Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up to more people being eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in Connecticut. Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision last week to change course on requirements, going to a strictly age-based protocol with carve-outs for teachers, caused plenty of consternation, especially among people with disabilities. But it’s unquestionably a good thing to get more people vaccinated, and as of Monday some 610,000 people in the state are newly eligible for shots, to the point that the system was overwhelmed with applicants. Officials are urging patience, but high demand is an indication that many people are interested in being vaccinated, which is ultimately the only way we will get out of our yearlong COVID shutdown.
Thumbs down to the Connecticut Republican Party electing Susan Hatfield to finish the term of former chair J.R. Romano, who stepped down citing challenges raising money as a lame duck. Hatfield takes on the same status, as she has declared she will not seek to continue as chair, or in her former role as vice chair, when a new election is held in June. The party has been spiraling, and needs to start regrouping immediately. Three other candidates stepped forward to seek the position. Hatfield has serious credentials as a state prosecutor, but the party doesn’t need a stopgap leader at this time.
Thumbs up to a report from Stop Solitary CT that finds ending the practice of isolating inmates in prison could save the state as much as $17 million each year. Connecticut is already going to save money by shuttering Northern Correctional Institution, Connecticut’s only “supermax” prison, on July 1, which will result in $12.6 million in savings. There are good reasons to stop solitary confinement, with few exceptions regarding immediate safety, and the financial justification should be added to that discussion. Even as crime has increased in some Connecticut communities in the past year, we can commit to better practices in our prisons.
Thumbs up to Giving Day, hosted by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, managing to break its previous record of fundraising for state nonprofits by collecting $2,250,154 on Feb. 25. The number far exceeded the 2020 total of $1.65 million, despite taking place during the pandemic. It’s easy to get lost in large numbers, but it’s worth pausing to consider that 394 nonprofits benefited from the donations that were made during the 24-hour marathon. Each of the 14,828 donors deserve a thumbs up of their own.
Thumbs down to six Connecticut hospitals that are losing 1 percent of their Medicare reimbursements as a penalty for documenting a high rate of hospital-acquired injuries and infections. Thumbs up, though, to a dramatic drop after six state hospitals were penalized for the previous period, and the fewest since the federal program began in 2015. The latest data predates the arrival of COVID-19. The hospitals cited are Bridgeport Hospital, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Midstate Medical Center in Meriden, Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, Waterbury Hospital and Windham Community Memorial Hospital in Willimantic.
Thumbs down to unemployment figures in Connecticut tilting into the wrong direction after four straight weeks of drops. The nearly 6,900 Connecticut workers who filed initial claims for unemployment compensation during the second week of last month marked a rise of 780 claims from the week before. The 780 is not a small figure, given that the only other two Northeast states to see increases — New Hampshire and Maine — only documented a few dozen. It could be a blip, but will surely have Connecticut economic forecasters anxiously anticipating the next round.