that Santa Clara County Family and Children’s Services and everybody involved have let Jordan down.”

    Originally Published:

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    Julia Prodis Sulek

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  • In rare exchange, Santa Clara County child welfare leaders endure epic takedown from Supervisor Arenas

    In rare exchange, Santa Clara County child welfare leaders endure epic takedown from Supervisor Arenas

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    SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas had had enough.

    She listened quietly during Tuesday’s board meeting as leaders of the county’s child welfare agency breezed through a slide show about the progress they’ve made trying to reform the agency since last year’s fentanyl overdose death of baby Phoenix Castro, a 3-month-old they’d refused to remove from her drug abusing father.

    She waited for Damion Wright, the head of the Department of Family and Children’s Services, to mention a damning new report from the California Department of Social Services — a follow up to a similarly scathing report a year ago — that spelled out how the state was still “deeply concerned about the risks to child safety.”

    Wright never mentioned it. So Arenas, who’d spent her career working in child dependency court before joining the board in 2023, delivered a blistering 20-minute takedown, demanding accountability from Wright, his boss Dan Little — who now leads the county’s Department of Social Services — and his boss, County Executive James Williams. Their leadership and policies left children in dangerous homes, Arenas said, and she demanded to know what they’re doing to change that.

    “I do want an answer. Damion? Dan? What are you doing? James, what are you doing?” she asked from the dais, looking down on Wright and Little who slouched in their seats. “How are we mitigating the impacts of this extreme ‘family preservation’ framework that put our children at risk? That created a death in our community? That continues to impact Brown and Black children? What is it that you’re doing?”

    When Little started to respond that he would answer the same way he did during a board meeting nine months ago, Arenas interrupted.

    “I would really appreciate for you to say something slightly different than you did in December,” she said. “It was really disappointing.”

    The tense interchange between an elected supervisor and hired staff during a public meeting was extraordinary, with Arenas’ voice nearly trembling with anger at times, and her three targets shrinking in awkward silences. Board of Supervisors meetings are usually staid affairs that often seem interminable to members of the public who might show up to listen. If there is disagreement, it is usually wrapped in polite platitudes that ends in thank yous.

    But Arenas upended those norms Tuesday.

    The meeting came nearly a year after the Mercury News revealed how the county’s family preservation policies — championed by Dan Little in 2021 — appeared to trump child safety in Baby Phoenix’s death, despite red flags raised by social workers. This news organization also uncovered the original state report from February 2023 that found the County Counsel’s office often overrode decisions by social workers to remove children from unsafe homes. Little had kept that state report secret from the board of supervisors until the night before this paper was set to publish it.

    After neither Little nor Wright mentioned the second state report from July in their presentation, Arenas made it clear Tuesday she had little confidence in the agency’s leadership, transparency or commitment to child safety above all else.

    That July state report criticized the county agency for failing to follow up on whether families who were able to keep their children after reports of abuse or neglect were actually completing the voluntary county programs intended to improve their parenting. From July 2022 through March 2024, state investigators found that safety plans were not developed or monitored in 55 percent of cases where there were safety concerns in the home. No formal protocols were in place for social workers to follow when families didn’t follow through on their parenting programs, and there were no formal processes to assess whether a temporary caregiver was appropriate.

    After Little told Arenas that “we want to make sure that every decision we make for every child is the right decision for that child,” she interrupted again.

    “But it wasn’t, Dan. So I’m asking you, what are you doing in order to correct your leadership, to make sure that the systems don’t fall back where they were, that created, that compromised, the well being of our children?”

    When Little tried to answer, saying they’re following “policies and practices,” she cut him off.

    “I’m asking you to be accountable,” she said.

    “You were in charge, Dan. How about acknowledging that to our community? How about acknowledging that we made a mistake in our system? Are you going to apologize to each and every child that you put at risk that didn’t have a safety plan?”

    The board meeting was livestreamed and recorded. Alex Lesniak, a county social worker and union steward, watched it twice Wednesday.

    “I literally cried, in a positive way, because it’s like somebody finally gets it and sees what we have all been trying to flag, before Phoenix’s death,” Lesniak said. “Someone is actually asking those people who made those choices and implemented those policies to account for what they are going to do differently so this never happens again.”

    The board of supervisors has the power to remove Williams. There seems to be little interest among the rest of the 5-member board, however, to do so. Only Williams has the authority to fire Little or Wright — another possibility that appears to have little traction.

    Nonetheless, Arenas — with the support of the board — demanded in a motion that Wright and Little write a “personal reflection” on their leadership, how it failed vulnerable children, and what they are doing to improve it.

    “I really want this to be your own personal reflection about your own role in this fiasco that we’re in right now,” she said.

    She became especially animated when she brought up the state report from July, asking why neither Little nor Wright mentioned it. No answer came for a deadly 10 seconds. Williams finally piped up, agreeing that “it would make sense” to add the state’s findings and recommendations to the agency’s work plan going forward.

    Arenas fired back.

    “The system works as well as the people who run it,” Arenas said. “And sometimes we have to ask a question whether we have the right people on the bus to actually carry out the work.”

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    Julia Prodis Sulek

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  • Few prepared to cover long-term care costs

    Few prepared to cover long-term care costs

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    Editor’s note: The share of the U.S. population older than 65 keeps rising – and will for decades to come. Since nearly half of Americans over 65 will pay for some version of long-term health care, CNHI News and The Associated Press examined the state of long-term care in the series High Cost of Long-Term Care, which began Friday and continues this week.

    While many Americans will need long-term care as they get older, few are prepared to pay for it.

    Medicare, which provides Americans over the age 65 with health insurance, doesn’t cover most long-term care services. And Medicaid — the primary safety net for long-term care coverage — only covers those who are indigent.

    Federal estimates suggest 70% of people ages 65 and older will need long-term care before they die, but only 3% to 4% of Americans age 50 and older are paying for long-term care policies, according to insurance industry figures.

    The high cost of premiums for those private long-term care policies puts it out of reach for most people.

    Even some who have this kind of insurance find it doesn’t provide enough to cover the costs of home health aides, assisted-living facilities or nursing homes.

    “People think that long-term care insurance is for everyone — but it is not,” said Jessie Slone, executive director of the American Association for Long-term Care Insurance, an advocacy group. “It’s for a very small subset of individuals who plan, and have some retirement assets and income they can use to pay for it.”

    To qualify, applicants need to pass a health review. Slone said insurance companies have underwriting policies with “page after page” of conditions that will disqualify people from getting that coverage.”If you live a long life, the chances of you needing care are significant. So then the issue becomes who’s going to provide for that care, and who’s going to pay for it. For some, long-term care insurance is an option.”

    Prices vary, based on the age when people apply, how good their health is at the time, and how much coverage they want. “You have to start looking at this generally in your 50s or 60s,” Slone said. “Because, as you get older, you’re going to have conditions which insurers are going to look at, determine that you’re very likely to need long-term care and not give you a policy.”

    That coverage, if you can get it, doesn’t come cheap: In 2023, the annual average cost for a policy for a couple both age 55, taking out a $165,000 initial pool growing at 3% compounded annually — ranged from a low of $5,018 to $14,695 a year, according to the association.

    But, compared to auto insurance — which most people may never use — long-term care insurance is a good investment for those who can afford it, Slone said. “Car insurance is the most expensive insurance you ever pay because the chances of you getting into a car accident are somewhat remote. But the chances of someone needing long-term care if they make it to 90 are pretty significant.”

    Lori Smetanka, executive director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, a national nonprofit advocacy group, views it differently. She said the private long-term care insurance system has become a “bust” amid rising premiums and difficulties accessing benefits.

    Consider the fact that the number of companies offering long-term care insurance is declining, while payouts are steadily increasing as the baby boomer generation ages.”Most people have found it very expensive,” Smetanka said. “But, at the same time, people are finding that it wasn’t covering what they needed.”

    Last year, insurers paid a record of more than $14 billion to cover an estimated 353,000 long-term care claims, according to industry figures. That’s compared to about $11.6 billion just three years ago.

    Currently, there are about 7.5 million people in the U.S. age 65 and older with private long-term care insurance, according to industry data.

    With that incentive, some states, including Washington and California, are looking at creating long-term care social insurance pools funded by payroll taxes and other sources of funding. The effort also is being spurred, in part, by the rising costs borne by states for Medicaid long-term care coverage, which they share with the federal government.

    “More and more states are coming to the conclusion that this is an under-funded system,” said Marc Cohen, a researcher and co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. “There are simply not enough dollars going into the system – given the needs and the demands of the growing elderly population.”

    So far, Washington is the only state to try to address the issue. A law approved by the state Legislature in 2019 created a long-term care benefit program, which provides residents with up to $36,500 to pay for costs such as caregiving, wheelchair ramps, meal deliveries and nursing home fees.

    The Cares Funds is covered by a payroll tax that deducts 0.58% out of paychecks but guarantees a $36,500 lifetime benefit for those who have paid into the fund for 10 years.

    Several other states are studying the issue. In California, a task force is looking at how to design a long-term care program, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Massachusetts, Illinois and Michigan also are weighing the costs versus benefits of creating a state long-term care benefits program.

    But the issue of imposing new taxes to pay for long-term care insurance is controversial — and politically unpopular — on both a state and federal level.

    Washington’s long-term care insurance law is facing a repeal effort from a group backed by hedge fund executive Brian Heywood that argues the system should be voluntary. Voters in November will decide whether to allow people to opt out, which supporters say would essentially gut the program.

    “There are a lot of states that are looking to see what happens in Washington,” Cohen said. “If this billionaire who is funding this repeal effort wins, it will be a real blow.”

    Cohen said efforts on a federal level to create a publicly funded insurance pool haven’t gained much traction. A long-term care program created by Congress through the CLASS Plan, which was tied to the Affordable Care Act, was voluntary. That law was repealed in early 2013.

    “It never got off the ground before it was repealed,” he said. “With the dysfunction in Congress, we’re likely to see more action on a state level than the federal.”

    Recent polls suggest there may be some public support for the move. A survey by the National Council on Aging found more than 90% of the 1,000 female respondents across party lines support the idea of creating a government program to pay for the cost of long-term care.

    “The level of support was significant, and very bipartisan,” said Howard Bedlin, a long-term care expert with the council. “People keep talking about how Congress can’t find bipartisan support. Well, the voters clearly support it.

    “The politicians just aren’t giving these issues the attention they deserve.”

    Christian M. Wade is a reporter for North of Boston Media Group.

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    By Christian M. Wade | CNHI News

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  • Biden’s nursing home rules face pushback

    Biden’s nursing home rules face pushback

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    BOSTON — Nursing homes would be required to meet stringent staffing requirements under new Biden administration rules that the long-term care industry says are “unattainable” and could force some facilities to close their doors.

    The new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rules, which were finalized last month, will require nursing facilities that receive federal funding through the programs to employ enough staff to provide at least 3.48 hours of daily care for each resident.

    That includes 2.45 hours of nurse aide time and 0.55 hours of registered nurse assistance. Facilities also must have a registered nurse on site 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week.

    The White House says the new rule will require nursing facilities with 100 residents to have at least two registered nurses and at least 10 nurse aides as well as additional care staff per shift. Facilities caring for residents with higher needs will be required to increase staffing above the minimum levels, according to the new rules.

    Additionally, the Biden administration is requiring home care agencies allocate at least 80% of their Medicaid payments to staff compensation. States would have flexibility to adjust the rules for small and rural home care providers, according to the directive.

    Nursing home operators that fail to meet the new federal standards could lose Medicare and Medicaid funding, effectively putting them out of business.

    “Medicare and Medicaid pay billions of dollars per year to ensure that 1.2 million Americans that receive care in nursing homes are cared for, yet too many nursing homes chronically understaff their facilities, leading to substandard or unsafe care,” the White House said in a statement.

    “When facilities are understaffed, residents may go without basic necessities like baths, trips to the bathroom, and meals – and it is less safe when residents have a medical emergency,” the statement said.

    But the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, which represents nursing homes, said the new rules are “simply unattainable” for nearly every facility and, if implemented, “would lead to widespread disruption in accessing skilled nursing facility care.

    The association said the workforce crisis — with more than 7,000 vacant positions in nursing facilities — is “directly contributing to the current instability throughout the Massachusetts health care system.”

    “CMS’ failure to provide funding to hire, train and upskill the thousands of individuals necessary to meet the requirements of the final rule is projected to cost over $175 million annually in the commonwealth alone,” Tara Gregorio, the group’s president, said in a statement.

    Gregorio said the association is “fully committed to working with our government partners to secure the funding necessary to hire additional direct care workers, increase wages for our deserving staff, and to promote career pathways.”

    A MassHealth spokesperson said the agency, which oversees nursing homes, is “deeply committed to ensuring that members receiving services at nursing facilities across the state are getting excellent care.

    “We are currently reviewing the rule and its impact and look forward to working with our federal, state, and local partners,” the statement said.

    The state Department of Health’s long-term care facility regulations require a minimum of 3.580 hours of care per resident a day, 0.508 hours of which must be by a registered nurse. That’s higher than the standard for the new CMS regulation.

    DPH regulations also require 24 hour nursing service with an adequate number of trained nursing personnel on duty around the clock, according to the state agency.

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that roughly one-quarter of facilities would meet the minimum nursing requirement, including the onsite 24/7 rule.

    But the American Health Care Association, a trade group representing for-profit nursing homes, says about nine in 10 facilities would fail to meet at least one of the new staffing requirements. One-third of facilities would fail to meet all three standards, the group said.

    “While it may be well intentioned, the federal staffing mandate is an unreasonable standard that only threatens to shut down more nursing homes, displace hundreds of thousands of residents, and restrict seniors’ access to care,” AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in a statement. “It is unconscionable that the Administration is finalizing this rule given our nation’s changing demographics and growing caregiver shortage.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Breakfast raises money for Meals on Wheels

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Breakfast raises money for Meals on Wheels

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    In 1974, World War II veteran and Gloucester House owner Michael Linquata offered the Gloucester House Restaurant to SeniorCare to use for a fundraiser benefitting the Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program. After Mike’s retirement from the restaurant, Lennie and Dotty Linquata carried on this tradition, helping SeniorCare raise tens of thousands of dollars to ensure older people who have difficulty preparing their own food, or are unable to get out, receive a nutritious meal at their home Monday through Friday throughout the year.

    For five decades, the Gloucester House in downtown Gloucester has welcomed diners for a special Breakfast Buffet in the name of Meals on Wheels. This breakfast is a community tradition, supported by dozens of sponsor organizations, students from the Gloucester High School JROTC program, and individual community members. This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the breakfast, the need to raise money for this important program is more urgent than ever before.

    SeniorCare delivers Meals on Wheels to more than 600 older adults each day. In 2025, SeniorCare expects to provide 200,000 meals in the homes of and at dining sites for older residents in Gloucester, Beverly, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Topsfield, and Wenham. The anticipated expense to provide these meals is $2 million. Funding for the program is projected to fall short by $140,000. Grant writing and fundraising events such as the breakfast will be needed to successfully deliver these meals.

    According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 1 in 3 Massachusetts adults face food insecurity and the number of people accessing its partner food pantry network doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2022 report “The State of Senior Hunger in 2020,” published by Feeding America, Massachusetts reports that 5.3% of seniors in the state were experiencing food insecurity.

    Researchers who study senior hunger say the causes are complex and compounded. Many older residents no longer drive due to safety concerns or they can no longer afford the expense of owning a vehicle. Rides on public transportation may be difficult due to illness, disability, and dementia. These illnesses alone can deprive a person of the ability to feed themselves. Food insecurity can then cause worsening of health conditions — it’s a vicious circle. The bottom line is that adequate nutrition is a critical aspect of healthy aging.

    Meals on Wheels is not just a nutrition program. In addition to lunch, the Meals on Wheels driver brings companionship and a watchful eye on the health and safety of our seniors. Some lunch recipients tell us that their driver is the only person they see on most days.

    The 2024 Meals on Wheels Fundraiser Breakfast will be held next Friday, May 17, from 7-9:30 a.m. at the Gloucester House, 63 Rogers St in Gloucester. Tickets are $20 per person and may be purchased online at www.seniorcareinc.org or will be available for purchase at the door.

    As mentioned earlier, the Gloucester House Restaurant has hosted this fundraiser breakfast buffet to benefit Meals on Wheels since 1974. One hundred percent of the proceeds from these amazing community breakfasts has been used to support Meals on Wheels. The Linquata family’s generosity and kindness are not lost on us. We are grateful for this long-standing tradition and we give much thanks to the Linquata family and the Gloucester House team.

    For more information on SeniorCare’s nutrition programs — including how to volunteer to help or how to get assistance for an older friend in your life —contact SeniorCare at 978-281-1750 or visit our website at www.seniorcareinc.org.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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  • Cahill touts financial strength in State of City address

    Cahill touts financial strength in State of City address

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    BEVERLY — Mayor Mike Cahill used his annual State of the City address this week to highlight accomplishments and to reiterate that the city is in a strong financial position.






    Mike Cahill




    In a 30-minute speech at City Hall, Cahill said the city has built up reserves of over $30 million over the last decade — money that can be used to keep the city running smoothly in the event of an economic downturn.

    “Our reserves are meant to get us through a recession when revenues fall precipitously and to do so without wholesale layoffs and drastic deep cuts to critical services,” Cahill said.

    “These reserves are not meant to be used to outspend still strong and growing revenues during good economic times,” he added. “They are meant to help us keep delivering the services people need and rely on right through the worst economic times and through economic recovery from those bad times.”

    In his speech in front of the City Council on Monday night, Cahill ran down the accomplishments of each city department, calling it “a great year in Beverly.”

    Highlights mentioned by Cahill included:

    – The hiring of the first woman as city engineer, Lisa Chandler

    – Progress on upcoming traffic projects like a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Brimbal Avenue and Dunham Road, a traffic signal at the intersection of Corning, Essex and Spring streets, and the Bridge Street reconstruction project

    – Daily visits to the Senior Center are up 63%

    – Over 150,000 people visited the library

    – Two new parks on Simon Street will be completed this summer

    – New tennis courts will be built at Centerville and Cove playgrounds

    – A major renovation of Holcroft Park will begin this summer

    – The city’s senior tax workoff program has grown from 50 to over 90 seniors

    – The city will launch its first Beverly Youth Council for young people to learn more about local government and advocate for youth issues

    – The Fire Department has ordered a new pumper truck, which will replace Engine 1 in Central Fire Station when it arrives

    – Five new civilian dispatchers have been hired for the combined civilian, emergency medical services, police and fire dispatch system, with the goal to be “fully civilian” by fall, freeing up uniformed police officers to serve out in the community

    – The city’s veterans department prevented the eviction of three veterans from their houses

    – The city received 73 of the 80 grants it applied for over the last fiscal year, bringing in over $5 million in revenue

    – The mayor’s office launched an iPad translation program for visitors to City Hall whose primary language is not English

    – Four applications have been submitted under the city’s new accessory dwelling unit ordinance

    – The Salem Skipper rideshare program expanded into Beverly starting May 1

    – The city’s community garden has moved from Cole Street to Moraine Farm, and garden plots are still available for this season

    – The city’s electricity aggregation program started on May 1, providing residents and businesses with lower electricity costs while increasing the amount of clean renewable energy

    – Coastal resiliency projects at Lynch Park and Obear Park are in the design and permitting phase

    – Beverly Airport had its most flights since 2003 and is planning to rebuild its main runway

    Cahill closed by thanking the city’s department heads and staff for their work.

    “Thanks in significant part to their contributions, the state of our city remains strong,” he said to the City Council. “With their partnership and with yours, I know the state of our city will improve and become ever stronger well into the future.”

    Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

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    By Paul Leighton | Staff Writer

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Need a reason to volunteer? Here are a few

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Need a reason to volunteer? Here are a few

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    April is National Volunteer Month and next week (April 21-27) is a highlight of the month as National Volunteer Week. This began as a celebration to honor the contribution women made on the home front during World War II.

    After the war, interest resurged in the late 1960s and early 1970s and April became National Volunteer Month as part of President George H.W. Bush’s 1000 Points of Light campaign in 1991. National Volunteer Month is a time for organizations to honor volunteers and recognize the irreplaceable impact volunteers make on our communities.

    In 2023, more than 375 volunteers from SeniorCare’s RSVP Volunteers of the North Shore contributed 39,614 hours of volunteer service, sharing their time, skills, and talents, while spreading kindness and compassion throughout the community.

    Volunteers are driven, for their own reasons, to help and support their neighbors, their communities and the world. Why do people volunteer? What is the motivation?

    Here are a few of the many reasons people volunteer:

    Personal passions. You may have grown up in poverty, your sister may have had breast cancer, your grandmother may have been on hospice. Your heart has been touched, and you want to give back.

    Learn a new skill. Perhaps you are in college and are building your resume, mid-life looking for a new career, or retired and curious. Regardless as to why, volunteering is a great way to learn something new.

    Cultural diversity. You want to learn about other cultures so you volunteer abroad teaching English to Japanese students, or you go to another country and work in a refugee camp. This not only helps the people you will be serving, but you get the opportunity to expand your understanding of other cultures.

    Setting a good example. You work all week, take care of two teenage kids, but you find time to serve a meal to those less fortunate than you once a month. You certainly are helping others, but you are also modeling good behavior for your kids.

    Meeting like-minded, motivated, positive people. Connecting over shared interests in a cause while helping others is an excellent way to meet new friends. When you volunteer, your circle of friends can broaden quickly.

    New opportunities. There are volunteer opportunities that could lead you to experiences you might not otherwise have. Volunteering to usher for a theater will allow you to see a production you might otherwise not be able to see. Volunteer at a zoo and you might get the opportunity to develop a friendship with a giraffe.

    A need to focus on the positive. In today’s world of never-ending, instant — and often disheartening — news, volunteering presents a proactive way of doing something to make the world a better place. Even the smallest gestures make a difference.

    Empowerment. Maybe someone offered you a helping hand when you were down and out. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to pay that favor forward. Often times, a word of encouragement and a little assistance to those in need can help them get back on their feet.

    Volunteering is quite easy. There is a nonprofit organization for just about every interest or cause out there. Finding the right organization to volunteer for is just an internet search away, or SeniorCare’s RSVP Volunteers of the North Shore can help you find the best fit for volunteering. You can call RSVP at 978-281-1750 or visit www.thevolunteerlink.org.

    A big thank you to all volunteers! You make the world a better place.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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  • Fundraising workout, park cleanup planned before annual Lawrence fishing tourney

    Fundraising workout, park cleanup planned before annual Lawrence fishing tourney

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    LAWRENCE — A fundraising workout and park cleanup are being held to get ready for the 8th annual Salt Addiction Fishing Derby this spring. 

    The catch and release fishing derby, held adjacent to the Falls Bridge in Pemberton Park, is set for Saturday, May 18. 

    A fundraising workout will be held on Saturday  and a park cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, said Jamiel Ortiz, a Lawrence fire lieutenant and Salt Addiction fishing tourney organizer. 

    This Saturday Salt Addiction Fishing and Fitness Appeal will be hosting its “sweating for a cause” workout. All fitness levels are invited to work out, he said. 

    The workout begins at 8 a.m. at 250 Canal St. with a $20 donation.

    “Feel free to show up and invite friends and family. This will be a great opportunity to get a good workout in and support our fundraiser,” Ortiz said. 

    Volunteers will gather again at 8 a.m., on April 27 at the boat ramp in Pemberton Park for the cleanup. 

    Gloves and bags will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to bring trash pickers if possible.

    Salt Addiction is partnering with the River Stewards of New England for the cleanup 

    “Our goal is to clean up the park in anticipation of the upcoming fishing season. We want to make the park safe for the families and anglers that use it during the fishing season,” Ortiz said. 

    Registration for the charity catch and release tournament on May 18 starts at 4:30 am.

    Proceeds from this year’s tournament are being dedicated to Sophia Martinez and Isaiah De La Rosa, both who are affected by cerebral palsy, a group of conditions that affect movement and posture, Ortiz said. 

    In addition fishing prizes, a charity raffle will also be held. 

    For more information, check out the Salt Addiction Fishing page on Facebook and a GoFundMe dedicated to the event.

    Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill. 

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    By Jill Harmacinski jharmacinski@eagletribune.com

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Meals on Wheels delivers more than food

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Meals on Wheels delivers more than food

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    Hunger is a very real problem in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in October that 12.8% of all U.S. households — 17 million — were “food insecure” in 2022. Food insecure is defined as uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all the members of a household because of insufficient money or other resources for food.

    In 2023, The Open Door food pantry, serving Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Ipswich, Rowley, Topsfield, Boxford, Hamilton, and Wenham, provided more than 1.98 million pounds of food to 9,836 individuals. Beverly Bootstraps food pantry distributed more than 613 thousand pounds of food to nearly 4,884 individuals. These numbers do not include smaller food pantries throughout the towns of the North Shore or the other many food assistance programs in action. In the past few years, the need for food pantry services has increased significantly.

    One very successful program for food assistance is the Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program for home-bound elders. In 2023, SeniorCare delivered 192,000 meals via our Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals program and our community dining rooms.

    Meals on Wheels began in the United Kingdom during the World War II “Blitz.” As the number of homeless people grew due to bombing, the Women’s Volunteer Service for Civil Defense began preparing and delivering meals — sometimes using old baby carriages to transport the food. This idea was adapted after the war to help elderly people who were having difficulties preparing their own food.

    The first home-delivered meal program in the United States began in January 1954 in Philadelphia. Since then, Meals on Wheels has grown to be a nationwide program, feeding approximately 2.4 million elders annually.

    Meals on Wheels is not just a nutrition program. In addition to lunch, the Meals on Wheels driver brings companionship and a watchful eye on the health and safety of our seniors. Some lunch recipients tell us that their driver is the only person they see on most days.

    In a survey of Meals on Wheels participants and their caregivers, SeniorCare received the following remarks.

    “By having Meals on Wheels, I have more money to pay for my medications.”

    “This is my only home-cooked meal.”

    “Helps me stretch my food stamps each month.”

    “It’s nice to have someone visit daily.”

    “It’s always nice to see a friendly face.”

    “As a caregiver, it gives me peace of mind while I’m working.”

    “Sometimes the driver is the only one I talk to all day.”

    “As a caregiver, it helps to know someone stops by every day to check.”

    “I always look forward to a visit and a meal.”

    “Gives me at least one meal per day.”

    “Seeing another person breaks up the monotony of a long, lonely day.”

    The Meals on Wheels nationwide program is being recognized with #savelunch awareness campaign during March.

    Local government officials and business and community leaders are invited to ride along with a Meals on Wheels driver to learn more about this important program.

    Yesterday, Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga joined with a volunteer Meals on Wheels driver to deliver meals to local seniors and hear their stories. Representative Kristin Kassner is scheduled to deliver meals in Ipswich next week and other members of our legislative team are likely to participate.

    For more information about SeniorCare’s Meals on Wheels or Community Dining nutrition programs, please visit our website at www.seniorcareinc.org or call 978-281-1750 and ask to speak with the Nutrition Department.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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  • A phone lifeline for families in need in DC receives support from Doris Duke Foundation – WTOP News

    A phone lifeline for families in need in DC receives support from Doris Duke Foundation – WTOP News

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    A national foundation is bringing funding into D.C. to help struggling families to connect with basic needs and in turn help children at risk of child abuse.

    JooYeun Chang, program director for child well-being at the Doris Duke Foundation, with two other panelists at Martha’s Table in Southeast D.C.
    (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

    A national foundation is bringing funding into D.C. to help struggling families connect with basic needs and, in turn, help children at risk of child abuse and child neglect.

    It’s part of the Doris Duke Foundation’s Opportunities for Prevention and Transformation initiative, also known as Opt-in for Families.

    “What it provides is an opportunity for D.C. to look at how we can better support families, for those families not to come to the attention of what we call Child Protective Services,” said Robert L. Matthews, director of the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency.

    D.C. was chosen by the foundation as one of four locations that will be given money to support new ways of helping families connect with resources, such as financial or mental health help. The other locations chosen by the foundation include the states of Kentucky, Oregon and South Carolina.

    The foundation is funding the program with $33 million, which will be split among the jurisdictions over three years. D.C. will use its almost $9 million to fund its 211 warmline, which connects families with social services. The system was launched in October of last year, according to Matthews, and has already fielded 2,000 calls and connected over 800 families with services.

    Among those who have already received help by calling the warmline is D.C. resident Dana Ebiasah. The single mother came down with COVID-19 earlier this year and couldn’t afford her rent. When she asked for help, she was connected to CFSA’s Kinship Care program, which offered temporary financial support.

    “They did not separate me from my child. But what they did was offer that support,” Ebiasah said. “Less than a month, I had a check in my hand for $2,700 and I was able to pay my rent.”

    Matthews said many reports of possible child neglect or abuse are investigated and found not to meet the requirements of a child protective services investigation, but he said it doesn’t mean the family doesn’t need help.

    “What it shows is that those families do have risk and they have needs, we want to make sure that those needs don’t turn into safety concerns for a child,” Matthews said.

    He said there is an intersection seen between child neglect and poverty, and he said the line would have the ability to connect those who ask for help with clothing, housing, transportation and more.

    JooYeun Chang, program director for child well-being at the Doris Duke Foundation, said the foundation will help the locations come up with strategies for implementing their plans to connect residents with support.

    “It’s not just technical assistance from a business process redesign aspect, but we are also putting resources into a grant that will actually pay for the concrete needs of D.C. residents,” Chang said.

    Chang also said she believes initiatives like this will help bring communities and local governments closer.

    “My greatest hope is that we stop having a cynical belief about both families and systems. I think that there’s been a lot of reason to not trust that we can actually do things differently. But the fact of the matter is, I have a lot of faith in both families and communities, I think, they do have the answers, and they can unlock and teach us what a good system looks like,” she said.

    The announcement of the program was made at Martha’s Table in Southeast D.C., a nonprofit that already helps to connect families with resources.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Mike Murillo

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  • SENIOR LOOKOUT: Thank a social worker for empowering you

    SENIOR LOOKOUT: Thank a social worker for empowering you

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    March is National Social Work Month, an opportunity to honor social workers in our community and around the nation and world for the invaluable contributions of their profession. Every day, the nation’s 680,000 social workers work to empower and elevate millions of people, including some of the most vulnerable in our society.

    Social work can defined as “work carried out by trained personnel with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those in need of help or welfare.” Social workers help people cope with challenges in every stage of their lives. They help with a wide range of situations, such as adopting a child or being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Social workers work with many populations, including children, elders, people with disabilities, and people with addictions.

    It is my opinion that a person who chooses to pursue social work as a career must have a huge heart. The work is demanding, and the rewards can be tremendous. However, social work can be heart-breaking. It takes a brave person to enter a career of such highs and lows.

    The majority of staff here at SeniorCare are trained social workers. Our care managers, protective service staff, and much of our supervisory staff are social workers. I see these people spend their work days dedicated to finding solutions for elders who need help. Every day, I see my co-workers go the extra mile to help make an elder’s life better. I also see acts of kindness every day between my compatriots. If a staff member is struggling, there are at least five friends to provide support.

    It makes SeniorCare a pretty nice place to work.

    Why would a person choose social work as their life’s work? I asked a few of our social workers and share their feelings today.

    “I was hospitalized several times years ago and remember the difficulties and uncertainties. Social work offers me an opportunity to provide advocacy for patients and their families — to give them someone to talk to when they are having difficulties navigating the health system. Our health system is so confusing and complicated, and is getting worse all the time. Seniors and their families are in need of advocates to help them.”

    “What attracted me to social work was the social justice aspect of it. Social work identifies and focuses on the strengths of a person or situation, rather than on what’s wrong.”

    “In Massachusetts, we are allowed to make our own choices and take risks. I like helping people know their choices as they make the best decisions for their life. It’s nice to help people find their right way.”

    “I worked as a social worker in a large city and much prefer working in the smaller communities on the North Shore. There is a feeling of community here that can be missing in a big city.”

    “I have the ability to help people, and like being able to connect people with things they need. Sometimes, it’s an uphill battle, but our work helps our community and the world at large. I would hope that if I needed help, someone would give me a hand. Until that time, I will help others.”

    “As an elder services social worker, people smile when I arrive. They know that I am there to help.”

    If you have a social worker in your life, take a moment to thank them for the hard work they have chosen to do. Social workers are strong and help make our world a better place.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

    Tracy Arabian is the communications officer at SeniorCare Inc., a local agency on aging that serves Gloucester, Beverly, Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham.

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    Senior Lookout | Tracy Arabian

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  • Suicide Prevention Resources

    Suicide Prevention Resources

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    If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, call the Samaritans crisis helpline at 877-870-4673 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). Those in need of mental health support or substance use crisis care in New Hampshire can call or text the NH Rapid Response Access Point at 1-833-710-6477 or visit NH988.com. Anyone needing assistance outside either state can call or text the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

    Here are more resources:

    Safe Place Support Group: Meets in North Andover on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Michael Parish, at 196 Main St.

    Attempt Survivor Support Group: Offered three to four times annually by Samaritans of Merrimack Valley, 978-327-6671.

    Family and Community Resource Center: Samaritans of Merrimack Valley, at 1 Union St. in Lawrence, 978-327-6607; 866-912-4673, www.stop-suicide.org

    Crisis Text Line: A texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. Free, available 24/7, and confidential.

    Lahey Health Behavioral Services: Lowell Area, 800-830-5177; Haverhill area, 800-281-3223; Lawrence area: 877-255-1261; Salem area, 866-523-1216

    Eliot Community Human Services Community Behavioral Health Center in the North Shore: at 10 Harbor St., Danvers, 888-769-5201

    Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line: open 24/7, 833-773-2445

    Care Dimensions: Formerly Hospice of North Shore, 978-620-1250

    Compassionate Friends: assists families throughout grief following a death 1-877-969-0010

    International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide: surveymonkey.com/r/ZKZ7KHG

    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: lifelineforattemptsurvivors.org

    Mass. Coalition for Suicide Prevention: masspreventssuicide.org

    Waking Up Alive: wakingupalive.org

    Suicide Survivors: suicidesurvivor.org

    Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention: actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: namimass.org

    Mass 211: staffed by United Way and connects callers to information about critical health and human services programs, mass211.org

    The Merrimack Valley Prevention and Substance Abuse Project: mvpasap.com

    Call2Talk: national suicide prevention lifeline crisis center, 508-532-2255

    The Children’s Room: largest independent non-profit in Massachusetts dedicated to supporting grieving children, teens and families, 781-641-4741

    Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3

    Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3

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    msager@eagletribune.com

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  • Parenting 101: 5 Ways to give back in the New Year

    Parenting 101: 5 Ways to give back in the New Year

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    The holidays have become a time where we, no doubt, indulge – we overspend, overbuy, overeat, and it can be easy to get caught up in the hoopla. But there are many people who are struggling in our communities, and it can be especially challenging around the holidays, which is why it’s so important to reach out and try to help where we can. The New Year is the perfect time to not only make a resolution as a family to get involved in local initiatives, but to help someone else start the year off on a positive note as well.

    Want some inspiration? Here’s where you can pitch in. You’ll quickly see that a little bit of effort makes a big difference in the life of someone else.

    Volunteer at a local food bank. Holiday food drives have been working overtime to collect non-perishable food items, and now they need to be organized, grouped, sorted, and sent out. Contact a food bank near you and see if they need help in their storage facility or driving around as a family dispensing the donations.

    Serve food at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. These types of facilities rely heavily on the time and participation of volunteers, and they always have “jobs” that people can help out with, from preparing food to serving it to helping clean everything up afterward.

    Start a bottle or can drive and donate the money you raise to a charity or organization that you choose together. What are you passionate about as a family? Animals? The environment? Then why not knock on some doors and ring some doorbells of neighbors and collect their bottles and cans? You can return them at a nearby grocery store and use the money you get in exchange to then donate to a cause you all hold dear. After the holidays there’s lots of recycling to be had – use it to help someone else.

    Write out some cards for a local senior’s residence. Many older people are lonely and can feel isolated, and this can be especially true at the start of a New Year. So, give them something to smile about by making some cheery “Happy New Year” cards. This is a great family activity if you have smaller children because they can draw all the pictures (and who doesn’t love receiving a note from a child?). Bring your kids with you when you go to drop the cards off. You’re sure to make many peoples’ days!

    Do your own part at home. With the holidays comes presents, meaning more and more stuff. The New Year is a great time to declutter and clear out some of the excess, like extra toys, clothing, blankets, pillows, etc., and donate them to someone who needs them.

    – JC

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    By Jennifer Cox The Suburban

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  • Advanced Advocacy and Central Union Mission Partner for the 7th Annual Charity Suit Drive

    Advanced Advocacy and Central Union Mission Partner for the 7th Annual Charity Suit Drive

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    WASHINGTON, December 11, 2023 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Advanced Advocacy once again partnered with Central Union Mission to host its seventh annual Charity Suit Drive, a community initiative aimed at providing professional attire to individuals in need. This year, the effort collected over 240 suits and other lightly used men’s business apparel including shirts, pants, ties, and shoes. ZIPS Dry Cleaners also played an integral role in the success of this suit drive by providing complimentary dry cleaning services for all donated items. 

    “We are excited to once again partner with Central Union Mission to host this successful effort. Over the past seven years, we have provided nearly 1,500 men’s business suits to help eliminate barriers for people entering and re-entering the workforce,” said Andrew Kovalcin, Principal at Advanced Advocacy. 

    According to Joe Mettimano, President and CEO of Central Union Mission, “The Charity Suit Drive has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals, helping them feel confident and prepared for job interviews and other professional opportunities. The effort is not only supporting individuals at Central Union Mission but also our community partners throughout the greater Washington, D.C., region.”

    Beyond the core services of nutritious food and safe, clean beds, Central Union Mission offers several life-changing programs for men. The Restoration & Transformation Program helps them overcome addictions, reconcile with family, study the Bible and take responsibility for their attitudes and actions. Men can also join the Workforce Development & Education Program, which offers employment readiness training and soft skills, actual hands-on, wage-earning work in a mentored setting and finally, placement in an outside job and independent living situation.

    “We are pleased to support Advanced Advocacy and Central Union Mission and honor the great work they do,” said Brett Vago, ZIPS founding owner and owner of five ZIPS locations.

    For more information about the Charity Suit Drive or how to support Central Union Mission, please contact Megan Schmoll, Vice President of Development, at 202-827-3078 or mschmoll@missiondc.org. 

    About Central Union Mission:

    Central Union Mission is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the oldest private social service agency in Washington, D.C. 

    About Advanced Advocacy:

    Advanced Advocacy is an independent advocacy and public affairs firm that specializes in issue campaigns, coalition management, third parties and alliances, grassroots activation, and community engagement.

    About ZIPS Cleaners: 

    Founded in 1996 and franchising since 2006, ZIPS Dry Cleaners is an aggressively expanding dry cleaning franchise known for its same-day, one-price business model. Today, there are more than 50 ZIPS stores open and operating in six states, with more than 250 additional locations in various stages of development. 

    Source: Central Union Mission

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  • Joe Biden wants to complete his goals on civil rights, taxes, and social services if he’s reelected

    Joe Biden wants to complete his goals on civil rights, taxes, and social services if he’s reelected

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    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has a simple reelection pitch to voters — let him “finish the job.”

    So what does that mean? What’s left for him to get done?

    Unlike Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who has been releasing videos and statements detailing his agenda, Biden hasn’t formally released his plans as part of his campaign.

    But his ambitions are no secret, and his goals for child care, community college and prescription drugs have been laid out in detail during the Democrat’s first term. He also has unfulfilled promises on civil rights, such as protecting access to the ballot box, preventing police misconduct and restoring the nationwide right to abortion. Banning firearms known as assault rifles remains a priority as well.

    The result is a second-term agenda that could look a lot like Biden’s first-term agenda, with some of the same political challenges. Almost none of this can get done without cooperation from Congress, and many of these goals already have been blocked or pared down because of opposition on Capitol Hill.

    Biden has achieved bipartisan victories on infrastructure projects and public funding for the domestic computer chip industry. But Democrats would need to win wide majorities in both the House and the Senate to clear a path for the rest of his plans.

    “We’re going to finish as much of the job as we can in the next year,” said Bruce Reed, Biden’s deputy chief of staff. “And finish the rest after that.”

    Biden’s campaign expressed confidence that the president’s agenda would stack up well against Republicans in next year’s election. Kevin Munoz, a spokesman, described the election as “a choice between fighting for the middle class or shilling for rich special interests” and he said ”it’s a contrast we are more than happy to make.”

    One other difference between Biden and Trump doesn’t fit neatly into policy white papers, but it’s core to their political foundation. Biden has made defending American democracy a cornerstone of his administration, while Trump tried to overturn his election loss in 2020.

    The result of the 2024 campaign could reshape not only government policy but the future of the country’s bedrock institutions.

    Biden’s plans are expensive and he doesn’t want to increase the deficit, so that means he’s looking to raise taxes on the wealthy.

    He already has succeeded in implementing a 15% minimum tax on companies with annual income exceeding $1 billion.

    Biden has proposed raising the top tax rate to 39.6%, the corporate tax rate to 28% and the stock buyback tax to 4%.

    He wants a minimum tax of 25% on the wealthiest Americans, a levy that would be applied not only to income but unrealized capital gains. The idea, which Biden called the “billionaire minimum income tax,” could prove difficult to put in place, not to mention extremely hard to push through Congress, given Republican opposition to higher taxes.

    Biden’s original signature plan was known as Build Back Better, a cornucopia of proposals that would have dramatically changed the role of the federal government in Americans’ lives.

    It was pared down because of resistance from Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who is a key vote in the narrowly divided Senate and announced this past week that he will not seek reelection. The result was the Inflation Reduction Act, which included financial incentives for clean energy and limits on prescription drug costs, but not many other programs.

    Biden will want to bring back the ideas that were left on the cutting room floor. That includes making two years of community college tuition free, offering universal preschool and limiting the cost of child care to 7% of income for most families.

    He also wants to resuscitate the expanded child tax credit. The American Rescue Plan, the pandemic-era relief legislation, boosted the credit to $3,000 for children over six and $3,600 for children younger than age 6. The expansion lapsed after a year, returning the credit to $2,000 per child, when his original package stalled.

    More work is left on prescription drugs. The monthly cost of insulin was capped at $35 for Medicare recipients. Biden wants the same limit for all patients.

    The White House recently announced a new office dedicated to preventing gun violence. Biden also signed legislation that’s intended to help officials keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and other dangerous people.

    But Biden’s biggest goal, a ban on so-called assault weapons, remains out of reach because of Republican opposition. Such a ban was in place from 1994 to 2004, but it wasn’t extended after it expired. Although the proposal hasn’t been spelled out in detail, it would likely affect popular high-powered weapons such as the AR-15, which can shoot dozens of bullets at a fast pace.

    Another item on the wish list is universal background checks, which increase scrutiny of sales conducted through gun shows or other unlicensed avenues.

    Biden took office at a time of national upheaval over the role of racism in policing and the future of democracy. George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, was murdered by a white police officer, and Trump tried to overturn Biden’s election victory, leading to the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

    Biden promised to address both of these issues through landmark legislation, but he came up short of his goals.

    On policing, bipartisan negotiations on Capitol Hill failed to reach a deal, particularly when it came to making it easier to sue over allegations of misconduct. So Biden instead crafted an executive order with input from activists and police. The final version changes rules for federal law enforcement, but it does little to alter how local departments do their jobs.

    He similarly issued an executive order on voting rights that aims to expand registration efforts. But Democratic legislation intended to solidify access to the ballot box failed to advance when some members of the party refused to sidestep Senate filibuster rules to pass it.

    Biden’s presidency was upended by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed nationwide access to abortion. It’s proved to be a potential campaign issue for Democrats, but they have had less success in Congress. Biden said that if his party picks up more seats, he will push for legislation codifying the right to abortion.

    On Biden’s first day in office, he sent Congress his proposal for overhauling the country’s immigration system. The idea went nowhere.

    But the president would want to take another swing at the issue in a second term. It will prove an especially urgent topic as migrants continue crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and the country looks for the next generation of workers to achieve its economic goals.

    Biden wants to allow people who are in the United States illegally to apply for legal status and eventually citizenship. He also wants a smoother and expanded visa process, particularly for foreign graduates of American universities. These steps would be paired with additional resources for border enforcement.

    Biden is facing two wars on two continents, and the fallout from each conflict will shape a second term even if the fighting ends before that.

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for almost two years, and Israel and Hamas began their latest clash about a month ago. Biden wants to send military support to Ukraine and Israel, something that he describes as “vital” to U.S. national security interests.

    “History has taught us when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” he said in a recent Oval Office address.

    His plans will require challenging congressional negotiations. Some Republicans are resisting more assistance for Ukraine after Congress has already approved $113 billion in security, economic and humanitarian resistance.

    Both conflicts will likely require years of U.S. involvement. For example, Biden is looking for a new opportunity to push for a two-state solution in the Middle East, creating an independent Palestinian country alongside Israel.

    Fighting global warming is one of the areas where Biden has had the most success. The Inflation Reduction Act includes nearly $375 billion for climate change, much of it going toward financial incentives for electric cars, clean energy and other initiatives. Biden is also pushing stricter regulations on vehicles and power plants.

    But the U.S. is not yet on track to meet Biden’s ambitious target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to independent analysts. And there’s a lot of work ahead to ensure new programs reach their potential.

    One hurdle is red tape for energy projects. The White House argues that it’s too hard to build infrastructure such as transmission lines, but legislation to address the issue would likely require compromises with Republicans, who see an opportunity to grease the skids for additional fossil fuel development.

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  • Haley, Christie open to raising Social Security retirement age

    Haley, Christie open to raising Social Security retirement age

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    Social Security’s pending insolvency grabbed attention at the Republican presidential debate Wednesday night, with some candidates saying they would be willing to raise the full retirement age for young people just starting out.

    “We have to raise the retirement age,” said former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. “I have a son who’s in the audience tonight, who’s 30 years old. If he can’t adjust to a few years increase in Social Security retirement age over the next 40 years, I got bigger problems with him than his Social Security payments.”

    Also see: ‘Rich people should not be collecting Social Security,’ Chris Christie says at GOP debate

    Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, said promises to current older adults must be kept, but young people just starting out should see higher retirement ages.

    “What we need to do is keep our promises, those that have been promised should keep it,” Haley said. “But for like, my kids in their 20s, you go and you say ‘We’re going to change the rules.’ You change the retirement age for them.”

    Currently, the full retirement age is 67 for those born in 1960 or later.

    Read: Social Security is now projected to be unable to pay full benefits a year earlier than expected

    Haley declined to cite a specific age that retirement should be raised to, but said it should reflect longer life expectancy.

    Sen. Tim Scott, however, said he would protect Social Security for older adults and not raise the retirement age.

    “Let me just say to my mama and every other mama or grandfather receiving Social Security: As president of the United States, I will protect your Social Security.”

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’d protect Social Security for seniors.

    “I know a few people on Social Security and … my grandmother lived until 91 and Social Security was her sole source of income. And that’s true for a lot of seniors throughout this country,” DeSantis said. “So I’d say to seniors in America: Promise made, promise kept.”

    When pressed whether he would raise the retirement age, he said: “So it’s one thing to peg it on life expectancy, but we have had a significant decline in life expectancy in this country, and that is the fact.”

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  • Does an AI tool help boost adoptions? Key takeaways from an AP Investigation

    Does an AI tool help boost adoptions? Key takeaways from an AP Investigation

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    Former social worker Thea Ramirez has developed an artificial intelligence -powered tool that she says helps social service agencies find the best adoptive parents for some of the nation’s most vulnerable kids.

    But an Associated Press investigation has found that the Family-Match algorithm has produced limited results in the states where it has been used, raising questions about the ability of artificial intelligence to solve such enduring human problems.

    Two states dropped the tool with only a few adoptions at the end of their initial pilots. Social workers in Florida, Georgia and Virginia told AP that Family-Match wasn’t useful and often led them to unwilling families. Florida agencies, on the other hand, reported a more positive experience with the algorithm, saying that it assisted them in tapping into a broader pool of prospective parents.

    Ramirez declined interview requests but said in an email that “Family-Match is a valuable tool and helpful to users actively using it to support their recruitment + matching efforts.”

    Here are some takeaways from the investigation:

    Ramirez, of Brunswick, Georgia, where her nonprofit is also based, got her start building a website meant to bring prospective adoptive parents together with mothers giving up their babies for adoption.

    Ramirez marketed her website to anti-abortion counseling centers, which seek to persuade women to bring their pregnancies to term.

    “Could we make Roe v. Wade obsolete by raising adoption awareness? I think so,” Ramirez wrote in a 2012 blog post about her website. Ramirez said in an email that Family-Match is not associated with the program for mothers with unwanted pregnancies.

    Ramirez recruited research scientist Gian Gonzaga, asking if he would team up with her to create an adoption matchmaking tool based on compatibility, to help child welfare agencies find adoptive parents for foster children. Gonzaga had previously managed algorithms that powered the online dating site eharmony.

    “I was more excited about the project than anything I’ve heard for all of my career,” Gonzaga said in a promotional Family-Match video posted to YouTube.

    Gonzaga ultimately joined the board of directors of Ramirez’s nonprofit, Adoption-Share.

    Gonzaga, who worked with his wife Heather Setrakian at eharmony and then on the Family-Match algorithm, referred questions to Ramirez. Setrakian said she was very proud of her years of work developing the Family-Match model.

    An eharmony spokesperson said the company had no involvement with Family-Match and called the pair “simply former employees.”

    From former first lady Melania Trump to governors’ offices in Georgia and Virginia, Ramirez has worked connections to land contracts.

    Virginia and Georgia officials dropped Family-Match after their trial runs only produced one or two adoptions a year. Tennessee said they killed a pilot before rolling it out because of technical issues.

    Months after Georgia quit Family-Match, Ramirez met with a staffer at Governor Brian Kemp’s office and appeared at a statehouse hearing to request $250,000 to fund a statewide expansion.

    The state reversed course and in July signed a new agreement to resume using the technology. Adoption-Share is allowing Georgia to use Family-Match for free, a state official said.

    Ramirez also has won support from public figures.

    In New York, she rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange with the then-Miss Utah USA beauty queen. In Florida, Ramirez initially distributed her tool for free thanks to a grant from the Jupiter, Florida-based Selfless Love Foundation, founded by Ed Brown, the former CEO of the company that makes Patrón tequila, and his wife, Ashley Brown, an ex-model and advocate for foster children.

    The Browns fundraise for the foundation’s causes at an annual Palm Beach-area gala that has spotlighted Adoption-Share’s work. Selfless Love Foundation marketing director Shelli Lockhart said Adoption-Share’s grant ended in October 2022, and that the foundation was “so proud of the work we did together” to increase the number of adoptions but declined to clarify why the grant ended.

    Once the philanthropic dollars dried up, the state government picked up the tab, awarding Adoption-Share a $350,000 contract last month.

    In May, Family-Match was selected to benefit from a fundraiser promoted by then-St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright aimed at helping the organization grow “to address the pressing need for foster and adoptive families in Missouri,” according to a press release from Adoption-Share. Ramirez posed for photos on the baseball field next to Darrell Missey, director of the Missouri Children’s Division, which was considering Adoption-Share’s proposal.

    Ramirez has highlighted the tool’s penetration in Florida’s privatized child welfare system as she has tried to court philanthropic support and new business in New York City and Delaware.

    This year, Adoption-Share won a contract with the Florida Department of Health to build an algorithm for public health officials focused on children with the most severe medical needs and disabilities, who may never be able to live independently. The contract represents a significant expansion beyond Adoption Share’s work with child welfare agencies because medically fragile children can require lifelong caregivers.

    “The power dynamics are different because the child can’t just leave,” said Bonni Goodwin, a University of Oklahoma child welfare expert. “The vulnerability piece increases.”

    ___

    Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/

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