MassDOT holding second annual ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest

BOSTON — The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is holding its second annual “Name a Snowplow” contest for elementary school students across the state. Entries are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1.

The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season, and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors, according to MassDOT. The contest seeks to solicit names for 12 snowplows that will be in service for the 2023-2024 winter season.

“This contest is a great way to celebrate the winter season in New England, encourage the creativity of our young people, and to thank all the dedicated members of our crews who keep our roads and bridges cleared during severe weather,” acting Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt said in a statement. “We truly appreciate all the people who work on the front lines regardless of the weather in all sectors of the economy and this is one gesture of thanks.”

“This contest was well received last winter and we know there are many good suggestions out there once again for naming our plows this season,” Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in a statement. “We want to use the contest as a way to recognize our dedicated workforce and at the same time give students an opportunity to have some fun naming plows as it helps connect young people with the public servants who do the work.”

Applications for the Snowplow Naming Contest can be submitted by using an online portal at mass.gov/forms/name-a-snowplow-contest-submission. There is no limit to the number of applications that can be submitted per school. The contest winners, to be announced by Dec. 22, will be invited to participate in a snowplow unveiling event.

A selection panel composed of MassDOT employees will choose two elementary school classroom winners that are located within each of the six Highway Division districts. The winning submissions will be evaluated based on two grade-level categories: kindergarten through fourth grade and fifth grade through eighth grade.

For more information, visit mass.gov/name-a-snowplow-contest-2023-24.

Girl Scout troops accepting new members

Franklin County girls living in Rowe, Heath, Colrain, Leyden, Bernardston, Northfield, Charlemont, Buckland, Shelburne, Greenfield, Gill, Erving, Montague, Hawley, Plainfield and Ashfield are invited to join one of two Girl Scout troops.

Girls in kindergarten and first grade can join Girl Scout Troop 65398, which meets biweekly on Tuesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. in Greenfield.

Girls in second and third grades can join Girl Scout Troop 65402, which meets biweekly on Sundays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Charlemont.

The annual membership cost is $35 and financial assistance is available.

Register for a spot in the troops at bit.ly/Troop65398 or bit.ly/Troop65402. With questions, email info@gscwm.org or call 413-584-2602.

Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice hosting informational series

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice is hosting a three-part informational series on home care and hospice topics that will be held at locations across the Pioneer Valley, including in Greenfield.

Session 1 is titled “Everything You Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask.” This session will discuss myths and facts concerning hospice care, enabling attendees to make thoughtful decisions in considering hospice services.

Session 2 is titled “Navigating the Journey of Grief and Loss.” Attendees will learn about grief, typical grief responses and community resources.

Session 3 is titled “Making the Right Choice. Learn the Options for Home Health Care.” Speakers will explain the variety of available services while also discussing the importance of advance care planning.

The sessions will be held at locations in Northampton, Westhampton, South Hadley, Belchertown and Greenfield. The Greenfield sessions will be held in 2024 at the Greenfield Senior Center, 35 Pleasant St., on Fridays, March 22, April 26 and May 24, all starting at 11 a.m.

For a full list of dates, times and locations, visit bit.ly/49kUrEk.

Cooley Dickinson offering anti-obesity medication program

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital has expanded its services to offer anti-obesity medication management.

The medication management program is ideal for patients with a body mass index greater than 27 and obesity-related complications.

“CDH has a truly comprehensive bariatrics and weight management program now,” nurse practitioner Sofia Buford, who is certified in obesity medicine from the Obesity Society, said in a statement.

Buford is providing medication management to patients as part of Cooley Dickinson’s evidence-based, high-quality nutrition and bariatrics program. She also has experience managing obesity in patients with co-morbid eating disorders.

“Obesity is a complex, chronic and relapsing neuroendocrine disease with behavioral components,” Buford continued. “There are various treatment options, both surgical and non-surgical. Each patient who sees us will receive individualized, compassionate care.”

Dr. Ursula McMillian, the team’s bariatric surgeon, championed the growth of Cooley Dickinson’s program. Rebecca Rand, the team’s dietitian, works with patients to help them make healthy food choices and has experience in physical training.

“This is a really exciting time to work in obesity medicine,” Buford added. “There are several new medications on the market and more coming down the pipeline. We understand obesity as a disease much better than we did in the past, which means we can now offer our patients various treatment approaches.”

For more information on the program, call 413-584-4637.

BHN senior VP honored

SPRINGFIELD — Behavioral Health Network’s Senior Vice President Rose Evans has received the Association for Behavioral Healthcare’s Scott M. Boch Force for Change Award.

Jane Simonds and Lisa Yin, both senior program managers in BHN’s substance use disorder (SUD) division, accepted the award on Evans’ behalf on Oct. 20 at the Association for Behavioral Healthcare’s Salute to Excellence event in Framingham.

The Scott M. Boch Force for Change Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated devotion to the behavioral health and human services fields, persistent advocacy on behalf of the workforce and individuals served, and successful consensus building among stakeholders.

In Evans’ nomination for the award, she is credited as being a force for change throughout her 40-year career in behavioral health and human services.

“From her role on the executive team at Center for Human Development (CHD) to her service as deputy undersecretary for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development in the Patrick and Baker administration, to her current role at BHN, Rose has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the needs and interests of the communities we serve and the staff who serve them,” the nomination stated.

At BHN since 2017, Evans is responsible for managing nearly half the client service programs, including substance use treatment, intellectual and developmental disabilities programs and forensic services. In this role she has mobilized staff, community leaders, funders and regulators behind the expansion of the substance use disorder (SUD) continuum of care in western Massachusetts. The expansion of SUD services has included opening new clinical stabilization units in Springfield and Greenfield; opening medication-assisted treatment programs in Springfield, Holyoke and Orange; and preparing to launch a mobile methadone program to serve individuals in the rural Quaboag Hills area.

“The secret to Rose’s success is her unapologetic authenticity, humility and presence. Rose shows up, listens to her staff, the people we serve and community stakeholders to identify needs, and then creates and executes strategies to meet the needs,” Steve Winn, president, and CEO at BHN, said in a statement. “Communities that have desperately needed substance use treatment service options close to home now have them because of Rose’s tenacious advocacy within our agency, with elected officials, with state-appointed staff and with funders.”

MBI launches $145M Gap Networks Infrastructure Grant Program

WESTBOROUGH — The Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech (MBI), on behalf of the state, has launched the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program, a new grant program funded by $145 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund that aims to deliver high-speed internet infrastructure to areas that lack broadband-level service.

The Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program aims to expand connectivity to unserved and underserved locations to help bridge the digital divide, with a particular focus on communities with substantial low-income households and disadvantaged populations.

Details on program requirements, including details on the technical assistance webinar MBI is hosting on Nov. 14, at 10 a.m., are available on the MassTech procurement page at masstech.org/broadband-infrastructure-gap-networks-grant-program.

The new program will consist of two solicitation grant rounds. The first round has an application deadline of Dec. 11 and awards will be announced in January or February 2024. The second round has an application deadline of April 17, 2024, with awards expected in May or June 2024.

Organizations that are eligible to submit applications for awards include:

■Private entities: corporations, limited liability companies, general partnerships and limited partnerships;

■Local governmental entities: municipalities or municipal light plants that offer broadband service, Native American tribes and nonprofit organizations;

■Co-operatives, electric co-operatives and utilities;

■Public-private partnerships: long-term agreements between local government entities and private entities for the delivery and funding of broadband services; and

■Entities that develop and/or operate broadband networks: organizations that can demonstrate the experience, capacity and financial resources and stability to satisfy the grant obligations.

The program is administered by the MassTech Collaborative and the state’s Executive Office of Economic Development to fund projects that will deploy broadband infrastructure in areas that lack access to high-speed internet, which is defined under federal guidelines as service that offers download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 20 megabits per second.

Ride to Provide raises $80K for
Jewish groups

SPRINGFIELD — About 125 participants on 25 bike teams from Jewish organizations across western Massachusetts participated in the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts’ Ride to Provide at UMass Hillel in Amherst on Oct. 15, raising more than $80,000.

In addition to raising money for the Jewish organizations, the Ride to Provide celebrated Jewish culture and gave the Jewish community the opportunity to be together and be in solidarity with friends and family in Israel.

The federation also launched the Blue Ribbons for Israel campaign at the Ride to Provide, and had blue ribbons available for anyone wishing to send a message of solidarity by wearing one. Visit blueribbonsforisrael.org to learn more about the campaign.