🌱 Hospitals Worried + Shelter The Homeless + Nursing Home Crisis

Happy Thursday, Woonsocket! Here's everything you need to know going on in Woonsocket today. I'm Kathleen Stoddart and I'm happy to share today's news!

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First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 33 Low: 24. Did you feel that cold wind blowing in last night?

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Here are the top stories in Woonsocket today:

1. How Close Are Woonsocket Area Hospitals To Capacity? Nationally, about 77 percent of inpatient beds were occupied as of Dec. 22, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. About one out of every 10 beds are occupied by a COVID patient. In Rhode Island hospitals, approximately 88 percent of inpatient beds and 90 percent of intensive care unit beds were occupied. Around 13 percent of inpatient beds and 29 percent of ICU beds statewide were filled by COVID patients. A share greater than 10 percent is said to be a cause of concern. When that share exceeds 20 percent, a hospital is said to be under extreme stress. As the share approaches 50 percent, the stress is said to be immense. At Landmark Hospital, suspected COVID patients are at 14.90%. (Woonsocket Patch)
2. In November, the number of houses on the market fell to an all-time low, but inventory is expected to pick up in 2022, according to real estate experts. Redfin projects that new home listings will hit a 10-year high which would motivate more current homeowners to move. The median sale price for a single-family home in Woonsocket was about $305,000 in the fall, according to Redfin. That was 17 percent higher than the last year! (Woonsocket Patch)
3. After public pressure, Woonsocket directed ARPA funds to emergency housing for homeless. Woonsocket City Council authorized spending $70,000 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to house homeless people at a local motel for the winter and authorized directing $50,000 to the New Beginnings Soup Kitchen. Deciding who gets priority for that emergency housing will be at the discretion of the city's director of Human Services, Linda Plays. However, we should take note that the city is moving forward with the plan to use ARPA funds on an artificial ice rink. (The Providence Journal)
4. The State has announced its plans to help residents who are struggling to pay bills in the winter after the state received an additional $21.9 million in federal funding. The bill is called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) which will help people pay heating bills. The State also received $30 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to contribute to the LIHEAP fund, Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement on Tuesday. Starting next year, the State also said it would assist its residents with their water and sewer bills through another assistance program called the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program. (U.S. News & World Report)
5. As of November there were over 1,900 open nursing home positions including 447 nursing positions and 983 CNA positions. Jan 1 marks the enforcement of The Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act. It would require facilities to provide 3.58 hours of direct nursing care per resident, per day, and 2.44 hours of patient care per day for CNAs or face a penalty. If this standard was met, the industry would have to fill every open position and hire an additional 450 new direct care positions within the next week and a half. (NBC10)
6. The Department of Labor and Training has its hands full with more than $70 million fraudulent claims for unemployment since the pandemic began. "I think at some point, almost all the claims that were coming in were fraudulent," said Matt Weldon, director of the DLT. "Right now, we're dealing with people every single week who are trying to file claims fraudulently." The State has paid out $3.7 billion in total unemployment insurance since the beginning of the pandemic. ( WPRI)
7. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is warning consumers that Fresh Express is recalling salad products contaminated with listeria. The list of recalled products is here on the FDA's website, items with product codes Z324 through Z350. Anyone with these products should return them to their store, or throw them away. Symptoms of Listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Anyone who has eaten these should call their doctor.

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Today in Woonsocket:

The Stadium Theatre is having a free movie night tonight and Polar Express is the movie of choice. (7 pm)

Ciro's Tavern invites everyone to a Christmas Eve-Eve Celebration featuring the Common Ground Band. (6 pm)

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From my notebook:

• There were 9 hot chocolates in the State that were deemed the very best and one of them is Coffee & Cream in North Smithfield! The name of this scrumptious drink is Santa's Nightcap. It's made with Rum Chata Peppermint Bark which is added to the hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream and crushed candy sprinkles Coffee & Cream Breakfast Restaurant, 900 Victory Highway, North Smithfield, (401) 488-4448, coffeeandcreamrestaurant.com (Providence Journal)
• Let's talk Yaya & The Tree of Life. It's a handmade gift shop for everyone. Local artists of all ages (10-72 exactly) as well as the owners' products make up a huge variety of gifts. You'll find soaps, embroidery, sewn items, crocheted gifts, jewelry, & so much more. They're located right across from Stadium Theater. The shop has been doing 24 days of giveaways since Dec 1 ending Christmas Eve. You just need to purchase something to get your name entered. There are handmade Christmas stockings just ready for stuffing. The open hours this week are Thurs 10-6 and Fri 10-3 for that last-minute shopping. (Yaya and The Tree of Life)
• Get ready for the day after Christmas jam at Chan's featuring Beardogz 'Home for the Holidays' Concert. Sunday, December 26 at 7pm. (Chan's)
• Woonsocket Recycles: Recycle your outdated fridge or freezer through our Appliance Recycling Program and get $50. Schedule a no-cost pickup today! (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll be taking some time off for the holidays and will be back on Dec. 27. Merry Christmas!