Mindfulness apps are ubiquitous. But mindfulness and mindfulness meditation, a form of meditation that focuses on present moment experiences, existed long before smartphones arrived on the scene, and have been used to soothe humans in stressful times well before COVID-19.

Ginny Wholley, a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor at UMass Memorial Health Care Center for Mindfulness, defines mindfulness as an awareness that comes from the practice of paying attention with a kind and non-judgmental attitude. 

Central Massachusetts has not seen a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases since the state started reopening and for residents hoping things go back to normal soon, it's good news. 

But UMass Memorial Health Care CEO, Dr. Eric Dickson, says the region isn't out of the woods yet. 

"Our biggest concern now is the UK variant that is clearly in central Massachusetts and on the rise" he said. 

As the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prepares to enter the next phase of the reopening plan on Monday, health care leaders from throughout the state play a major role in Governor Baker's decision making process.

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Becomes second organization in Worcester to pledge to redirect one percent of its investment portfolio toward community investment.

The personal stories began taking shape a year ago, backdropped by an unfolding pandemic.

There was much to tell. Stories of heartache, of illness, of death. Stories of changed routines, of working from home, of no school. 

Before long, as weeks turned to months, the stories had to be reworked and updated.

Esther Haidas, a phlebotomist in the outpatient lab at UMass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus, was bombarded with email updates about the coronavirus the week before the shutdown. Soon COVID-19 became a part of everyone's vocabulary.

Many people have spent the last year working from home, but as more COVID-19 vaccines get into people’s arms, employers are preparing to bring back staff to the workplace.

“I think employers, from what I’m seeing, they’re not in any rush. They want to do it delicately,” said Eva Sadej, the CEO of Medbar, a group that is helping employers plan and implement strategies to safely bring people back to the office.

As new weekly coronavirus cases saw a “small uptick” in Worcester, city officials announced the senior center vaccination would be closing by the end of the month.

City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. announced during the weekly COVID briefing that the senior center, which began vaccinating residents on Jan. 11, would administer its final doses on March 30.

The serious lower leg injuries Tiger Woods sustained in a car crash on Tuesday typically lead to a long and perilous recovery, calling into question his ability to play professional golf again, according to medical experts who have treated similar injuries.

Athletes with severe leg injuries thought to doom their careers have managed to come back — the quarterback Alex Smith returned to playing football last season after a gruesome leg break, and the golfer Ben Hogan returned decades ago after a car accident.