The Health Department is planning a community outreach campaign, thanks to a significant regional grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Local and Regional Health.
Heidi Porter, Director of Health and Human Services, told the Board of Health Monday that Bedford and five neighboring towns will receive $300,000 a year for three years, with an option for renewal for another three years.
Bedford was joined by Lincoln, Concord, Carlisle, Sudbury, and Wayland in a regional entity they called the Great Meadows Regional Collaborative. Sudbury will manage the funding.
Porter said she hopes to use Bedford’s share to underwrite an outreach coordinator. “We really need someone to focus on all of our communities, on populations in need,” she said, noting that this could be a contracted vendor that specializes in outreach services.
She said other towns plan to use their funds to support public health inspectional services and nursing services. Board Chair Susan Schwartz suggested that Bedford could benefit from all the categories as needs change.
“We would love some assistance with inspectional services,” Porter said, in particular at busy time blocks, such as the opening of summer camp programs.
Porter said the grants are based on the report of a task force that provided guidance to the governor’s office on where more public health resources are needed around the state.
The towns comprising the Great Meadows collaborative have worked together on Covid-19 related efforts, such as a vaccination clinic for first responders in January. When the state released a request for proposals, “we had a collaborative discussion about where our needs are,” the director explained.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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