Franklin County Multi-Agency Coordination Center

Common Operating Picture

Thursday May 21, 2020

Please note that this document is intended For Official Use Only to further cooperation and coordination across Franklin County towns.

From the FC-MACC Manager:

We are happy to say that response activities at the MACC are slowing down. For that reason, the MACC will be transitioning into the recovery phase. We will start focusing our efforts on helping businesses and towns to reopen. Our biweekly coordination calls will now involve representatives from local businesses. We will also will reduce the frequency of these situation reports to biweekly.

The MACC will continue to be on the lookout for opportunities to assist, such as collecting PPE from the regional MEMA office and bringing it up to Greenfield for easier distribution. And should the pace of response activities pick up again, we'll be standing ready to revert to response mode. We will continue to monitor the MACC email account and phones. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us for any need--response or recovery. This is your MACC.

ABOUT THE MACC

The primary goal of the MACC is to create a common operating picture across the 26 towns in Franklin County and the healthcare facilities that serve us all, as information sharing is so critical.

PLEASE NOTE: The MACC does not have any personal protective equipment on hand.

If you need further assistance feel free to send us an email at FranklinCountyMACC@frcog.org or call us at (413) 768-7518 or (413) 768-4127. Visit our webpage at https://tinyurl.com/FCMACC.

Reopening Massachusetts

On May 18th the Baker-Polito Administration released Reopening Massachusetts, the Reopening Advisory Board’s report, which details a four-phased strategy to responsibly reopen businesses and activities while continuing to fight COVID-19. The Administration also released a new “Safer At Home” Advisory, which instructs residents to stay at home unless engaging with newly opened activities, as a way to continue limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Click Here to get the latest information on the current guidance.

Newly released information received from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on May 21 concerning guidance for graduations, training resources, and links to the updated essential services FAQs and EEA guidance on outdoor recreational activities and businesses can be found in the links below.

Massachusetts High School Graduation Guidelines

Training Resources for Employers Subject to Mandatory Safety Standards for Workplaces

Town Information

Emergency Management | Public Health | Police | Fire

Latest City and Town EOC information

The entries listed in green include information from this week's situation report request. The entries in grey are from last week's request.

Bernardston is reporting that they have some PPE which they can share with other communities.

Financial Matters

We have been fielding questions lately about the many financial resources that are here, or are coming, to help with COVID expenses. For a brief description of each program and how you can find more information on each, click here.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

• The same service and programming changes as reported last week continue.
• The FCSO has sufficient PPE for the next month and has secured a supply chain to acquire more in the future. FCSO has sufficient testing kits.
• There are 0 confirmed cases of COVID-19 amongst inmates.

?

Service changes include:

• Behavioral health groups within the jail have stopped due to social distancing
• Incarcerated clients are completing individual work on their recovery with workbooks which are reviewed by staff
• Post-release reentry support occurs over the phone
• Staff continue to support clients in navigating resources and finding shelter
• Regional lockup is on hold
• House of Correction is accepting new inmates through courts only
• A trailer, outfitted with electricity, HVAC, and Internet access, was set up on the grounds of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, 160 Elm Street, Greenfield as of May 1. Judges, court clerks, lawyers, and defendants will have a safe and confidential space to process these cases quickly until it is deemed for the courts to safely re-open to the public.

Franklin County MACC - COVID-19 Dashboard

The FC-MACC Dashboard, created by FRCOG, is meant to provide important information at your fingertips. It contains a map of COVID-19 cases in the County and other COVID statistics. It is updated throughout the week so check back for updated information.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE DASHBOARD

In the corner of each square there are buttons to add or remove the layers of data you are interested in and one to see the legend. You can also click directly on the map to get information about any particular community.

COVID-19 Case Reporting?

Data for this week followed trends from the last few weeks. Total cumulative numbers increase as the disease spreads slowly, thanks to the social distancing sacrifices made by our residents. Many people have been exposed, quarantined, and released without becoming ill, and many who were ill have recovered.

For all towns reporting, a combined 309 Franklin County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 46 of our community members have lost their lives. 259 people have recovered from the disease.

For a great deal of information on COVID-19 cases in MA, visit the data dashboard at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting#covid-19-cases-in-massachusetts-

Healthcare

Under the state’s reopening plan, a number of changes are underway in healthcare settings to prepare for an expansion of non-urgent services with careful protections for patients and staff. Under re-opening, a number of medical procedures will become available again, and providers and hospitals are planning for appropriate spacing in waiting rooms, scheduling that minimizes interactions between potentially symptomatic patients and the general population and in the hospitals, testing of all patients undergoing aerosolized procedures preoperatively.

Interested in learning more about the reopening guidance for health and human services? Click here: https://www.mass.gov/lists/reopening-health-and-human-services-in-massachusetts

The general trend for COVID positive patients admitted to a hospital has been trending down. As of 5/13 there are no positive patients at BFMC, and 3 awaiting test results.

Since the beginning of the regional pandemic surge, nearly 80% of the Baystate system’s COVID-19 confirmed cases have either been discharged to home, discharged to skilled nursing facilities, or never needed hospitalization. The vast majority of those who have passed away were elderly and had multiple, underlying medical conditions. Most had advanced directives that limited the care they wished to receive.

PPE

Urgently needed this week:

• The Health Care Resource Center in Greenfield urgently needs masks to hand out to methadone patients who are entering the building daily for medicating. The Center has 60 patients daily medicating and estimates half of those patients do not have masks.

• The Community Health Center of Franklin County needs N95s, Level III masks, and body suits.

Testing Information

Drive-through testing is available every Friday at the Community Health Center of Franklin County’s 450 West River Street site in Orange to anyone, regardless of insurance status or primary care provider, however, you must pre-register. Click here to pre-register. Note that this is currently the only testing site available to people without symptoms. This new facility did 40 tests in its first week and is scheduled to do 140 this Friday.

The Baystate Franklin Medical Center drive-through site is available to anyone (including children) who has symptoms, from any medical practice, including first responders.

Tests must be ordered by medical practices first. Click here for more information.

?Overall, as testing has increased, the percent of positive diagnoses in the Baystate system has gone down, from 24.4% to 14.6%, which is good news for our region.

Human Services

Prepared by Debra L. McLaughlin, Coordinator, Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region

1) Increased distribution of Narcan to first responders by Tapestry in collaboration with the Opioid Task Force.

• Email narcan@opioidtaskforce.org to obtain Narcan. Calls or texts can also be made to Tapestry’s Mobile Outreach Line at 413-221-7722 between 10 AM - 2 PM, Monday through Friday.

2) Temporary quarters for Emergency Court Hearings located on the grounds of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, 160 Elm Street, Greenfield, MA.

• A trailer, outfitted with electricity, HVAC, and Internet access, was set up on the grounds of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, 160 Elm Street, Greenfield as of May 1. Judges, court clerks, lawyers, and defendants will have a safe and confidential space to process these cases quickly until it is deemed for the courts to safely re-open to the public.

3) Continued reports of fatal and non-fatal opioid and other drug overdoses in the region, especially in the North Quabbin remains a significant concern.

4) Continued reports of deaths by suicide and suicide attempts.

5) Continued reports of individuals in mental health crisis. Crisis services calls are down but have capacity to respond to calls.

6) Access to services for the most vulnerable and those who are unhoused continues to be a challenge across the region, especially in Greenfield where a minimum of 40 individuals are seen by Tapestry’s mobile outreach team.

• OTF has created a resource sheet, which was shared broadly in the community with available outdoor, Wi-Fi hotspots, public restrooms, and port-a-potties and portable handwashing stations, along with other services such as Narcan access, pre-packaged foods/snacks, which can be found here.

NOTE: OTF has sharps containers in our office, with their inserts, that we could distribute for free to any municipality.

7) Uneven access to PPE, telephonic and telehealth services due to lack of phones, SIM cards, other technology (e.g. computers) and Wi-Fi for program participants and patients remain an issue.

8) Detoxes, residential treatment, and supportive sober housing facilities remain generally open, with increased COVID-19 screening procedures for staff and residents. Separate areas are being set-aside to isolate individuals, as needed.

9) DCF continues to report the removal of children due to opioid and substance misuse and overdoses.

10) Coalitions/family resource centers serving families report increased family stress, especially for parents in early recovery.

11) The RECOVER Project, North Quabbin Recovery Center, and Tapestry are making plans to safely reopen using the guidance from Governor Baker’s office and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. More details forthcoming as they become available.

CLICK HERE for the full OTF report.

Announcements | Webinars | Open Source Information | Useful Links

From the

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency

Dear Applicants:

On May 5,2020, the FEMA Simplified Application Process within Grants Portal went live, allowing applicants with approved Requests for Public Assistance (RPAs) to complete the application, upload required documentation, and submit applications for eligible costs incurred for the COVID-19 response. FEMA has issued revised guidance on the application process. As such, a summary of process changes are as follows:

1. Grants Portal Application: FEMA will no longer accept the PDF form of the application for project development. Applicants who have not yet submitted their application must do so through the electronic form available in Grants Portal. The applicant should log onto Grants Portal, go to the Applicant Event Profile for DR 4496, and start an application using the “Submit Project Application” button.

2. Expedited Projects: Applicants will be able to apply for an Expedited Project directly through the application on Grants Portal. With this new functionality, MEMA will no longer require the submission of an Expedited Project Form, available on the MEMA website. As such, MEMA will be removing this form from its website. Applicants should log onto Grants Portal and complete the “Expedited Projects” section of the application.

3. Exploratory Call: With FEMA’s new streamlined application process, FEMA will not host Exploratory Calls, as they have in other disasters. MEMA Project Coordinators will start to engage applicants to set up a State-Led Exploratory Call to gather information, such as cost estimates, and to provide direct technical assistance to applicants regarding eligibility and process. If applicants do not feel as though they need to engage in this call, however, they are encouraged to start the application process in Grants Portal and reach out to MEMA if they encounter any difficulties.

4. Preparer’s Role: Applicants may now designate a consultant to prepare a project on behalf of the applicant as a “preparer.” To manage your entity’s personnel listed in the Portal, you can review a FEMA tutorial for step-by-step instruction here.

5. Documentation Requirements: As always, for work completed, FEMA will require 100% documentation to be submitted into Grants Portal for large projects. Once the application is submitted, FEMA will validate a sampling of the documentation for completeness and accuracy. After FEMA’s sampling, MEMA will reconcile 100% of documentation and costs.

For work that is not yet completed, where the applicant must estimate costs, FEMA will require the applicant to provide a narrative methodology for how the applicant estimated those costs. MEMA will not validate estimated costs prior to obligation; however, 100% of documentation will be required before MEMA provides reimbursement for large projects.

If your entity has any question on the process changes, please let us know by submitting your questions through MEMA’s question portal available on our website or through this link: Submit Question to the MEMA Recovery Team