Government

State Rep. Lawn Thanks Governor, Legislature for Passing Bill to Provide Funding for Hospitals, Community Health Centers

By |

Massachusetts State House (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The following announcement was provided by the Healey-Driscoll Administration:

On Sept. 22, Governor Maura Healey signed An Act making appropriations for fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects to ensure critical funding for hospitals and community health centers in Massachusetts while also reimbursing for services for uninsured and underinsured residents.  

While the state experiences significant demand for uncompensated care every year, hospitals and health centers are more acutely feeling strain this year due to more hospitals accepting patients on public payor insurance, growing expenses and increased use of services. In order to address the immediate shortfall, the Healey-Driscoll Administration and partners in the Legislature moved quickly to provide additional funding and relief for hospitals and community health centers.  

Key provisions of the bill include: 

$122 million for acute care hospitals serving a high percentage of low-income patients and under financial distress. 

$77 million for the Health Safety Net Trust Fund, to reimburse hospitals and community health centers for services provided to uninsured and underinsured individuals. 

An additional $35 million to community health centers and hospital licensed health centers, including $2.5 million earmarked for shared services. 

“Thank you to the Healey Administration, House and Senate leadership, and all of my colleagues for recognizing the urgency of delivering critical funding to support our hospitals and community health centers,” said Representative John Lawn (D-Watertown), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “The Commonwealth will not turn away patients, abandon providers or retreat from our responsibility to ensure that every resident has access to high-quality care.” 

“It is important to support our hospitals and community health centers so our residents get the access and quality of care they deserve across Massachusetts. This package is a step forward in maintaining our world-class health care ecosystem,” said Governor Maura Healey.

Government

State of the City Address Will Take Place on September 30

By |

City Council President Mark Sideris and City Manager George Proakis will provide their annual update about the City of Watertown at the end of September. See the details in the announcement sent out by the City of Watertown below. The Watertown State of the City address will be delivered by Watertown’s City Council President Mark Sideris and City Manager George Proakis on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber! Join in-person in the Watertown City Council Chamber in City Hall at 149 Main Street, watch live on WCA-TV, or watch on Comcast channel 9, or RCN channel 3, to hear the annual remarks about the City’s efforts from this past year and what to expect ahead in Watertown.

Letters

LETTER: Mass. Deserves Better — Support the Corporate Fair Share Act & Close the Tax Loophole

By |

Dear Editor,

Massachusetts is facing a critical moment. Federal budget cuts are threatening to devastate essential services — Medicaid, SNAP, education, mental health care, and more. These cuts could strip healthcare and food assistance from up to 350,000 residents, blow a $3.5 billion hole in our state budget, and harm over 1 million students. We must act now to protect our communities. A powerful solution is the Corporate Fair Share Act (An Act Combating Offshore Tax Avoidance, H.3110/S.2033), a proposal that would raise over $400 million in new annual revenue by closing a loophole that allows billionaire global corporations to hide profits offshore and avoid paying their fair share in Massachusetts taxes.  

Right now, Massachusetts only taxes 5 percent of these offshored profits — far less than neighboring states like Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine, which tax 50–60 percent.

Around Town

Walk N Talk Visits Spots on Arsenal Street That Have Undergone Major Changes, Ends With Eats at Restaurant

By |

Arsenal Park is one of the stops in the September Walk N Talk

The October Watertown Business Coalition Walk N Talk, in conjunction with Live Well Watertown, will visit two areas of town that have undergone major changes in the past several years: Arsenal Park and the Arsenal on the Charles. 

We will meet at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, then visit the historical markers in the Arsenal on the Charles complex. Then we will see the recently renovated Arsenal Park and end at Branch Line restaurant for some small bites. Parking is available in the parking garage near the Mosesian Center/Branch Line. Click here to register. The Walk N Talk, co-sponsored with Live Well Watertown, provides an opportunity to engage with fellow community members, support local Watertown businesses and participate in physical activity.

Entertainment

Check Out This Week’s Small Saves Cartoon

By |

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Business

See Who Won the First Annual Watertown Business Coalition Pizza Fest

By |

The joint winners of the First Annual WBC Pizza Fest: Gigi’s Pizza Co. (left) and Johnnie’s Pizza & Wings. The Watertown Business Coalition handed out the Golden Slice to the winners of the First Annual Pizza Fest at the Faire on the Square. The contest in which people voted online ended in a tie. See the announcement from the WBC, below.

Around Town

Watertown Group Screening Documentary on “Forever Chemicals”

By |

The following announcement was provide by Watertown Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee:

PFAS: Forever Chemicals; What They Mean for Our Health and What We Can Do

Want to learn more about PFAS? The chemicals are now almost everywhere, including in human blood, and are being linked to severe health problems.

Join the Environment & Energy Efficiency Committee for a screening of Bloomberg Investigation’s 2023 documentary “The Poison in Us All” followed by a discussion with Laurel Schaider from the Silent Spring Institute. Sunday September 28, 2-4 p.m.

Watertown Savings Bank Room

Watertown Free Public Library