Brockton schools partner with CVS to vaccinate 9,600 students for flu - Enterprise News

Brockton Public Schools announced that it is partnering with CVS to offer a drive-up flu clinic, with a goal of providing influenza immunization shots to 9,600 of its nearly 16,000 students.

BROCKTON – With a goal of immunizing 60 percent of all students in the district during the next five weeks, Brockton Public Schools is teaming up with CVS to offer a drive-up flu clinic in order to prevent twin pandemics from wreaking havoc in the city, as influenza season collides with the coronavirus.

Brockton Public Schools announced that it is partnering with CVS to offer a drive-up flu clinic starting on Monday and lasting through Nov. 21, with a plan to provide influenza immunization shots to 9,600 of the nearly 16,000 students in the school district. The drive-up flu shot clinic is taking place at the high school, and families are encouraged to go online to www.bpsma.org/flushot to schedule appointments for their children.

Linda Cahill, supervisor of nurses for the Brockton Public Schools, served as the interim executive health officer for the city amid the coronavirus pandemic this past spring and summer, witnessing first-hand the devastation it has caused in the community. Cahill said she's worried about the combined impact of this flu season and coronavirus pandemic. Brockton is currently classified in the "red" category on the state's color-coded coronavirus risk assessment map, with average daily cases nearing 15, and with a total of 5,160 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began and 298 deaths.

"We need to work together to prevent twin pandemics and keep everyone safe and healthy,” Cahill said. “We know that for some of our families, this may be the first time their child will receive the flu shot and we understand that can be daunting. As both medical professionals and members of the Brockton Public Schools community, our multilingual nursing staff wants to be a source of information and support."

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The Brockton school district said it already has 162 students booked for flu shot appointments at the drive-up clinic ahead of the first week of immunizations.

The flu clinic is open on weekdays 10 a.m. through 6 p.m., and 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Saturdays. People can call Cahill for more information at 508-580-7470, and nurses who speak other languages are available, including French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Cape Verdean Creole.

CVS said it was happy to make sure the students of Brockton get flu shot. The initiative will help the city comply with an Aug. 19 announcement from state public health officials and Gov. Charlie Baker mandating influenza immunization by Dec. 31 for all children six months of age or older who are attending Massachusetts child care, pre-school, K-12, colleges and universities.

The Baker administration said all students are expected to get the shot to attend classes unless either a medical or religious exemption is provided. The school district told parents that if they are seeking an exemption they should call their student's principal or school nurse.

“Getting the shot protects both the individual and those around them who may be more vulnerable to serious complications from the flu," said Jon Wolowicz, district leader for CVS Pharmacy. “We’re pleased to be part of this effort to help the students of the Brockton school district get a flu shot."

Families are asked to bring health insurance cards for their children to their appointments at the clinic, with no fee assessed for many healthcare plans. Those without insurance coverage will have to pay a bill to CVS, the school district said.

The school district called the drive-up clinic a "quick and efficient way to get the immunization," encouraging every family to take advantage of the offer in order to help prevent a dark, deadly winter of the coronavirus combined with the flu.

"Every year, we have students and staff members who are out sick for days with a bad case of the flu," Cahill said. "But this year presents it's own challenges. We need to work together as a community to prevent twin pandemics."

Staff writer Marc Larocque can be reached at mlarocque@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter @Enterprise_Marc.

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