City of Framingham Delivers COVID Vaccines To Pelham Apartments

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FRAMINGHAM – The Spicer administration delivered vaccines to residents of Pelham Apartments today, March 27, at the Pelham Lifelong Learning Center.

This may be the first homebound COVID-19 vaccines delivered by the City of Framingham.

The City did not announce the event publicly, nor was it mentioned at the City’s COVID leadership meeting yesterday, March 26.

The City of Framingham and the Spicer administration has announced very few details publicly in regards to its vaccine equity program.

The Mayor, on her political campaign Twitter account tweeted today, March 27, a photo and wrote “We’re bringing the vaccine right to the people in our black and brown community. I loved all the happy faces. #EquityMatters“

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On the official City of Framingham Mayor Twitter account, Mayor Spicer Tweeted a photo and wrote “A visit to the equity access clinic sponsored by Pelham learning Center. Today 75 people got vaccinated that live in the community. #InvestingInOurPeople #ILoveMyCityOfFramingham.”

The event was not on the City of Framingham’s public schedule for the Mayor.

The City of Framingham never announced the clinic nor ever announced it had received vaccines from the state.

This is believed to be the first vaccines administered by the city since its clinics at Keefe Technical High School in early February 2021.

On March 18, Interim Health Director Alex DePalo told SOURCE the City of Framingham will be “deploying vaccination teams to do home visits for homebound residents of Framingham” this month.

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Several of our public health nurses and MRC (Medical reserve Corps) members will be participating in this, said DePalo on March 18.

“This work is a part of our participation in the State’s Equity Initiative,” said DePalo. “We are planning to start the home visits in the next week or so and are working with local organizations and community partners to get referrals for people who need the service.”

On Feb. 16, Gov. Baker announced the Massachusetts “Department of Public Health (DPH) will invest resources directly in the 20 cities and towns most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to increase awareness of the vaccine’s safety and efficacy and to reduce barriers to vaccination. DPH will assist each city or town by working with local leaders,  and community- and faith-based groups to strengthen existing efforts focused on awareness and overcoming barriers so that residents will get vaccinated when it’s their turn.”

The Mayor convened a group of about 2 dozen individuals for the first time on March 4 to began a plan, after the Governor announced Framingham as one of the 20 communities.

The City of Framingham has never announced the group publicly nor named its members publicly.

As part of initiative the state provides each community with a liaison. Framingham’s is Barry Callis, the “Director of Behavioral Health and Infectious Disease Prevention for the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.”

Callis is part of the City of Framingham’s COVID vaccine equity group along with Mayor Yvonne Spicer, Interim Health Director Depalo, and Framingham Chief Public Health Nurse Kitty Mahoney.

Other members of that 20+ COVID equity group include:

• Framingham Board of Health Chair Gillian Carcia
• Chief Diversity Officer Maritsa Barros
• Mayor’s senior advisor Hannah Woit
• Framingham Director of Elder Services Grace O’Donnell
• Framingham Fire Chief Michael Dutcher
• MeroWest Medical Center CEO Ava Collins
• Rev. J Anthony Lloyd of the Greater Framingham Community Church
• Framingham Housing Authority Assistant Director Helen Plant
• Paula Kaminow from the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center
• Framingham Public Schools Director of Community Resource Development Tiffanie Lillie
• Framingham Disability Commission Vice Chair Susie Santone
• BRACE’s Liliane Costa
• Ismael Rivera, Justice Resource Institute at Program RISE
• Dr. Milagros Abreu, Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc.

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• MWRTA’s Emily VanDewoestine
• MWRTA’s Eva Willens
• MetroWest Nonprofit Network Director Anna Cross
• Maria Rosado with Pelham Learning Center
• Christopher Nunez with Pelham Learning Center
• Tania DiDuca with SMOC
• Jenn Davidson with SMOC
• Discover Hidden Gems Margie Rosario
• Framingham Coronavirus Community Outreach Group Founder Nicole Doak

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Editor’s Note: this photo was not signed YS.