News Briefs

Fielding to Present at 2019 MCOA Conference

The Massachusetts Councils on Aging 2019 Fall Conference will take place Oct. 2, through Oct. 4, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Danvers, Massachusetts. Stephen W. Fielding, director of the Revere office of Elder Affairs/Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center will be presenting a seminar titled “On the Road Again.” This seminar will focus on Revere’s unique, low-cost senior shuttle transportation service and the program’s benefits. This service enables seniors to remain independent while staying active, utilizing the many programs, activities, services, and events that the Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center offers and meeting outside appointment dates for medical and other everyday errands.

This 40th annual conference is attended by directors of over 300 Councils on Aging/ Elder Affairs, and senior center directors and attracts over 700 attendees that including federal, state, and local “senior-industry” professionals. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs and many state-wide organizations participate in this very comprehensive three-day conference.

Mass DEP Releases Draft Solid Waste Master Plan

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued the Draft 2020-2030 Solid Waste Master Plan. The proposal seeks to increase diversion of food material, textiles and bulky waste items, provide financial and technical assistance for municipal waste and recycling programs, and enhance compliance and enforcement of waste disposal bans. A public comment period on the draft runs through Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, and includes five public hearings across the Commonwealth.

 â€œThe Draft Solid Waste Master Plan proposes aggressive goals for reducing our waste in the next decade and beyond,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “The draft plan outlines a mix of regulatory, financial and technical assistance to move towards these goals, improve the Commonwealth’s waste management system, and provide important environmental and economic benefits for Massachusetts.”

 The Solid Waste Master Plan establishes the Commonwealth’s policy framework for reducing and managing solid waste that is generated, reused, recycled or disposed of by Massachusetts residents and businesses. The Draft 2020-2030 Plan proposes a broad vision for and strategies on how the Commonwealth will seek to manage its waste over the next decade and beyond.

 From 2008 to 2018, Massachusetts’ per capita disposal dropped by 18 percent. The new plan proposes to build on this progress and further reduce the current annual total of 5.7 million tons of solid waste disposal by 1.7 million tons or 30 percent by 2030. The plan also proposes an aggressive longer-term goal to reduce trash disposal by 90 percent by 2050. 

 Initiatives included in the draft plan will:

ʉۢ Increase requirements on the diversion of commercial food material from disposal;

• Improve the performance of recycling facilities handling construction and demolition materials;

• Provide financial and technical assistance to enhance municipal solid waste and recycling programs;

• Target the reuse and recycling of textiles, mattresses and other bulky waste items;

• Enhance compliance and enforcement of existing waste disposal bans and pursue additional bans on target materials; and

• Advance adoption of extended producer-responsibility systems for select materials.

 The draft plan takes a balanced approach to meeting Massachusetts’ capacity needs for waste materials. This approach includes fostering opportunities to reduce waste up-front through source reduction and reuse, growing in-state capacity and markets to manage recyclables and food materials, and maintaining the moratorium on additional municipal waste combustion capacity.

 MassDEP has scheduled the following public hearings:

 â€¢ Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. at the MassDEP  Central Regional Office, 8 New Bond St., Worcester;

• Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m. at the MassDEP Northeast Regional Office, 205B Lowell St., Wilmington;

• Thursday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. at the MassDEP Headquarters Office, 1 Winter St., Boston;

• Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. at the Springfield City Library, Sixteen Acres Branch, 1187 Parker St., Springfield; and

• Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. at the MassDEP Southeast Regional Office, 20 Riverside Drive, Lakeville.

MassDEP will accept comments on the draft plan through 5 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2019. Comments on the draft plan can be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] or via the mail to: John Fischer, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, 1 Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108.

 MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.

CHA to Host Day of Free Health Screenings for Women 

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), an academic community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north region, will once again host See Test & Treat, a day of free health screenings for uninsured and underinsured women on Saturday, October 26. The event will be held at CHA Cambridge Hospital (1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge) from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and is intended for women, transmen and non-binary people, ages 21-65, who lack health insurance and access to quality care. 

See, Test & Treat is a national program sponsored by the College of American Pathologists Foundation to offer uninsured and under-insured people the opportunity to get important health screenings and information. In a single day, participants receive a pelvic and clinical breast exam, a Pap test with same-day results, a screening mammogram with prompt results, a connection to follow-up care, interpretive services, translated educational materials, health and wellness information, and a healthy snack. Child activities are provided to further reduce barriers to getting these important tests.

“See, Test and Treat embodies CHA’s mission of caring for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, immigration status or gender identity,” said Rebecca Osgood, MD, chief of pathology, who is spearheading the event at CHA. “The most important piece of all of the free care that we provide is that it could possibly save lives. We are excited to build on the success of last year’s event where we were able to serve 60+ women. Most of them had no insurance and others had such limited insurance it created a barrier for them to receive care.” 

More than 100 CHA staff, including pathologists, OBGYN providers, cytologists and radiologists, are volunteering their time to make See, Test and Treat possible. 

In addition to the screenings, the day will be filled with other fun activities including a range of health education programs focused on nutrition, breast self-exams, and HIV screening and counseling. See, Test and Treat at CHA will also have a health fair component filled with mental health resources, smoking cessation information, colon cancer screenings, oral health information and much more. 

To learn more about the event on Oct. 26, visit www.challiance.org/community/see-test-treat

 or send an email to [email protected].

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