Please find below the latest disaster figures .

Reminder: June 28, 2010 is the FEMA deadline to register for disaster
assistance at [800] 621-3362 [FEMA] or TTY [800] 462-7585 or

Disasterassistance.

Thank you once again for your help assistance me informing your
audience, who were affected by the severe storms and flooding that began
March 12, about

disaster assistance available to help them recovery. If any questions,
please do not hesitate to call me anytime.

Kim

Kim Anderson

External Affairs Field Specialist

DR 1895 Massachusetts

(571) 439-1399

Massachusetts & Worcester County

as of close of business June 14, 2010.

The total number of registration for Massachusetts: 35,4906

The total number of registration for Massachusetts on 6/14/10: 97

The total number of registrations for Worcester County: 1,651

The total number of registrations in Worcester County on 6/14/10: 2

The total number of inspections completed: 34,059

The total number of inspectors in the field: 15

The total amount of Individual and Household Program approved as of
6/14/10: $54.2 million

* This is money for housing and other disaster-related needs in the form
of grants delivered directly to individuals

I remember well those public hearings and countless cable advisory meetings where WCCA and our community supporters rallied around one of many important components of PUBLIC ACCESS value in our fight for continued, at least level funding. We tried are darnedest to convince the city why it would be important for WCCA TV to be distributed county wide and why it is so important to fund WCCA’s COMMUNITY VISION News and other WCCA presented news and information programming. Today, although we recieve less than level funding compared to past decades of franchise support, thanks to community initiatives and dedicated coalition made up of staff and volunteers WCCA is distributed beyond Worcester.

This is serving a purpose that is exactly in tune with our public access mission, the intent of congressional law in support of public access cable franchising, and one that studies have shown in other areas, is well needed.

Today, our channel 13′s Community Vision News, along with a number of other ethnic community news productions presented in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Albanian, to name a few, in additional ot WCCA’s community electronic bulletin board, provide our viewers with the best and most diverse and comprehensive coverage of local news and events.

The WCCA TV 13 and public access everywhere, plays an important role, in our media ecosystem that is not served anywhere else.Nowhere else do you find the level of encouragement and incentive for everyone to participate in sharing news, heritage, information, and fresh ideas. WCCA TV 13 is a charitable organization, and is an anchor institution that uniquely provides a comprehensive services to the general population with access to the needed media tools, the channels of distribution and the professional staff facilitation and educational component available to the general public, in one location, and making such access affordable.

No matter what your political point of view or opinion is you can participate int eh publci access process. Think about that. Look at the boundless diversity that exist on our channel activity, our website, or the daily activities going on at WCCA’s studios on Main Street, and then ask yourself why not do more to support TV 13 public access programming.

The funding provided by cable franchises is not enough to support WCCA activities or the entire scope of it’s mission, that is why we need your continued help and support. Consider making a financial or in-kind contribution to support all our fine programming and meet the challenges to maintain the local free flow of news and information. You can help keep this window into Worcester open to the world.
Feel free to contact me to see how you can help. 508-755-1880 ext. 11
Learn Create Connect WCCA TV 13, “The People’s Channel”

Thank you for helping us build Worcester’s community and helping to make our city a better place to live.
Mauro

We applaud Representative Serrono’s words on this subject. The FCC has taken over a year, and has still failed to make adequate assurances to guarantee the protection of Public Access is very suspicious to say the least. It raises many questions. There is no question, after decades of public access experiences in over 1,500 cities and towns across the USA, that PUBLIC ACCESS serves as an important and valuable anchor institution in a community. So there can only be limited answers to why the FCC or congress has not yet mandated improved guaranteed assurances to protect Public Access centers such as WCCA TV.

PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION is a place where the PEOPLE, rather than a cable or phone company or the government, are in control of disseminating free speech, educational material , views and opinions, a free flow of information, a diverse and shared view of the world. We must all recognize that perhaps this is why some in power perceive this as some sort of threat and perhaps why some cable and phone companies and, in some cases, even political entities, and some in government, can’t stand the existence of a public forum on television.

I am aware of many who feel that if our political leaders and municipal and state authorities you can not appreciate the value of the product of a public access station , you have no business working in a democratic government or claiming to build or care about community or individual rights or government transparency.

Transparency is not just about what government allows the people to see it is also about maintaining open forums for the people to express their point of view. Stations such as WCCA make that possible, without government intervention. That is not a threat to our community but a healthy and nurturing thing.

When government stalls on moving to protect assurances to protect PUBLIC ACCESS television, where companies lobby or make attempts to either trivialize or bury PUBLIC ACCESS channels in a maze of the digital cosmos, where there are moves to diminish funding and capital that are intended to support Public Access, it may be argued that those are actions are against us, the people, against our ability to be self empowered, against our gaining opportunity to improve our lives, against our basic freedom and civil liberties, against true local participation.

Take note of who those are and do not tolerate any threats to PUBLIC ACCESS Television.

Thanks for taking time to read this. Sorry for the rant.

A LEAD TEST IS A SIMPLE
FINGER STICK AND IS THE
ONLY WAY TO TELL IF YOUR
CHILD HAS LEAD POISONING

All children ages 9 months old to 6 years old should be tested
every year for lead. Children under 16 years old who have been
exposed to lead should also be tested. Parents must accompany
their children.
Free Lead Testing—No Appointment Needed!
TUESDAY June 8, 2010 from 3:00PM—6:00PM at the Helen
Bowditch Health Center at Elm Park Community School
SATURDAY June 12, 2010 from 9:00AM—12PM at Family
Health Center of Worcester’s LAB, first floor of 26 Queen Street
The Worcester Public Schools is not responsible for, or connected with, any aspect of this program, and
participation in this program is the sole decision and responsibility of the parent or guardian.
Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc.
Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care

Back ground information on this:

Project Fact Sheet
Project Title: Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care at Family Health Center of Worcester
Project Type / Location: Renovation Construction / 26 Queen Street, Worcester, MA 01610
Funding: $515,800 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2010 (Stimulus Package) through the federal Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) Capital Improvement Program for Community Health Centers. An additional $487,085 in ARRA funding was received for the purchase of laboratory, dental, radiology and health information technology (HIT) equipment.
Construction Budget: Over two years, ARRA funding will provide $414,200 for demolition, debris removal, construction / renovations; $58,300 for architectural and engineering services; $3,300 in project inspection fees; and $40,000 in project management oversight.
Contractors: Kaplan Corporation, 116 Harvard Street, Brookline MA 02446
Steffian Bradley Architects, 100 Summer Street, 9th floor, Boston, MA 02110
Timeframe: Two phases of construction will be completed by September 30, 2010.
Project Outcomes:
1.Clinical Space Renovated: 18,390 square feet of clinical space renovated and improved to serve as a Walk-In Center for Urgent and Primary Care.

2.Jobs Created: 4.3 FTE Construction Jobs; and 2.0 FTE Health Care Jobs

3.Access to Primary Care Expanded: The new Walk-In Center will serve 2,278 new patients at Family Health Center of Worcester who currently lack access to primary care and are without a family doctor. The Walk-In Center expects to provide 9,000 medical visits each year for adult men and women, children, pregnant women and infants.

4.Connect the Uninsured to a Medical Home: The renovations will allow individuals who need a doctor and are currently uninsured, or who have lost their employment-based insurance, to receive assistance to apply for insurance, and be connected to a primary care medical home at Family Health Center of Worcester.
About Family Health Center of Worcester
Family Health Center of Worcester Inc. (FHCW), a Joint Commission accredited health care organization, provides high quality health care for over 22,000 local residents. FHCW’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of traditionally underserved and culturally diverse populations within the greater Worcester area by providing accessible, high-quality, comprehensive primary health care, dental care and social services to individuals and families regardless of the ability to pay. We do this through the practice of family medicine, behavioral health, nursing and dentistry, urgent care, medical case management, care coordination for chronic diseases, nutrition services, health education and outreach, school based health services, referral arrangements with local community services, the provision of specialized public health programs directed at the early detection and prevention of disease, the training of medical, nursing, dental and mental health residents, the employment of community residents.
FHCW is an academic health center. Since 1974, our health center has served as a training site for 12 residents (4 each year in a three year program) in our Family Practice Residency Program, in partnership with UMass Medical School (UMMS). Since the program began, we have trained more than 150 physicians to work with vulnerable populations, the majority of whom continue to serve in low-income communities today. We also operate a Post-Doctoral Psychiatry Residency, and in 2005, we expanded our educational mission in partnership with UMMS and developed a Dental Residency Program. In 2009 we established a Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program to address the need in Community Health Centers for well-prepared FNP providers to work with vulnerable populations.

Congressman Jim McGovern will tour the federal ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – Stimulus Bill) -funded construction site at Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. today at 10:30am on the first floor of 26 Queen Street, Worcester, MA 01610. Media are invited to preview the construction of the new Walk-In Center for Primary and Urgent Care at Family Health Center of Worcester today at 10:30am and join Congressman McGovern on his tour of the facility.

Construction by Kaplan Construction. Architectural services by Steffian Bradley Architects.

The renovation of over 18,000 square feet of clinical space will allow 2,200 new patients to access primary care services at Family Health Center of Worcester.

Family Health Center is a freestanding Federally Qualified Community Health Center that serves over 22,000 patients through over 110,000 clinical visits annually. The mission of the Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. (FHCW) is to improve the health and well-being of traditionally underserved and culturally diverse Worcester area residents through the provision of high quality, comprehensive and continuous primary health care, dental, behavioral health and social services. We operate a pharmacy, lab, radiology, WIC, urgent care center, and 6 school-based health centers to complete the continuum of care. We respectfully and compassionately care for patients in the context of their family, culture and community, and provide services in over 30 languages.

Family Health Center of Worcester
26 Queen Street
Worcester, MA
www.fhcw.org

According to CONNECTED PLANET:
Video services market expected to top $250 billion in 2014
Campbell, CALIFORNIA, June 1, 2010—Market research firm Infonetics Research released the first edition of its 2010 biannual Video Services and Subscribers report, which tracks telco Internet Protocol television (IPTV), cable video, and satellite video services and subscribers.
Iink

Our legislators need to ensure that these “video services” are subject ot franchise regulations to protect consumers as well as to provide provisions to support important valuable Public, Educational and Government channel and facility resources.

If, for the example, if such services are impacting Worcester, Worcester would stand to loose substantial strategic benefit by not aggressively pursuing service providers who are exploiting new technology to provide video services while avoiding franchise fees and licensing. A percentage of that 250 Billion as projected.

We need to look at each municipality in Massachusetts, for instance, as well as all states, and see if there is any indication that what might be happening in Washington DC is not happening in the state house or city or town halls.

As it stands with regard to video, municipalities can insist that all video providers are all subject to the same franchise license terms and conditions. That would be proper as well as fair and to best serve our communities, including the Public access (P.E.G.) communities. Thanks to Chuck Sherwood for forwarding this through the Alliance for Community Media.

We should not be asleep on this issue.

Teletruth News Analysis, June 1st, 2010.

To read the full article:
Letters from House Democrats and Senate Repbublicans against
the FCC — Sponsored by AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Astroturfers?
It’s open season on the FCC’s Broadband plans, from a new proposed bill by
Rep. Stearns (FL), or former politicians tied to astroturf groups — Are
the phone and cable companies pulling the strings?

To protect the Public Interest, shouldn’t these Senators and Congressmen
recuse themselves from voting on issues that directly help their
contributors — AT&T, Verizon and Comcast?
Astroturfer: Some person, politician, ‘expert’, company, non-profit or
other entity that takes money from a corporation then uses their influence
for the good of the corporation – usually over the needs of their own
constituents, members, etc.

CNET reports that “Congress rebukes FCC on Net neutrality rules”. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20005834-38.html”The Federal Communications Commission’s plan to impose Net neutrality
regulations just became much more difficult to pull off…A bipartisan group
of politicians on Monday told FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, in no
uncertain terms, to abandon his plans to impose controversial new rules on
broadband providers until the U.S. Congress changes the law…Seventy-four
House Democrats sent Genachowski. a letter saying his ideas will ‘jeopardize
Jobs’ and ‘should not be done without additional direction from Congress’. A
separate letter from 37 Senate Republicans was more pointed. It accused
Genachowski of pushing ‘heavy-handed 19th century regulations’ that are
‘inconceivable’ as well as illegal.”

Senate Republicans(PDF)

House Democrats (PDF):
The story doesn’t mention that these letters are totally partisan — as the
list of House Democrats and Senate Republicans who signed these letters
reads like a who’s who of politicians who, almost all, are
campaign-financed by AT&T, Verizon and the cablecos as some of their largest
contributors.

More suspect, the location of these posted letters are on the Netcompetition
website, an astroturf euphanism for ‘this web site is brought to you by
AT&T, Verizon and Comcast to keep their monopoly/duopoly power intact’.
Here’s a link to NetCompetition’s funding sources: AT&T, Verizon and
Comcast, not to mention a number of ‘co-opted’ groups like LULAC, who gets
millions in funding from AT&T and Verizon. http://netcompetition.org/index.php/go/about-us-members/ We wonder— Are the initiators of these letters drafted by/created by some astroturf group who works directly for AT&T, Verizon or Comcast? And doesn’t this smack of anti-trust violations when both the cable and phone companies — the caretakers of the only wires — are working together to
harm the Public Interest?
The Republican Letter: AT&T, Verizon and Comcast Funding.
Going  through the signatures we find that the majority of these signees
have AT&T, Comcast and Verizon as their major funders. Here are just a few;
John Mc Cain has AT&T as his Number 2 campaign and PAC funding source, Sam
Brownback has AT&T as Number 1, Jim DeMint has AT&T as Number 2, with
Verizon and Comcast making the Top 20.
Top 20 Contributors to Campaign Cmte and Leadership PAC

SOURCE :  Rank Contributor Total

John Mc Cain
2 AT&T Inc $57,500
12 Verizon Communications $34,250
20 Comcast Corp $28,000

Sam Brownback
1 AT&T Inc $11,000

Kay Baily Hutchinson
4 AT&T Inc $37,000

James DeMint
2 AT&T Inc $64,750
12 Comcast Corp $26,500
13 Verizon Communications $26,250

House Democrat Letter(s).

The Democratic letter, signed by 74 Democrats seems to be just as suspect as
a previous letter of House Democrats ‘concerned’ with the FCC’s Net
neutrality’ policies. The previous letter signatories showed that monies
were being paid by AT&T and Verizon to almost all of these concerned
Democrats. In short, the Congressmen gets money from a corporation, then
signs onto a letter of concern, which can only help the phone companies and
is against the interests of their own constituents.

The Hill blog mentioned that Congressmen John Dingell also sent a letter.
“Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) sided with major phone and cable companies in a
letter discouraging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius
Genachowski from a plan to boost the agency’s authority over broadband
access providers.” Link

It seems that Congressmen Dingell also gets money from the cable and phone
companies, who are major contributors.
To read the rest of this analysis.