Scoring an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccination has become a little easier due to tweaks to the state registration sites, but it remains a time-consuming and frustrating task. And for […]
Health & Healthcare
SKIN DEEP
Cosmetic Surgery: It Does Happen Here
Behind pandemic masks, and tempered by Puritanism, the quest for perfection persists
PROVINCETOWN — Cape Cod and, for that matter, New England are perhaps not the first places one thinks of when one hears the words “plastic surgery.” We value our old […]
STIMULI
Covid Relief Targets Outer Cape’s Smallest Businesses
Programs fill earlier gaps in CARES Act awards
PROVINCETOWN — When much of the American economy was forced to shut down last March due to Covid, Congress passed trillions of dollars of relief spending in just weeks. There […]
ELDER CARE
Privacy Protections Leave Gaps in Covid Death Reports
Data from assisted living facilities are mostly blacked out
PROVINCETOWN — When it comes to Covid, Massachusetts is pro-data. The Dept. of Public Health (DPH) publishes a weekly Covid report, daily Covid updates, and a weekly report on vaccinations. […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Glimmers of Hope for Vaccinations on the Outer Cape
Community health centers could provide alternative to mass sites
PROVINCETOWN — When it comes to allocating Covid resources, Cape Cod has been treated like a distant afterthought. The state hasn’t opened a free Stop the Spread testing site here, […]
JUST A SHOT AWAY
Cape Cod to Baker: Give Us Vaccine Now
Governor’s focus on mass sites has local officials ‘enraged’
PROVINCETOWN — Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to prioritize six mass Covid-19 vaccination sites around the state, while sending hardly any vaccine at all to Cape Cod, has people here feeling […]
CHASING THE NUMBERS
State Undercounts Outer Cape Covid Cases
Rapid test results are not included in state reports
PROVINCETOWN — The Covid testing program at Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS), which relies on rapid BinaxNOW tests provided by the state, has been a local success story. The tests […]
WELL-BEING
Provincetown Outlines Extensive Mental Health Plan
Pot impact fees could fund $500K response to community needs
PROVINCETOWN — Health Director Morgan Clark presented a five-year plan to the select board last month that aims to dramatically increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. The […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Delay in Vaccinating Educators Causes Outcry
Teachers’ unions and administrators make joint plea to governor
School administrators and teachers’ unions are often at odds with each other, but on Cape Cod, both sides agree on the need for educators to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Heartburn and Heartache in Vaccine Rollout
Hopes for quick access were raised, then dashed
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts had a plan for rolling out the Covid vaccine. First up would be the entire health-care industry, police and fire depts., and congregate living facilities where large […]
DATA DREAMS
Cape Cod Commission Sends Out New Waves of Data
Town-by-town statistics on wages, housing prices, vaccine phases, and more
PROVINCETOWN — The Cape Cod Commission plays an unusual role in the life of the Cape. It’s a kind of hybrid — part technical adviser, part regulator, part community planning […]
COVID AND SCHOOLS
Provincetown Students Head Back to Classrooms
Three positive cases lead to two-week quarantine
PROVINCETOWN — Students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade are on track to return to school on Monday, after a staff member’s positive Covid test prompted a 14-day switch to remote […]
Covid-19
Phase Two Vaccination Appointments
Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Phase Two Covid-19 vaccinations would begin next week. Starting Wednesday, Jan. 27, those 75 years old and older could book vaccination appointments online at maimmunizations.org. […]
TESTING, PART 7
Free Rapid Covid Testing Extended to Feb. 28
Asymptomatic testing is finding new cases every day
PROVINCETOWN — Free asymptomatic coronavirus testing will continue on the Outer Cape. The free rapid-testing program that began here on Dec. 23 was scheduled to end on Jan. 10 and […]
CLINICAL CARE
Health Care Giant Tackles Outer Cape
Cape Cod Healthcare plans urgent and primary care center in Orleans
ORLEANS — The financial challenges that prompted Cape Cod Healthcare to temporarily shelve its $180-million hospital expansion plan last year and lay off more than 100 employees in late summer […]
