Page 36 - Healthcare News Mar/Apr 2021

DHCD Grant Provides COVID-mitigation Supplies for the Homeless
SPRINGFIELD — An Emergency Solu- tions Grant totaling $163,695 from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will enable area nonprofit agencies serving people experiencing homelessness to sup- ply personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, and hand sani- tizer, to reduce the risk of infection and transmission of the COVID-19 virus in Greater Springfield. DHCD has identified the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA) as lead agency for the purchase and distribution of PPE available through the grant.
MHA will distribute PPE kits directly to homeless people served by the agency and also to other local nonprofit providers of homelessness services, such as Baystate Health, Friends of the Homeless, Catholic Charities, and Tapestry Health. To further mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission, the grant also provides that PPE kits be available for members of the outreach staff of these local providers who interact directly with the homeless populations served.
“People who are experiencing home- lessness are among the most vulnerable people in our community,” said Dr. Paul Pirraglia, division chief, General Medi- cine and Community Health, at Baystate Health. He also co-chairs the COVID-19 Mitigation for At-Risk Populations work- group and is directly involved in efforts to deliver testing and vaccines to historically underserved populations.
“Given their hierarchy of needs,” he went on, “someone who is homeless will give greater priority to finding food or a roof over their head than to gaining ac- cess to good healthcare or even to proper hygiene such as hand washing and masks. This DHCD grant will directly address the healthcare needs of a vulnerable group of people who are at very high risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19
and also have the least access to be able to protect themselves.”
Pirraglia emphasized that hand wash- ing and the use of PPE, including masks, remain extremely important, even as more and more people are being vaccinated against COVID-19. “Conceptually, a vac- cine ought to protect against the transmis- sion of a disease, but that’s not proven yet with the current COVID vaccines. That may be shown, perhaps soon, but it hasn’t happened yet. What that means is trans- mission without infection is still possible, and so we need to continue taking precau- tions including hand washing and wearing a mask. This grant program will make an impact locally by putting PPE kits right into the hands of people who most need our help.”
Kimberley Lee, vice president of Resource Development & Branding for MHA, noted that “we are proud that MHA has been chosen lead agency in distrib- uting PPE to those we serve and to our partner agencies who also provide services to persons experiencing homelessness throughout our community. We are grateful to the state and DHCD for their willingness to share our vision to protect individuals in need as well as our own staff members who are serving homeless individuals in our community.
“Even as COVID vaccines become more widely available and vaccination rates increase, it is vital that we reach out to the homeless population to minimize their risk of contracting COVID-19 themselves or transmitting it to others,” Lee added. “People are still getting sick and still dying from COVID-19, and the need for PPE doesn’t just go away immediately when you are vaccinated. People should still be protecting themselves and others with masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves. This grant, and MHA’s leadership, will help that happen.”
Gift of $1.2 Million Creates New Professorship at UMass Amherst
AMHERST — A new professorship in psychological and brain sciences at UMass Amherst has been established through a fi- nancial commitment of $1.2 million from Robert Feldman and his wife, Katherine Vorwerk.
Feldman is senior advisor to Chancel- lor Kumble Subbaswamy, as well as the former deputy chancellor of the university and dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Vorwerk is a retired instructor in the department of psycholog- ical and brain sciences. The professorship will be awarded to an outstanding faculty member who specializes in social psychol-
ogy, fostering cutting-edge research and supporting a top-notch department. The gift will support UMass by helping to hire and retain faculty of the highest caliber within the department.
Feldman and Vorwerk made the $1,225,000 commitment as a multi-year current gift, plus an additional commit- ment through their estate, to establish
the Feldman-Vorwerk Family Professor- ship. They also took advantage of a 2020 state campaign that allowed them to use matching funds to fully finance the profes- sorship.
“It is with immense gratitude that
I thank Bob and Kathy for their long- standing generosity to UMass Amherst,” Subbaswamy said. “From their profes- sional lives to their volunteer work, and now with this professorship, they have demonstrated their strong belief in the potential of UMass to continue to grow as a world-class university.”
Tricia Serio, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, added that “gifts such as this one are so important to the future of the college. By endowing a professorship, these two devoted members of the UMass community are helping to ensure that we continue the tradition of excellence in the
department by attracting and retaining the highest-quality faculty.”
After giving back in many ways over the years, this gift was the natural next step for Feldman and Vorwerk. The professorship is a substantial and lasting way to support the future of the field they have both stud- ied and worked in.
“UMass Amherst offers a superlative education with extraordinary faculty who care about teaching and research,” Feld- man said.
Added Vorwerk, “we believe strongly in the university and wanted our gift to help it fulfill its mission.”
36 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM MARCH/APRIL 2021