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Williamstown Commons Reports COVID-19 Case

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A resident at Williamstown Commons' skilled nursing facility has tested positive for COVID-19.
 
In a post on the nursing home's website on Tuesday, Administrator Jodi Ouimette wrote that that the facility will be working with the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the state and local health departments "to isolate this situation and mitigate any future problems."
 
"Please be assured that we have been preparing for this situation for the last several weeks knowing that the virus is present in our local communities," she wrote. "We are confident that our team of clinicians, nurses, aides and other support staff at Williamstown Commons are well prepared to protect the ongoing health of our residents."
 
Nursing and rehabilitation centers were among the first to have restrictions put in place as the first cases began to appear Massachusetts. Emergency orders put in place by the state on March 12 called for screening employees, vendors and clients and banned visitations. 
 
"We continue to assess our residents and staff daily for signs or symptoms of COVID-19," Ouimette wrote. "It was the strict adherence to these protocols that enabled us to identify this case and resulted in a swift response in caring for this patient and putting immediate precautions in place to help isolate the situation."
 
More than 800 Americans have died of the novel coronavirus, including 11 in Massachusetts as of Tuesday afternoon. The infection has affected all ages but is particularly dangerous for older people and those with existing medical issues.  
 
An extended care facility in Washington State became ground zero for the coronavirus in February because of an infected visitor. More than 30 residents and staff has since died and the contagion swiftly entered the community.
 
Williamstown Commons says it is more prepared to contain and isolate the affected patient to prevent spread. 
 
"Throughout this entire public health crisis, we have been guided by, and consulted with, key federal and state agencies who are involved in the prevention and mitigation of the coronavirus," Ouimette wrote. "Their infection control, screening and assessment protocols have been instrumental in our preparedness for this situation."
 
She said the nursing facility and staff share the same concerns as the community during the pandemic.
 
"We recognize that time-sensitive and candid communication with our residents, families and community is critical to how we all respond to this health crisis," she wrote.

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Mount Greylock School Committee Votes Slight Increase to Proposed Assessments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to slightly increase the assessment to the district's member towns from the figures in the draft budget presented by the administration.
 
The School Committee opted to lower the use of Mount Greylock's reserve account by $70,000 and, instead, increase by that amount the share of the fiscal year 2025 operating budget shared proportionally by Lanesborough and Williamstown taxpayers.
 
The budget prepared by the administration and presented to the School Committee at its annual public hearing on Thursday included $665,000 from the district's Excess and Deficiency account, the equivalent of a municipal free cash balance, an accrual of lower-than-anticipated expenses and higher-than-anticipated revenue in any given year.
 
That represented a 90 percent jump from the $350,000 allocated from E&D for fiscal year 2024, which ends on June 30. And, coupled with more robust use of the district's tuition revenue account (7 percent more in FY25) and School Choice revenue (3 percent more), the draw down on E&D is seen as a stopgap measure to mitigate a spike in FY25 expenses and an unsustainable budgeting strategy long term, administrators say.
 
The budget passed by the School Committee on Thursday continues to rely more heavily on reserves than in years past, but to a lesser extent than originally proposed.
 
Specifically, the budget the panel approved includes a total assessment to Williamstown of $13,775,336 (including capital and operating costs) and a total assessment to Lanesborough of $6,425,373.
 
As a percentage increase from the FY24 assessments, that translates to a 3.90 percent increase to Williamstown and a 3.38 percent increase to Lanesborough.
 
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