Advocating for Vaccination Clinics for Middlesex and Worcester District Residents
In January, Governor Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders opened vaccination sites in Massachusetts. At the time, residents across Massachusetts expressed valid geographical and inequity concerns in the vaccine rollout. Now in June 2021, as the Baker-Polito administration begins to close mass vaccination sites, lift mask mandates, and occupancy limits in enclosed spaces, it’s crucial that we remember the organizing and advocacy that was done by public health officials, municipal officials, First Responders, Council on Aging leaders, and legislators including in Metrowest.
This organizing and advocacy came on the heels of a very disappointing decision by Governor Baker to withhold vaccines from public health departments and cut off the supply of vaccines to community hospitals just as they were ramping up their vaccination programs.
February 22nd, 2021: Mass vaccination site opens in Natick that increases access to Metrowest residents
Listening to complaints from our constituents who felt that driving into Boston or Gillette Stadium in Foxborough (or even Springfield and Greenfield) was not feasible, the Metrowest Caucus, led by Senate President Karen Spilka and House chair Rep. Carolyn Dykema, successfully advocated to Secretary Sudders to open the mass vaccination site at the Natick Mall. Within a matter of weeks, over 2,600 doses per day were being provided to Massachusetts residents.
March 1st, 2021: City of Marlborough – UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital “mini-mass” vaccination site opens
Thanks to the persistence of Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, Marlborough Hospital CEO Steve Roche, and the Marlborough Public Health Director, with the support of Representatives Danielle Gregoire and Carmine Gentile and myself, a vaccination medical facility site opened at the Marriott Courtyard in Marlborough. The site is administering approximately 500 vaccines per day, with special outreach to the Marlborough Senior Center and to Brazilian churches in Marlborough to address massive racial inequities.
April 13th, 2021: The ‘Boroughs regional vaccination clinic in Westborough.
Through a strong partnership of 7 Metrowest communities, including Ashland, Boylston, Holliston, Hopkinton, Northborough, Southborough, and Westborough, the second round of regional vaccination clinics (including the regional clinic at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westborough) was approved by Secretary Sudders. The partnership was an impressive effort by local public health leaders, fire departments, and town managers supported by legislators representing all of the above communities. At its peak, the Westborough regional vaccination clinic vaccinated approx. 330 people per day.
May 12th, 2021: Devens regional vaccination clinic – M&W District rural communities finally get a victory!
A group of dedicated volunteers representing Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Shirley, Stow and Townsend, in conjunction with the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health and led by former Groton Police Chief Donny Palma, spearheaded a long campaign to create a regional vaccine clinic in Devens. After weeks of stonewalling from the Baker-Polito administration and a lack of details on how rural communities could gather resources to apply for a regional vaccine clinic, a meeting with Secretary Marylou Sudders was finally arranged by the Nashoba Valley and Central Mass legislative delegations, led by Rep. Sheila Harrington and myself. During this meeting, Secretary Sudders confirmed over the phone that she wanted to “make the Devens regional clinic happen.” Public health leaders, municipal officials, and the generous staff at ClearPath for Veterans New England worked together to create the site and provide the needed support and volunteers needed to staff it. Thanks to the tireless work of dozens of supporters, there is now an accessible vaccination option for residents in these small communities that were previously dubbed a “vaccination desert.”
While I am pleasantly surprised at the number of “major” vaccination sites established in the Middlesex and Worcester district, it should not have been this difficult. Given that there remains a million more Massachusetts residents who still haven’t gotten vaccinated, it is my sincere hope that the Baker-Polito administration, legislators, public health experts, and municipal officials work even more closely together to ensure that every person in the Commonwealth has access to the vaccine and that we all learn from the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and the inequitable rollout of vaccines.
