 All right, I'm gonna go ahead and get started and welcome everybody to our Amherst Community Chat for Thursday, April 8th. Today, we have Public Health Director Emma Dragon joining us as well as your town manager, Paul Bachleman. My name is Brianna. We were supposed to have Captain Steve Gahn from the Amherst Fire Department here with us today as well to contribute to the conversation about vaccines and the homebound program but he is actually on a live fire call and couldn't make it. He sends us apologies. Priorities, come on. Yeah, duty calls. So let's just get started with a couple of general updates from town manager Paul Bachleman before we hear from Emma. Sure, thanks Brianna. So on Monday, the town council approved borrowing authorization to build a new and restored library and that initiates a process for us to begin receiving funds from the Board of Library Commissioners which will make the project more cost effective for the town because we're able to do it in this fiscal year. So we're excited about that decision by the town council. Another thing that's happening is not this weekend but next weekend is the first farmers market which is kind of a real harbinger of spring. So that will be again this year on the town common not in the Spring Street parking lot and using the same protocols that we established last year. And I mean, this will be a topic that may come up later today but there's a lot of conversation about what's going to happen this summer with COVID as the vaccine becomes more ubiquitous and available to everyone. And we don't know right now we're not gonna be holding our Fourth of July fireworks display because that's a clear probably not gonna happen but last year at this time we were canceling all events. This year we're sort of like maybe delay in terms of see how things work out. So one of the good signs I think is the two colleges and the university have both said that have all said that they plan to be open relatively normal and relatively normal way in the fall. So I think there's light at the end of the tunnel we kept saying and now it's like getting brighter and brighter so it's kind of exciting. Great and I feel that too with the spring weather and the outdoor dining tables and flowers and everything going in. I didn't even mention that, that's true, yeah. Yeah, so if you're take a peek downtown next time you go through the heaters are out there there's these beautiful planters and local flowers. So it feels like spring. So Dragon has joined us multiple times on these community chats but I'd love for you to introduce yourself to folks who might not know you yet. Oh sure, so I'm Emma Dragon. I'm the health director for the town of Amherst. I started this position in November. So with two feet in just boots on the ground getting a lot of great work done couldn't be happier with the vaccine clinics that we've been able to run our contact tracing for our COVID our collaboration with not only our fire department but our public safety and other departments as well to help support these efforts and our new homebound vaccine program which is really being led now with the partnership and under the guise of Captain Steven Gahn. So I will miss him on this because he's definitely a great partner with that but I hope I'll be okay to fill in with the content he was gonna share. Great, thank you. And we have a lot of questions that have been sent to us that we've been getting over the last few weeks from community members that we're gonna go into pose to you, Emma. So I also wanna remind those who are live in the room feel free to contribute your questions or comments to the Q and A or raise your hand via Zoom star nine from the phone so that we can hear from you live. I think one of the first things that we've been hearing about a little bit more you mentioned this homebound program we know Captain Gahn was supposed to be here to talk a little bit about that but can you say what that is? Is it just for Amherst? Can other towns sign up for this? Or what are their criteria? Yeah, so we Amherst is sponsoring the homebound program which is really being led in partnership with the Hampshire Preparedness Coalition in partnering with that. So we are providing homebound vaccine meaning individuals that are unable to leave their home or require two person assistants or an ambulance to lead their home for vaccine. So under the direction of the state with certain guidelines, we're able to provide that on a regional level here. We are performing that for all 20 Hampshire County communities including Sunderland, which is in Franklin County but right next door to us here. So we're just so happy to be a partner for them. And for that, we have an online form which is on our town COVID website. We also have a phone line that Amherst residents can call here. If we have residents of other towns that are in the program they can call their council on aging or board of health to get enrolled. And then we get them on our schedule. We try to organize assignments based off of locations. So we can do it in a expeditious manner an organized manner. And then Steve Gahn with the assistance of our health department staff helps coordinate that. And then we have a great team of public health nurses and as well as our fire department paramedics that come out and do those vaccines. And how many vaccines or how many patients have you had through that program so far? Yeah, so we've done over 2000, not 2000 I'm thinking of our clinic over 200 vaccines with the homebound program so far which is over 140 patients in about 10 communities which is just incredible work. And we're just really happy to be able to go out and connect with those people, those families and make them feel acknowledged and valued. And if you have somebody that you know that is homebound that would be benefiting from this program, Dragon mentioned it earlier but amherstCOVID19.org slash vaccine we have a link there for the homebound form as well as a phone number if you have wanna call somebody. So you mentioned a little bit about the general main vaccine clinic you were about to say something in the thousands. So how many people or how many doses have been given out at our clinic? Yeah, that is another really exciting number which is just under 7,000 Breanna. This week we're gonna break 7,000 vaccines which is just shots and arms, incredible work that we're doing for our community between the regional Northampton and Amherst sites we've administered over 27,000 vaccines together which is just about half the vaccines that have been administered in Hampshire County. So just incredible work by Public Health. That's really impressive especially now that we see this big focus on these mass vaccination sites. It's really important to highlight the work that's being done locally in our community. So one question that I think I've been monitoring the info, the COVID concerns line and something people are asking right now is what doses, what brands do you have? Are we doing all of the available brands or what would people get when they come to our clinic? Yeah, so that's a great question. So first we started with the Moderna vaccine. We continue to administer Moderna for some first but mostly second doses. We also have the one dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine which is we do some clinics with that. And then the majority of our vaccine that we get allocated from the state with our regional collaborative partnership is that Pfizer vaccine. So we're doing all three Breanna which we're really excited about. And I know recently that I think maybe just yesterday it was announced by the governor's office of how regional collaboratives like Amherst and Northampton are now going to be part of the state's pre-registration program. Can you tell people what that means and how they go about even getting pre-registered? Yeah, so we're gonna be doing a mix of continuing what I call our live registration for new appointments on Wednesdays at 11 o'clock that people can expect that on our town website on the Amherst night. You know it by heart, Breanna. What's the website again? Amherstcovid19.org. There you go. But you can get there from our homepage. There's five or six different buttons that lead you there. So whichever one is easier for you. Yeah, and people now, like you're saying are gonna have the opportunity to access appointments after they pre-register through the state system. So to do that, people would go to vaccinesignup.mass.gov and you would put in your information. And then after you pre-register you would get weekly status updates from your preferred contact method whether that's your cell phone or an email. And then as appointments become available near you you would be contacted by the state and then you would be provided a link to select an appointment within 24 hours of obtaining that link. So a little bit less pressure you don't have to feel like you're constantly by that computer to be able to make appointments. And we are really excited. Amherst and Marshfield are their first two regional collaborative sites to be able to provide this. So it's just really a great time for us to know that we're gonna be able to access that for our constituents, for our community members. So is that available now or is that gonna be available? Yeah, so that, yeah. Sorry, Paul, I'm just so excited about it. So our appointments started going out through the state yesterday. So we've already had several appointments, quite a few booked through that pre-registration method from the state for this coming week. Very exciting. And that's not the only kind of update in terms of how we're getting people registered. We recently are switching to a new platform and I know there's some advantages to that. If you wanna let people know what those are. Yeah, so the state is changing over software platforms from a company called PrepMod to a new company that's a Google-based platform which is much more comprehensive, titled Color. With that, we have the ability for individuals to, it saves their information to be able to book their second appointment on site in just about 10 seconds while they're here and it will be able to track first and second doses. So it's really more comprehensive. It has that nice visual and experience for the user. So we're really excited about that. And one question we've been getting a lot, people who have had their first dose with our clinics, how do they go about getting their second dose during this transition? So do you have any tips for those folks who might be wondering that? Yep, so starting with appointments for people who came for first doses April 1st, we've been emailing them right after the clinics with links to schedule for their second doses. If for some reason people don't get that email or aren't comfortable or tech native to be able to figure that out with the internet, we are happy to assist them. They can call us here at the health department at 259-3077. And then I do believe we've gotten several calls on the COVID concerns line. But I know here at the health department we're also able to help. Let's talk a minute about the COVID concern line because it's a really, I think one of the hallmarks of our success as a town. So we early on in the process, I mean, Brianna, you set this up, we had a special call in number and we dedicated staff to answering all of those calls either in real time on weekends or we call back everyone who calls. And that has really set us apart from the 211 call that the state has set up where they would promise a return call within seven days or something ridiculous like that. And that's not what people needed. So it's been quite an arduous task because we've been doing most of it with existing staff and the people in our office and then been supported through the health department and the council on aging, the senior center all have been sort of chipping in to help people find vaccines. And it's an ongoing effort, especially when we were struggling with PrepMod which is the old system of signing people up. Everyone's experience at home who was trying to set it up through that system just take that experience and multiply that a thousand fold for our staff who are answering the phones here. So the fact that we're moving to this new system is good but I just want to give a shout out to the staff who've been answering all those calls but it's people call with a lot of anxiety and just the urgency of needing to get the vaccine which we want to help them get. And then we were always limited by the supply. So it seems like Emma's like look forward to your interpretation. It feels like there's more vaccines sort of in the air or at least they're reallocating it differently. And I think it'd be interesting if people know how there are different channels for vaccine to come into the state. It's not all coming from one source necessarily. Is that accurate? That is accurate. So there are really two different streams. There's the federal allocation which a lot of the pharmacies are under that partnership like CVS, Walgreens, Big Y, all of those pharmacies get direct vaccine from the federal allocation. The state of Massachusetts also gets this other bucket which then the Department of Public Health has to distribute in an effective manner. That's where the vaccine for the majority of the mass vaccination sites, the general sites like the UMass vaccine site at their campus center, which is fantastic. And then the local boards of health, the local and regional collaboratives get a bucket out, a little slice out of that state bucket. Yeah, I don't think it's a whole bucket. Yeah, I was waiting to see what noun you used there. I started to say bucket and then I was like, it's not a bucket. Maybe it's got some holes in it, dear Liza, but we're gonna make it through. Yes, I agree with your feeling, Paul. The general sense is that more vaccine is on the way. I think with more people becoming vaccinated, the eligibility for people to sign up kind of opening up so that everyone will be able to register and pre-register following April 19th is just really exciting to see. More people feeling more comfortable with the vaccines, having less vaccine hesitancy and seeing the good impacts that it can have with our community. I wonder with potentially the requirements opening up on April 19th for all, what do you recommend for people to do now? Should everybody just pre-register and get on there as part of the process or? Yeah, I don't see a reason why people shouldn't feel comfortable pre-registering even if you're in the queue for that pre-registration system. There isn't a reason why you couldn't possibly still look on the CVS sites or for other new and upcoming appointments. I think any extra way that people can feel like they're gonna access that vaccine sooner than later, closer to home in the way that's gonna be right for them, I wanna encourage everyone to do that. I'm just gonna take a quick pause to say for those who are live in our Zoom room or watching us on Facebook Live, again, feel free to post a comment if you're on Facebook Live or use the Q&A and or raise your hand in Zoom so we can hear from you if you have any questions about public health or about general town happenings. But one thing, oh, go ahead, Paul. I have a question. So President Biden announced that April 19th was a date to make everyone eligible. Does that automatically flow to the state or has the governor agreed to that same deadline, that same opening? Yeah, actually, Massachusetts had already planned for that date before Biden announced it. So that was great to see that Massachusetts was planning even ahead of the federal government. So April 19th, it is open for anyone 16 and older for vaccine. And I know that they're doing some research for the children right now and individuals under 16. So hopefully that availability will come out after the FDA reviews that this summer. But for right now, it's individuals 16 and above. And is it your understanding that if someone were 16 or 17 that they'd automatically get flagged for the correct brand right now that is possible for that age? I think especially with the new system titled Color, I believe that is in the software. With PrepMon, it's had to be a little bit more human dependent rather than computer generated, but Color does seem to have those built-in abilities. That's great. Well, one thing while we wait for anybody to submit a live question, this has been a long year plus and there's loads of other public safety, public health issues and concerns that haven't really been as much in the spotlight lately. So are there other things that you see as important public health issues that people should be paying attention to in addition to COVID? Sure, I always like to highlight mental health. I think mental health and wellness is definitely an area where we could all improve with our self-care, reaching out to our family members and friends and making sure that people are doing okay and supporting them if they're not doing well. I know with springtime and nice weather, I'm starting to see lots of individuals out on their bicycles or maybe rollerblading or skating and just remember people remembering that even with that nice weather and those fun activities to do them safely and wear helmets so we can reduce concussions and had injuries and then also with the sun, even though sometimes it doesn't feel very hot outside right now, still being aware of the sun exposure and making sure that we're protecting our skin with sunblock I think are really important. And one thing is maybe not a public health issue but you can tell me if it is or not. And I know our assistant and town manager would be happy to hear about this that with the warming temperatures, people sometimes feel inclined to go jump into Puffer's pond or some of our rivers and to be really conscious that the water temperatures are still extremely cold and to think before you do something like that, it might be 70 degrees out this weekend but the middle of Puffer's pond or even at a certain depth is very, very cold and can lead to shock very, very quickly. We had an unfortunate incident several years ago around this time of year and it's something that we try to remind people of. Yeah, that's a really important one because young adults and people with their kids, you think, oh, it's so warm out and you'd start to wade into Puffer's pond and that was just two years ago or three years ago and it was at graduation, a recent very, just a recent graduate attempted to swim across Puffer's pond and didn't make it and because of the cold and there's nothing you can do about that and it's just very, it takes a long time for bodies of water to warm up and so people need to be really careful about it and you see people wanting to go to Puffer's, right? When the weather starts to warm up and we're happy about that but we have to be incredibly vigilant, I just don't wanna have a situation like that again. And we do have signs, I believe if they've not been posted today, they should be shortly at both Puffer's pond and Stanley Street Bridge, which are popular swimming holes in Amherst with this information to that effect and we'll be also sharing this information out with the broader community. But if your friend is looking to go swimming, just give them, share that information with them. But the one thing we are going to do, we are going to open up our swimming pools a week earlier than we normally do. So that'll be earlier in June than typically, I think the water still would be cold but people will have been, we've been all pent up so in our homes and not able to do the things we normally do that that'll be a good thing for our community, I think. And speaking of pools, again, I wanna give one last call out for anybody who is in our room right now, feel free to pop your question or comment in the Q&A or raise your hand. We are, I guess my trainer thought was speaking of pools, we are hiring a recreation director which has just been posted. So feel free to share that news as well, a very important position in our town, especially as we look into these warmer weather where people can be outside doing these activities. So one thing I wanted to give, drag and a chance to do is something that wasn't asked of you or some sort of call to action regarding public health or COVID or vaccines that you could leave the community members with. Sure, well, actually this week is National Public Health Week. So I just wanted to, which every year is the first week of April and I wanted to celebrate all of our public health workers, nurses, community support individuals, our interns for the health department, all of the town employees and countless departments that have helped us support the public health efforts that we've had since with the beginning of COVID. Like you said, Paul, all of that support with the COVID concerns line just incredible and that have made our response possible for our community and also to help us address health equity during the COVID response, especially in Amherst. We continue to have that on the forefront but really just celebrating everyone's work this entire last year, but especially this week for our public health support. So thank a public health worker if you speak with one or interact with one this week but hopefully all the time, I'm sure it goes a long way as Dragon could attest to. All right, so we're coming up at the close of our 30 minutes. Paul, is there anything that you wanted to ask of Dragon or anything you wanna leave the community members with? I think we covered a lot of territory already, so thank you. Yeah, Dragon's answers are very efficient and I like that. She gives a lot of good information concisely, so we appreciate you, Dragon. Thanks, Brianna. All right, well, I'm gonna say thank you to all who have tuned in. We will put this up on our channel within the next hour or so and we'll be back next week at noon as well as every Thursday at noon. We'll see you then. Thank you.