The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Lamont, U.S. senators back initiatives to fight virus spread
STAMFORD — Local health care providers are ramping up their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, with new initiatives including coronavirus testing at Stamford Hospital and medical-supply shipments to other affected areas, Stamford Hospital and nonprofit Americares executives said at a debriefing Friday, as elected officials including Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy pledged their support for those efforts.
Those interventions would bolster many sweeping measures already enacted at the local, state and national levels, as government officials and privatesector health care organizations try to contain a crisis whose toll has surged past 1,200 cases and 30 deaths nationwide — including about a dozen confirmed cases among Connecticut residents.
“I take great pride and comfort in the fact that we are well-prepared for, and actually experienced in, handling these types of health care crises,” Kathleen Silard, CEO and president of the Stamford Health system, which includes Stamford Hospital, said during a press conference in the distribution center at Americares’ headquarters at 88 Hamilton Ave.
A Stamford woman who returned Tuesday from a trip to Italy marks the city’s first confirmed case, city officials said Thursday. She is being treated at Stamford Hospital.
Earlier this week, Stamford Hospital opened an “isolated, fast-track screening area” that separates coronavirus patients from the general population. On Friday, it launched a coronavirus hotline to respond to concerns of patients, visitors, physicians and other employees.
Virus testing is scheduled to start early next week on the grounds of the hospital. Patients will need a physician’s note to be eligible for a test.
“We began to mobilize in earnest about a month ago, ramping up all our measures as it relates to education of our staff, establish emergency incident-command structures and monitoring our supply levels very closely,” Silard said.
Meanwhile, Americares has delivered nine shipments, totaling six tons of protective supplies.
Eight of those deliveries went to partner health clinics in New York and Washington states, California and Texas that serve low-income and uninsured patients. Another shipment of protective equipment and supplies is on its way to China, where the pandemic originated and has inflicted the deadliest impact.
More international and domestic shipments are planned, according to Americares officials.
At the same time, the nonprofit is keeping open its free health care clinics in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and Danbury.
“Never before has it been so critical that Americares continue our life-saving work here in the United States and worldwide,” said Americares CEO and President Christine Squires. “That is why we are supporting health centers serving the uninsured with protective masks, gloves and other critical supplies in response to this new coronavirus pandemic.”
In Hartford, Lamont’s administration has enacted many measures — including a declaration of civil preparedness and public health emergencies on Tuesday, a move that gives the governor broad authority to respond to the virus’ spread.
On Thursday, Lamont signed an executive order whose provisions include a prohibition of all events in the state with more than 250 people; modifying the state law requiring schools to be in session for 180 days; clarifying visitor restrictions at nursing and convalescent homes; and authorizing the Department of Motor Vehicles to extend renewal deadlines to reduce crowds at branches.
Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said that they intended to advance a number of other new programs.
“Folks shouldn’t have to decide between taking care of somebody at a hospital or nursing home or taking care of their child because there’s no school,” Lamont said. “Anybody who’s feeling sick and feels like they shouldn’t be at work — I don’t want any excuses. Go home, be safe. We’re going to do what we can in terms of day care, do what we can in terms of workers’ compensation, do what we can to help the small businesses.”
Also on Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, which will help the federal government to access up to $50 billion in relief funds.
On March 6, Trump signed a related $8.3 billion bill that passed Congress with bipartisan and nearunanimous support.
Blumenthal and Murphy argue that additional emergency legislation needs to be passed by Congress.
“We are hopeful that we will be back in Washington in 24 hours or 48 hours to vote on a second emergency-relief package — this one directed at individual Americans,” Murphy said. “Our job is to pass emergency sick leave and unemployment compensation to give confidence to Americans that we’re going to be there for them as a government.”
The two Democrats have criticized the Trump administration for its response to the virus, and Blumenthal said he felt the Senate should have been back in session on Friday to consider emergency measures.
“We lost two months, but we need now to confront this emergency,” Blumenthal said.