Our Caravan Of Compassion

May 9, 2020

Yesterday I joined my colleagues from the House and Senate that came together to build a #CaravanOfCompassion for our #EssentialWorkers, the healthcare workers.

We started in Stamford when others started East or North and we all gathered at the last nursing home we all visited, in Windsor.

Many thanks to State Representative Patricia Billie Miller, Senator Marilyn Moore, State Representative Robyn Porter, for coming up with the idea and all the other state legislators that helped organize and those that came in support at those nursing homes.

The caravan would pull in, honking our horns, sometimes escorted by emergency vehicles, and we would come out of our cars with our banners and wave and speak to our heroes to let them know that we see them, we hear them, and we love them. We also want them to know that we are fighting in the background for them, working hard to insure they get proper protective equipment.

Our frontline "soldiers" need our support. From the nursing homes with not enough PPEs to the ones where the management hoards PPEs, our heroes are the families for those passing. They are the ones caring for our close ones. We need to insure their utmost protection.

We would imagine or think that when a facility is in dire needs of PPE, upon receiving some, would use them right away until they get to go back to basics and self made masks. But we are told some of the nursing homes management, just keep the PPEs in their office instead of making sure it is used appropriately, and right away.

There are clearly mixed messages and what is important to understand is we are far from having a sufficient amount of PPEs, currently, for our healthcare workers, for group homes, child care, nursing homes, for our service workers at rest stops, security officers. The most vulnerable communities of our state also need PPEs and that is not 2 masks a week, especially considering that people get groceries, gas, and other essentials. All efforts by municipalities like Stamford, need to continue and double up, while the state and federal need to insure materials are available.

How can we re open the state when we do not have enough protective material for our frontline workers, how will the employees of businesses reopening get the PPEs..and the population?

We are at a time when by going forward, it is important to aim at a better future than what was the recent past. Those considered essential are our nurses but also the grocery store workers and many others.

Those are also the same people that regularly demand better pay, better treatment and better working conditions. Today we want to let them know that we are with them, we see them and we will do our best to protect them.

A group of people, nurses, legislators, friends, came with the idea of a fund for "ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES FOR THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS".

This charity initiative is to either fund raise to buy PPEs or to take in donations of PPEs. The fiduciary is United Way of Fairfield Coastal and 100% of the proceeds will go to PPEs. The distribution of purchased or donated masks is organized by the SEIU CT State Council, 1199NE will bring goods to the healthcare workers most in need, hot spots etc, and 32BJ will bring goods to the service workers hot spots.

Here is the link, please donate PPEs or money for PPEs if you can. They need help.

Thank you.
https://unitedwaycfc.org/essential

#Compassion for our #FrontlineHeroes

To view more pictures please click here.