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Health

Sizer senior hopes to teach Health someday

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FITCHBURG — The decision to attend Mount Wachusett Community College in the fall was an easy one for Sizer Senior Sierra Leary.

“I chose the Mount as my college because I knew that going there first would really help me begin my path. Also, my amazing mom currently goes there and I know how much she loves the school and how much they support her,” said Leary, of Fitchburg.

And inspiring educators is important to Leary as she plans to one day have a classroom of her own.

“I will be majoring in Allied Health and minoring in Secondary Education. My hope for the future is to use this major to go into teaching. More specifically, I would like to be a high school health teacher,” she said. “I want to teach high schoolers because I feel they are the most moldable, however difficult.”

She continued, “Allied Health is how I am going to get all of the knowledge I need in order to be a health teacher. I will be able to learn more about health sciences in general.”

Leary has three siblings, an older sister, a younger sister and a little brother Noah, “who is three and who can always put a smile on my face.”

When she’s not in school, Leary is an artist.

“I spend my time outside of school doing art, whether that be painting, poetry, drawing, or other art related things,” she said.

She hopes to spend most of her summer relaxing and spending time with her family, but she does have a few major goals:

“My current summer plans are to take a summer ASL course at Fitchburg State and get my license once I turn 18,” she said.

Her advice to upcoming seniors?

“Don’t stress yourself out. Take things slow. Obviously focus on your work, but try to also focus on your mental health as well. The year can be really stressful at times and it is important to remember to put yourself first.”

Sizer School is currently accepting applications to the seventh grade for next year. To apply, visit tinyurl.com/SizerSchool. The deadline to apply is June 1.

Boston University and Travis Roy Foundation create fund for scholars studying paralysis, spinal cord injuries

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Boston University and the Travis Roy Foundation have created a scholarship fund that honors the life and legacy of the late Travis Roy, providing awards to BU scholars studying paralysis and spinal cord injuries.

Roy, a promising freshman BU hockey player, was paralyzed 11 seconds into the first hockey game of his college career.

With the help of rehab professionals, he returned to the university 10 months after his injury, earned a degree in communications, and began a career as a motivational speaker while helping others living with paralysis. In 2020, Roy died after being a quadriplegic for 25 years.

Now, BU’s Sargent College and the Travis Roy Foundation — which Roy launched in 1996 — have created the Travis M. Roy Endowed Scholarship Fund, established through a $1 million gift from the foundation.

“This is a tangible living legacy to Trav’s life and impact, pursuing his quest for ‘how good can I be’ and enabling Sargent’s programs and its students to do the same,” Roy’s parents Brenda and Lee said in a statement. “The Travis Roy Endowed Scholarship Fund highlights Travis’ passion for helping others and his life of gratitude in the face of adversity.”

The fund will provide annual scholarship awards to one or more doctoral candidates enrolled in BU Sargent College’s Department of Occupational Therapy or Department of Physical Therapy.

Roy and Sargent College have a long-standing relationship. When he returned to BU after his injury, Roy worked with Sargent physical therapists and occupational therapists to continue his recovery and help make his dorm room more accessible.

In 2015, Sargent College Dean Chris Moore announced a $2.5 million gift from a group of anonymous donors to establish the Travis Roy Professorship in Rehabilitation Sciences, currently held by Sargent Physical Therapy Professor LaDora Thompson whose research focuses on muscle weakness and dysfunction.

“The Travis M. Roy Endowed Scholarship Fund will be an enduring celebration of Travis’ relationship with BU and Sargent College,” Moore said. “It reflects our shared commitment to supporting everyone’s participation in their lives and communities to the fullest extent possible.”

Both the Travis Roy Scholarship Fund and the Professorship at Sargent College are endowed in perpetuity, part of Roy’s legacy to improve the lives of those with spinal cord injuries and his belief in the crucial work of rehabilitation professionals.

“BU always meant so much to Travis, and was so good to him over the years,” said Roy’s sister and brother-in-law Tobi and Keith VanOrden. “The idea that this scholarship will, in Trav’s name, help people continue to give back, both to BU and to spinal cord injury survivors, means so much to all of us.”

Harvard Pilgrim patients’ Social Security numbers may have been stolen in cyberattack

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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care patients’ sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, may have been stolen as officials continue to investigate a cybersecurity ransomware incident from several weeks ago.

The local health care giant has now started contacting individuals whose information might have been copied and taken from the Harvard Pilgrim systems.

“While we are not aware of any misuse of personal information and protected health information as a result of the incident, out of an abundance of caution, Harvard Pilgrim is offering complimentary access to two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through IDX to potentially impacted individuals,” Point32Health, the parent organization of Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Health Plan, wrote in an update.

“We also recommend that individuals remain vigilant, monitor, and review their financial and account statements and explanations of benefits, and report any unusual activity to the institution that issued the record and to law enforcement,” Point32Health added.

On April 17, Harvard Pilgrim discovered a cybersecurity ransomware incident, impacting systems that support Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Commercial and Medicare Advantage Stride plans.

The parent organization of Harvard Pilgrim notified law enforcement, and hired a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the root cause of the ransomware incident. Investigators have determined that data was copied and taken from March 28 to April 17.

“We take the privacy and security of the data entrusted to us seriously,” Harvard Pilgrim said in a statement. “We are continuing our active investigation and conducting extensive system reviews and analysis before we can resume our normal business operations.”

“We want to assure you that we are taking this incident extremely seriously, and we deeply regret any inconvenience this incident may cause,” Harvard Pilgrim later added.

Investigators determined that the files at issue may contain the following types of personal information and/or protected health information: names, physical addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, health insurance account information, Social Security numbers, provider taxpayer identification numbers, and clinical information (medical history, diagnoses, treatment, dates of service, and provider names).

Harvard Pilgrim has established a dedicated call center for individuals to contact with questions or concerns, and for potentially impacted individuals to enroll in complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

Those with any questions regarding this incident are being urged to contact the dedicated assistance line at 888-220-5517.

As Massachusetts’ COVID public health emergency ends, advocates worry about the lifting of mask mandates

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Public health advocates are calling for hospitals, doctors, and other health providers to adopt masking policies, as health care mask mandates were lifted with the end of the state’s COVID-19 public health emergency on Thursday.

The end of masking policies “will put those seeking medical care who are already more vulnerable — people with respiratory diseases or cancer, people with disabilities, and older adults — at risk of contracting COVID and other potentially life-threatening illnesses,” said Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association.

The public health advocates cited the decision by UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester to keep masks in higher risk settings, such as the emergency department and oncology.

Meanwhile, the head of the Massachusetts Medical Society said its physicians support the evidence-based and data-driven decision to lift the national public health emergency.

“We are encouraged by the improving metrics around the virus,” said Massachusetts Medical Society president Ted Calianos. “The disease will not be eradicated, but we are in a markedly better position to prevent and control outbreaks.”

“In spite of our improved circumstance, we must remember that COVID-19 is still here, and infections can still lead to serious illness and death,” Calianos later added. “We urge all people in the Commonwealth to stay current on vaccinations and to consult with their health care clinician with questions about vaccines.”

On Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 979 virus cases over the last week. The daily average of 140 COVID cases from the last week was a slight increase from the daily rate of 128 virus infections during the previous week.

The Bay State’s positive test average ticked up last week. The seven-day positive test rate is now 2.59%, up from 2.46% last week.

The state Department of Public Health on Thursday also reported that 174 total patients are hospitalized with COVID, which is up two patients from this time last week. Tufts Medical Center last week reported that it wasn’t treating any COVID patients for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The state reported 15 new COVID deaths over the past week, bringing the state’s total to 24,644 recorded deaths since the start of the pandemic. The daily average of deaths is now two.

State health officials recently updated how COVID deaths are counted, limiting COVID-associated deaths to those with COVID listed on the death certificate.

More than 2 million people in the state have received a booster dose since the bivalent vaccine was offered last September.

Zero COVID patients reported at Tufts Medical Center for the first time since March 2020: ‘Tears in my eyes’

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Tufts Medical Center hit a major milestone on Tuesday, throwing it back to before pandemic times when COVID-19 patients were not flooding the Boston hospital.

As of 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Tufts Medical Center reported that the hospital was not treating any COVID patients for the first time since the pandemic started.

The last time there were zero COVID patients in the hospital was on March 21, 2020 — more than three years and 1,137 days ago.

Shira Doron, hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, woke up to a barrage of text messages from thrilled colleagues.

“‘Tears in my eyes’ and ‘A dream come true,’” Doron read on her phone.

“We’ve been in the trenches for three years, and it’s so amazing to get to this moment,” added Doron, who’s also the chief infection control officer for Tufts Medicine health system.

The peak of COVID hospitalizations at Tufts Medical Center was on April 21, 2020 — when a whopping 88 patients were being treated for the virus amid the initial spring 2020 surge.

Hospital leaders have been looking at the COVID patient numbers every day since the pandemic started, and they’ve often wondered when they would ever get down to zero COVID patients.

“It’s great to see, even if it’s only for the day,” Doron said.

The city of Boston reported 66 COVID hospitalizations in its most recent week of data, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.

Across Massachusetts, the state Department of Public Health reported that 204 patients were hospitalized with COVID as of last week. Nearly 4,000 COVID patients were in the hospital at the peak of the spring 2020 surge on April 21, 2020.

Doron noted the “hard work of the scientific community developing vaccines and treatments” to get to this moment with significantly fewer hospitalizations.

“People are now much less likely to end up in the hospital when they are infected,” Doron said.

The Biden administration has ended the COVID national emergency, and the World Health Organization has hinted that it will declare the pandemic is over later this year.

“We’re entering a phase where we won’t call it a pandemic much longer,” Doron said. “We will treat COVID like other respiratory viruses and pathogens.”

While communities came together in the spring of 2020 to bang pots and pans for doctors and nurses, Doron on Tuesday said she wanted to acknowledge the healthcare workforce for all of their hard work and perseverance over the last three-plus years.

“Under really unprecedented times, everybody came to work every day despite the danger,” she said. “Everybody did their job and worked harder than ever before.”

Mount Wachusett Community College awarded grant to address behavioral, mental health

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GARDNER — Mount Wachusett Community College has been awarded a Public Higher Education Student Behavioral and Mental Health Grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The goal of grant funds is to address the increased need for behavioral health services resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Throughout the past year, MWCC has been able to expand its mental health support and counseling services through Christie Campus Health, providing each student with free counseling services, as well as prescriber services from a nurse practitioner. Access to these services on campus has helped to reduce waiting time for students who are seeking mental health services. Funds are also being used for the train-the-trainer framework in suicide prevention for two students, who will then be able to train their peers. Faculty members will receive behavioral and threat assessment training.

In support of the development of healthy behaviors around nutrition and physical fitness, the grant enables MWCC to offer benefits including healthy food choice discount cards when students choose healthy meals at the campus café and semester passes for students to use at Mount Fitness. In addition to the fitness passes, seven stationary bikes will be placed in various areas on campus to promote movement.

The College has also developed Wellness Wednesdays to encourage self-care, including reiki and chair massage on campus, and a meditation and wellness room with yoga supplies, lounge chairs, light screens, and adult coloring books.

To learn more about the mental health services being offered on campus, visit bewellthemount.com or call 833-434-1217 for more information.