By Andrew Albanese and Jim Milliot | Publishers Weekly | Feb 23, 2023
BY MARTINA JACKSON, FIG CITY NEWS on FEBRUARY 7, 2023
So says State Rep. Ruth B. Balser, explaining a bill she has filed — HD2465 An Act Ensuring Access to Addiction Services.
by Salem News. September 15, 2022.
On June 15, the artwork of Nino Lombardi, a 93-year-old Beverly artist, was presented to state Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-Somerville, and state Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, in recognition and appreciation of their exemplary service on behalf of Massachusetts older adults, persons with disabilities, veterans, their families, and their caregivers. The presentation was sponsored by Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of aging and disability service and advocacy organizations and supporters dedicated to systemic transformation of long-term care and services to ensure the dignity of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
By Readers First. January 23, 2023
On Friday January 20th, Ruth Balser of the 12th Middlesex district filed “An Act empowering library access to electronic books and digital audiobooks.”
By Anne Sandoli, Newton Patch. November 18, 2022
NEWTON, MA — The $3.76 billion Massachusetts Economic Development Bill that was approved last week includes a total of $2,095,000 for Newton projects, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said Thursday.
by Paula Moura, WBUR. November 18, 2022
“It is a tool for meeting the climate crisis. We need open space to mitigate against flooding. We need it to absorb carbon,” said representative Ruth Balser, a Democrat from Newton and co-sponsor of the bill.
By Martina Jackson, Fig City News. November 15, 2022
On November 10th, the Massachusetts Legislature voted to pass the Public Lands Preservation Act (PLPA, H.5381), designed to preserve open space in the Commonwealth. For Rep. Ruth Balser (D, Newton) it was the successful culmination of a twenty-four-year legislative journey, with roots in her service on the Newton Board of Alderman. PLPA adds protections for open space protected by the state constitution under Article 97, enacted in 1972.
By Todd Wallack and Robert Weisman Globe Staff,Updated June 23, 2020, 11:52 a.m.
State public health officials say they need more time to comply with a new law requiring them to provide the precise number of COVID-19 deaths and cases at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other senior residences throughout Massachusetts.
The Department of Public Health has so far provided limited data about outbreaks at the facilities, following pressure from the news media, lawmakers, and advocates.
A bill sponsored by Representative Ruth Balser, Democrat of Newton, mandating that the state significantly ramp up reporting about long-term-care sites, was passed by the Legislature late last month and signed by Governor Charlie Baker early this month.
The agency said it hopes to provide additional data in “coming weeks,” but did not provide a date.
Commonwealth Magazine: More information sought on race, individual nursing homes
SHIRA SCHOENBERG Jun 8, 2020
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH will need to publish more transparent data about the number of COVID-19 cases in individual long-term care facilities, and will also need to publish new racial and occupational data about coronavirus cases, under a bill Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law Sunday.
“For a month and a half now we’ve been asking for this information…in order to better prepare for how we’re going to address the most affected communities,” said Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, a Springfield Democrat who chairs the Black and Latino legislative caucus.
As the coronavirus pandemic has swept the state, the Department of Public Health has been regularly changing the way it reports COVID-19 data, with daily and weekly updates. But advocates for racial minorities and those focusing on nursing home outbreaks have been pushing for more specific data.
Rep. Ruth Balser, a Newton Democrat who chairs the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs and sponsored an early version of the bill, said since seniors in group living facilities are the most vulnerable population to the virus, the public and policymakers need accurate, preciseand comprehensive information by facility.
By The Editorial BoardUpdated May 21, 2020, 11:11 a.m.
As public policy goes, it’s pretty simple. Families with loved ones in nursing homes and other senior living settings deserve to know the whole truth about COVID-19 testing results and the actual death count in any specific facility.
And so does the public. After all, Governor Charlie Baker just announced the state will give nursing homes — which are already taxpayer-subsidized — another $130 million to bolster their response to the coronavirus. It’s only fair to expect transparency in exchange for that money.
But right now, there’s no way for the public to get that information. The state’s official coronavirus dashboard reports “confirmed cases” of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities, not COVID-19 deaths in each facility. And even with confirmed cases, there’s no precise tally, just three broad reporting categories: more than 30, 10 to 30 and fewer than 10. Nor does the dashboard report how many residents have recovered from the virus, or provide any breakdown of employee versus resident statistics.Get Today in Opinion in your inboxGlobe Opinion’s must-reads, delivered to you every Sunday-Friday.Sign Up
If the Baker administration won’t publicize that data, it falls to the Legislature to step in. Simple transparency was the goal of legislation proposed by state Representative Ruth Balser of Newton. Click here to read more.
