Community Legal Aid gets funding to help people overcome housing, employment barriers

NORTHAMPTON — Community Legal Aid, the non-profit civil legal aid program serving low-income and elderly residents in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester counties, has received $292,000 to rapidly expand its CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information)/Re-entry Project throughout its service area.

People who have been recently released from incarceration and those with criminal records can face many challenges, including barriers to housing and employment opportunities. Funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program will support Community Legal Aid’s work on behalf of its clients to address the civil consequences of the criminal court system through advocacy and education. With this $292,000, Community Legal Aid will focus on helping residents overcome barriers to housing and employment due to the presence of a criminal record.

Community Legal Aid’s CORI/Re-entry Project is supervised by attorney Alyssa Golden, who leads a team of four lawyers working out of Community Legal Aid’s offices in Northampton, Springfield, Pittsfield and Worcester. Last year, the project helped more than 200 people with expungement and sealing of records. In addition to serving individuals with criminal record-related issues, Golden and her team conduct trainings for community members and staff at service organizations.

Heart lecture series starts Feb. 5

SPRINGFIELD — As part of American Heart Month in February, Baystate Health will hold its Virtual Heart & Vascular Health Lecture Series to share the latest advances in heart and vascular care.

Baystate cardiac surgeon Dr. Siavash Saadat will lead the first lecture, “From Arteries to Afib: With New Advancements, is Cardiac Surgery the Answer?” on Sunday, Feb. 5.

The lecture series will continue with “Advanced Cardiac Imaging: Beyond Echo and Nuclear Tests” on Feb. 12, presented by Baystate cardiologist Dr. Brian Wasserman. He will discuss the latest testing available to evaluate chest pain, heart disease and other heart-related issues.

On Feb. 19, the virtual series continues with “Pain in My Legs: Do I Need to Talk to a Vascular Doctor?” presented by Baystate vascular surgeon Dr. Hazel Marecki. She will talk about updates in vascular care and the latest advances in vascular surgery.

The series will end on Feb. 26, with “Watching Your Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Cholesterol and Weight — What’s the Big Deal? Don’t Wait for Symptoms,” presented by Elizabeth Jarry, CNP at Baystate Cardiology. She will discuss cardiac risk factors and how they relate to metabolic syndrome.

All lectures will begin at noon and are followed by a question-and-answer session. They are free to attend.

Registration is required for each session by visiting baystatehealth.org/heart.

Weight loss surgery info sessions start Jan. 19

NORTHAMPTON — Community members who want to learn about options for weight loss surgery are invited to attend a free, virtual information session with bariatric surgeon Dr. Ursula McMillian. Sessions will be held Thursday, Jan. 19, Wednesday, Feb. 15, and Wednesday, March 15, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

According to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, weight loss surgery is considered by the medical community to be the most effective and enduring option to reduce body weight in people who are considered morbidly obese.

“Proper weight management, combined with weight loss surgery, has been the only intervention shown to produce long-term weight loss success,” McMillian, medical director of Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s bariatric and weight management program, said in a statement.

Session topics include the obesity epidemic and the history of weight loss surgery; goals and benefits of surgery; the types of weight loss surgeries performed at Cooley Dickinson Hospital; and the patient’s journey leading up to, during and after surgery.

To register for an information session, contact Heather at hcostabile@cooleydickinson.org, call 413-584-4637 or complete the online form. Once registered, participants will receive a Zoom link to join the virtual event.

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