
WINDSOR, CT —Democratic senators traveled around the state Friday to visit some of the hardest-hit nursing homes to thank the workers and ask if there’s anything they need.
They ended at Kimberly Hall North in Windsor, where the state has reported 40 people have died and 68 have tested positive for COVID-19. Kimberly Hall South, which is in an adjacent complex, has seen 12 deaths and has 65 positive cases.
“I wanted to look at the people doing this very difficult work in the eye and say how appreciative I am,” Sen. Mary Abrams, D-Meriden, said Friday outside Kimberly Hall North.
She said with visitors banned from nursing homes since mid-March, the mini-appreciation caravan also serves as an acknowledgement that staff are now the physical and emotional caretakers. Abrams said the emotional toll that this illness and ensuing deaths have taken on the workers is significant.
Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, said there is still a very serious problem with COVID-19 in the nursing homes and the workers in some of the homes are still facing shortages of personal protective equipment.
“We haven’t solved the problem and until we solve it, we have to keep working at it. We have to keep shining a light on it,” Kushner said.
She said the other thing they need to keep drawing attention to is the impact on black and brown communities, which have been impacted to a greater extent than other communities.
“When you look at the workers in nursing homes, you see that there are a lot of brown and black workers,” Kushner said. “And we need to recognize if we don’t take care of these workers we’re contributing to the problem.”

She credited Bridgeport Sen. Marilyn Moore with pressing the Democratic caucus to take action and contemplate if they were doing enough.
Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, said hospital workers are getting most of the recognition, and when nursing homes are recognized, it’s largely for “morbid statistics.” He said the work that is being done is “under-celebrated.”
Haskell said the work is largely being done by wome, mainly women of color, and they deserve to be “thanked in person.”
The senators also want to make sure the nursing home staff knows the lawmakers can be a resource for them.

Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, said one of the nurses asked where she can get tested.
He pointed out that Connecticut is two months into this pandemic, and healthcare workers still need information about where to get tested.
“We need to make sure people who need PPE can get PPE, and people who need testing can get testing,” Lesser said.
Rep. Joshua Hall, D-Hartford, said nursing home workers and hospital workers are not getting tested on regular basis.
“The cost of trying to reopen something without having that testing available for everybody, every single day is a scary proposition,” Hall said.
Abrams said a lot of these workers are not well paid and are forced to work more than one job.
“If we’re not protecting everybody, then we’re all vulnerable,” Abrams said.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
At the same time, lawmakers say they feel a little helpless because they are not in session writing public policy to help make sure some of these things happen. As far as legislating some things, such as workers’ compensation benefits for workers who test positive for COVID-19, Kushner said they trust that legislative leadership is looking at ways to be able to function and still make sure it’s safe for everyone.
“We’re all anxious to get back to that,” Kushner said. “But we don’t want to put anyone at risk.”
More COVID-19 Coverage

Connecticut To Get FEMA Funds for COVID Testing Sites
Connecticut will receive more than $2 million in federal emergency funding to pay for the operation of COVID-19 testing sites during a six-month period last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday. The roughly $2.15 million will come from FEMA’s public assistance grant program and will be used to reimburse state funds used to…
Keep reading
COVID Transmission Increases in CT
As of Friday afternoon, Connecticut’s test positivity rate was 13.71% and there were 323 residents hospitalized with the virus. On Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported that 158 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities qualified for the state’s “red alert” distinction for COVID-19, which is triggered when a community records at least 15 daily cases per…
Keep reading
Connecticut At High, Medium Risk of COVID Transmission
Connecticut’s COVID-19 test positivity rating was 10.35% on Thursday and all eight Connecticut counties were in the medium yellow or high orange categories on the CDC’s community spread map. Those community maps, created by the CDC in February, are supposed to tell people to take preventative steps such as masking and testing. Hartford, Middlesex and…
Keep reading
Advocates Make 11th Hour Pitch For Compassionate Release
Hartford, CT — Advocates seeking compassionate release from prison during public health emergencies like COVID rallied at the state Capitol hours before they saw their legislation die without action in either chamber. At the rally on Wednesday, protestors and advocates were demanding action from legislators to pass a bill that addresses COVID in prisons. The…
Keep reading
Legislating During COVID-19
The legislative session ends in three days now, that’s shorter than the amount of time someone should quarantine under CDC standards if they have COVID-19, so how are lawmakers coping? Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, started experiencing symptoms two weeks ago and tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily the session wasn’t scheduled until last Tuesday, but…
Keep reading
Study Shows Union Nursing Homes Had Lower Rates of COVID-19
A recent study published by Health Affairs found that unionized nursing homes had lower resident COVID-19 mortality rates. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home residents have accounted for roughly one of every six COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Nursing homes have also been very dangerous places for workers, with more than…
Keep reading
Senator Murphy Tests Positive For COVID
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19. “FYI after feeling mild symptoms overnight, I tested positive for COVID this morning. We’ve done the contact tracing and let people know. It’s a bummer, but I’m sure if I wasn’t fully vaccinated I would be feeling a lot worse. So remember…
Keep reading
COVID Cases Tick Back Up
Most of Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders, which were extended to April 15 by the legislature, have now expired just as Connecticut’s test positivity rate for COVID-19 is creeping back up and students at UConn are being asked to mask up again, starting today. According to the Department of Public Health, Connecticut recorded 3,939 positive…
Keep reading
House Green Lights Extension of COVID-19 Laws
The House gave final passage Wednesday to a package of four concepts that had been executive orders and are now law. Previously, the concepts were executive orders to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep reading
Tong Tests Positive For COVID-19
Attorney General William Tong has tested positive for COVID-19. He is experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining at home.
Keep reading
Lieutenant Gov. Tests Positive For COVID-19, Days After Gov
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz tested positive for the COVID-19 virus during a routine rapid test over the weekend, her chief staff said in a Monday morning statement. Bysiewicz’s results follow Gov. Ned Lamont, who tested positive late last week. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Bysiewicz wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to the vaccine and booster…
Keep reading
Lamont Tests Positive for COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. The results from two rapid tests were positive and he’s awaiting the results of a PCR test, according to this staff. The 68-year-old governor received his second booster exactly a week ago, but has made it through the first two years of the pandemic without contracting the…
Keep reading
New Initiative Allows Same Day COVID Testing And Treatment
Hundreds of pharmacies and federally qualified community health centers across Connecticut are now offering COVID testing and treatments to patients at the same time and place. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test-to-treat sites provide antiviral medication to hundreds of locations across the U.S, who then distribute them to patients…
Keep reading
YNHH Top Doc Boosts 2nd Boosters
If you’re eligible to get a second Covid-19 booster shot, go get it. Especially if you’re over 50 and have an underlying medical condition like diabetes that puts you at “high risk” of contracting a severe case of COVID. Read more from the New Haven Independent.
Keep reading
Federal COVID Funds To Limit Tax Relief In An Election Year
Like all states, Connecticut accepted billions of dollars from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, but that money limits how much the state can now consider cutting taxes. It’s bubbling up as a point of contention as lawmakers race to adjust the two-year state budget, which is currently experiencing a record surplus. Connecticut is expected…
Keep readingMore Labor News

Lamont Inks New Employment Law Backed By Unions
In a victory for state labor unions, Gov. Ned Lamont ignored a lobbying effort by business organizations and signed a bill Tuesday prohibiting employers from holding “captive audience” meetings to potentially discourage workers from unionizing.
Keep reading
States With The Largest Unionized Workforces
Where does Connecticut stand in the list of states with the most unionized employees?
Keep reading
Business Leaders Make Push To Veto Captive Audience Bill
Connecticut business leaders are leaning on Gov. Ned Lamont to veto a bill that would restrict what employers can say in the workplace. The bill, which has been a priority of labor unions for years, is being described by business owners as an unconstitutional attempt to restrict workplace communications and an infringement on employer free…
Keep reading
ANALYSIS | It’s A Wrap: The Winners and Losers of the 2022 Session
It was a short legislative session, but the House and the Senate were able to move a lot of business this year, including the passage of a $24-billion budget with around $600 million in tax cuts.
Keep reading
‘Captive Audience’ Bill Headed To Governor’s Desk
Legislation prohibiting Connecticut employers from holding “captive audience” meetings to discourage workers from organizing received final approval in the House late Friday despite Republican arguments it was preempted by federal law. The bill passed in a 88 to 56 vote, generally along party lines. Eight Democrats joined all but one Republican in voting against it.…
Keep reading
Health Care Workers Call for New Hires
After a record number of health care workers are expected to retire this year, health care staff called on Gov. Ned Lamont to commit to filling 1,000 vacant positions by August 1 of this year. A record 1,137 state workers who notified the state that they will retire this year comes at a moment of…
Keep reading