E-Newsletter . Issue 273 . June 25, 2020
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Greetings!
Welcome to the Barnstable County Department of Human Services' E-Newsletter. This bi-weekly newsletter is designed to provide timely information on health and human service topics of interest for people living and working in Barnstable County. For additional information visit the Department website at
www.bchumanservices.net
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Less than 2 Minutes Can Make a Difference, Please Respond
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The deadline for responding to the Census has been extended through October 31, 2020
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Please pass along this information and link below to your networks, urging all to respond to the Census.
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COMMUNITY NEWS / ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Reopening Cape Cod Task Force Announcement
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The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force announces its new website
www.ReopeningCapeCod.org
. The site serves as a one-stop location for residents, businesses, employees, organizations, municipalities, and visitors to the region.
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You will find updates on health data relevant to Barnstable County, industry specific guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and information from 19 local industry specific sub-working groups. Safe workplace standards, operating guidance, relief resources, and educational materials are available for business owners, employees, and municipal managers as they adjust their workplaces to mitigate the risk of viral transmission. You will also find the expectations for visitors and seasonal residents outlined by the Task Force members and local health leaders.
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COVID-19 Test Site Locator
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CLICK ON GRAPHIC TO THE LEFT
TO ENTER TEST SITE
This map provides an easy way to locate a COVID-19 test site near you. All of those experiencing symptoms or those who have been in close contact recently with a COVID positive individual should seek testing.
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Duffy & Summer Solstice: Celebrating Those Who Have Overcome Homelessness
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Happy Summer Solstice!
"Each year on December 21, the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, Homeless Person's Memorial Day events honor individuals who have lost their lives while enduring homelessness. On June 21, the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer and longest day of the year, we celebrate those who have overcome homelessness and affirm that we can end homelessness for everyone.
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"Homelessness is not permanent. It is not a condition that defines the rest of a person's life. It is easy to become homeless, but it is no easy task to break out of homelessness. People without homes face many systemic barriers, from the high cost of housing to low wages and inadequate public assistance programs, all complicated by poor health and poverty. Yet some individuals surmount these incredible hurdles and reclaim stable, healthy, and productive lives. The Summer Solstice, a day filled with light, is a fitting time to honor their accomplishments and to draw inspiration from them as we continue in the struggle for justice."
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HOW Welcomes Community Food Project Coordinator
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Habitat for Humanity - Kayak Raffle Tickets on Sale Now!
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Purchase your tickets now to win this beautiful hand crafted cedar strip kayak, made by long time Habitat volunteers Pat Taylor and Bill Witmer! The kayak is 16 feet long, 24 inches wide, weighs 45 pounds, and is valued at $5,000.
Visit the Habitat ReStore in Yarmouth to see the kayak in person (moving to the Falmouth store in a few weeks) and to purchase your raffle tickets or click
HERE
to purchase tickets online.
The winning name will be drawn in October and the kayak will be delivered within 150 miles of Cape Cod. Tickets are $2 for 1 or $10 for 7.
All proceeds to benefit our mission to build homes, hope, lives, and community on Cape Cod!
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SHINE is Here to Assist With Your Needs
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ASGCC Virtual Community Overdose Prevention and Narcan Training
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ASGCC will be resuming our bi-weekly Community OEND Training via zoom!
These trainings are for anyone in the community who may benefit from learning about overdose prevention and overdose response. We will cover 40 minutes of information reviewing the definition of an overdose, risk factors that put someone at higher risk of experiencing an overdose, how to respond, and how to use narcan. The session will end with time for questions as well as information on how to access narcan.
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Join Housing Assistance Corporation's Walk for Hope on June 27!
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Now more than ever, stable housing is needed to ensure the health and well-being of all on Cape Cod and the Islands. You can help address that need by participating in Housing Assistance Corporation's Walk for Hope on June 27!
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This year, the walk is going virtual which means you can walk wherever you are and in a location and a distance suitable for you. Register now at
REGISTER HERE
You can sign up as an individual or create/join a team of friends, family or colleagues. Make sure to tag Housing Assistance on social media (
@haconcapecod
) and help drive awareness and raise funds to the housing needs in our region.
If you own a business, consider serving as a Walk for Hope Sponsor! Contact Deanna Bussiere at
dbussiere@haconcapecod.org
for more details. By walking, you will be taking important steps so our neighbors on Cape Cod and the Islands have access to safe, stable housing. You can make a difference!
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Save the date! Sunday, June 28th at 5 PM
- You're invited to 'Best Night at Home'
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WE CAN Offering Upcoming Workshops
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GROW Info Sessions
Tuesday, June 30th at 9:00 am
WE CAN’s GROW (Get Results with Others’ Wisdom)
program will be offered again this fall! This
program for women business owners offers facilitated peer mentoring, accountability and a safe and confidential setting to work on adapting, stabilizing and/or growing your business in this new economy. The GROW
program is facilitated by experienced business owners.
Women's Legal Planning Workshop
Tuesday, June 30, 6:00-8:00pm, via Zoom
This free workshop will help women with estate planning and advance planning for their families. This workshop will cover:
Wills/Estates/Health Care Proxies/Power of Attorney/Time for Q&A
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Family Law Overview
Tuesday, July 7, 6:00-8:00pm, via Zoom
“Everything Women Want to Know about Family Law but Are Afraid to Ask” is a free workshop for women who want to know their rights regarding any aspect of Family Law. We encouraged women to attend this workshop prior to consulting an attorney or setting up a legal consult at WE CAN. Bring your questions!
Topics covered will include:
- Steps in the separation and divorce process
- Custody
- Support
- Overview of division of assets
- Paperwork and forms needed
- Key legal terms
- Time for Q&A
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Boston University School of Social Work Professional Education Programs - 'Using Technology to Meet the Needs of Isolated Older Adults'
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NAMI Basics, a free 6-week course for parents and family caregivers of children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral issues
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Transgender Social Support Group
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Group is open to trans, non-binary, questioning, or other gender diverse identified people ages 18+. You do not need to be a Fenway Health patient to join, and the group is free to attend.
Group via Zoom (5:30-7:00 pm) meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month - contact Ann at
aburke@fenwayhealth.org
for more information and the Zoom link
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Request from DOT - Real ID
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Dear RMV Community Partners –
For the better part of the last two years the RMV has spent a lot of time with you and your program participants explaining REAL ID and encouraging them to get one – now, in the midst of a pandemic, we’re going to ask you to ignore all that!
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NEW Retirement Benefits Portal Easier to Use
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The redesigned portal will make it easier for people to find and read about Social Security retirement benefits, with fewer pages and condensed, rewritten, and clearer information. The portal also is optimized for mobile devices so people can learn and do what they want from wherever they want, and the portal now includes the ability to subscribe to receive retirement information and updates.
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COVID-19 and Dementia: Common Questions/Topics
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Thanks to the Alzheimer’s Association for sharing the questions and answers for the most common concerns that they are hearing on their hotline calls. These documents will soon be available in Spanish.
You or anyone else – can reach out to the Alzheimer’s Assoc. 24/7 Hotline at 800-272-3900 to ask questions.
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Cape Cod Community College Employment Opportunities
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COVID-19 NOTICES & RESOURCES
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Barnstable County COVID-19 Recovery Resources
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COVID-19 can be difficult for all of us but especially for those in recovery. This might be exacerbated by people unable to attend their normal support group meetings or other recovery supports. Please click on button below to find local and nationwide resources related to substance use disorder and mental health. You can also call the MA Substance Use Helpline anytime at 800-327-5050.
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Telehealth & Suicide Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Community Agencies and Therapists Offering Telehealth Support
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The Barnstable County Children's Behavioral Health Work Group has developed a list of community agencies offering telehealth support
HERE
.
Please email
barbaradominic612@gmail.com
if you have additional telehealth support that you would like listed, or if you want to update your listing. This listing will be periodically updated and distributed by Barnstable County.
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Helpful Utility Links During COVID-19
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Social Isolation for Family Members in Close Quarters
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Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment: COVID-19 Updates
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Links To Each Cape Cod Town's Health Department
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URGENT message from the AG's Office
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Free Grocery Delivery Service Launches for Barnstable County Seniors and Residents at Higher Risk
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The Cape Cod Medical Reserve Corps’ Delivery Service will help people who should stay home receive groceries and critical household goods.
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Food Access & Resources During COVID-19
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The Council of Churches
operates as a "front-line" service provider in many areas and offers remote operations where possible. Please see below.
Faith Family Kitchen
will continue to provide nutritious dinners on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Please note these revised hours. At the door, families and other adults will be given a paper bag containing Jeni's homemade soup plus a few supplemental items.
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Hands of Hope Food Pantry
will continue distributing a single prepackaged bag of groceries during regular hours of operation, which are Monday and Friday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 1 p.m.- 3 p.m. Clients will wait outside the door for a bag that is designed to feed 1, 2, 3 or 4 people. New clients, please call 508-432-1312 or email
churcheshoh@comcast.net
first to register. No client should come inside the building during service hours. The Thrift Store is closed until further notice. Hands of Hope is located at 49 Route 28, West Harwich.
A Baby Center
will offer "To Go" bags of baby essentials for existing clients on Wednesdays 10 a.m. - noon. This will be a "drive up window" service only; no clients are to enter the building. A Baby Center is located 81 Willow Ave, Hyannis.
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Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Parents
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A Conversation on Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health During COVID-19
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Talking To Children About COVID-19
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Housing Assistance Established Cape Cod COVID-19
Workforce Housing Relief Fund
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Housing Assistance has established the Cape Cod COVID-19 Workforce Housing Relief Fund to provide urgent and ongoing assistance with past due rent or mortgage payments or other housing-related expenses for current, year-round Cape Cod and Island residents who are losing income due to the coronavirus. To apply for support for any Housing Assistance programs, contact an intake counselor at
hac@haconcapecod.org
508-771-5400. See more information
HERE
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CARES Act & UI COVID Materials for Providers & YYA Experiencing Homelessness
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The Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice has released informational pamphlets on the
CARES Act
and
Applying for Unemployment Benefits
to assist Youth and Young Adults navigate systems for critical resources during the Coronavirus pandemic. Access to these resources play an important role in maintaining housing stability for our region’s young persons facing financial hardship due to loss of employment. Additional resources for Unaccompanied Youth and Young Adults age 24 and under that are homeless or at-risk of homelessness can be accessed through the Program Manager at
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Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund
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Launched by Massachusetts Governor Baker and First Lady Lauren Baker, the
Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund
will help support essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations across the state, including Massachusetts residents and immigrants facing homelessness, food insecurity and loss of critical services as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The Fund is administered by Eastern Bank providing a safe and reliable way for donations to be made to this Fund, and at no cost to the Fund. In addition to the $10 million already announced by our Charitable Foundation, our Foundation has donated to this fund and Eastern is among the leading organizations and philanthropists that are Founding Donors. Please help at
https://www.macovid19relieffund.org
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Health Imperatives Extends In-Person Visits During COVID-19 Transition
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Health Imperatives, like other health and human service providers and the state, is making plans to resume in-person services carefully in accordance with state guidelines to ensure staff and client safety.
Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Sexual and Reproductive Health/Family Planning clinics are continuing to see clients through tele-visits and making in-person appointments for urgent concerns. Starting June 15th, we will be scheduling in-person appointments for routine and preventive care while continuing to offer tele-visits when appropriate.
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Patients will notice some changes when they come for appointments, including face masks, clear acrylic shields to provide a barrier, and social distancing requirements. In order to ensure social distancing, only patients will be allowed into the office, and all patients will be required to wear a face mask. Call (508) 771-8010 for more information or to make an appointment.
Cape Cod WIC nutrition assistance is easier to get than ever before since it is being provided by telephone at least through June. We serve Hyannis and surrounding towns, including Yarmouth, Dennis, Falmouth, and more, as well as Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Call (508) 747-4933 for more information or to make an appointment.
We wish everyone a safe and happy transition to summer!
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The Homeless Prevention Council (HPC) is providing support for our neighbors in need on the Lower and Outer Cape. We have undertaken the following actions to ensure that services are not interrupted. Please read more
HERE
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Independence House continues to assist those in the community that seek help for domestic and sexual violence matters during the Covid-19 crisis. Remote services range in all areas including one-on-one counseling with active and new clients by phone and video, group video counseling, assistance with court applications remotely in order to obtain emergency 209A Restraining Orders or 258E Harassment Orders, and legal assistance and representation by a staff attorney. Their confidential emergency domestic and sexual violence shelter remains in full operation as well a 24-hour hotline at 800-439-6507. Full details about the Independence House Covid 19 response can be found at
www.independencehouse.org
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HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES
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HUMAN SERVICES PUBLICATIONS-DATA
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
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In an effort to make the submission process as easy as possible, submissions will only be accepted using our online submission form. Submission buttons will be located at the bottom of every newsletter and on the homepage of our website. If you have questions regarding the newsletter, please email
HUMANSERVICES@BARNSTABLECOUNTY.ORG
Thank you!
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BARNSTABLE COUNTY SUBMISSION Guidelines
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Please submit your news to be included by clicking on image above.
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- Content Policy - We are prioritizing timely information on the ever-changing landscape of health and human services events and opportunities.
- Due to the increasing number of submissions to the newsletter, the Department reserves the right to limit the number of times a submission is published.
- Posting of articles submitted for publication in the Barnstable County Department of Human Services E-Newsletter is at the discretion of the Department. To request this newsletter in alternate formats, please call 508-375-6628.
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Barnstable County Department of Human Services
P.O. Box 427, 3195 Main Street, Barnstable, MA 02630
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