The Health Department has been inundated with hundreds of calls and emails regarding the availability of the H1N1 vaccine for Franklin Residents. At the present time we do not have enough vaccine to hold a public flu clinic. Vaccine production issues have significantly delayed the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine to all health departments and medical providers across the country. As a result, we can not state with any certainty when Franklin’s first H1N1 flu clinic will be held.
Once we have a sufficient supply of vaccine on hand, we stand ready to implement our clinic plan and to begin the vaccination process. The Franklin Health Department has the personnel and the infrastructure in place to begin large-scale vaccinations of the target group, once the vaccine is delivered in sufficient quantities.
The initial allocation of vaccine will be directed toward children aged 6 months to 9 years of age. Again, this age group will require two doses of vaccine so it is important to have the first doses administered as soon as the vaccine is made available. It is possible that we may, due to limited supply of vaccine, narrow the age group significantly during our first clinic. This will prevent parents and children waiting unnecessarily when the vaccine is in short supply.
It is important to note that the Franklin Health Department does not expect to receive any thimerosal free vaccine. This has implications for women who are pregnant and wish to receive preservative free vaccine. Pregnant women are urged to contact their obstetrician regarding thimerosal free flu vaccine.
The Franklin Health Department fully understands the frustration and concern the residents of Franklin are experiencing regarding H1N1 vaccine availability. I can assure you the Health Department staff and the Board of Health shares your concerns. We will do everything in our power to expedite the vaccination process once our supply of vaccine is received.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
David E. McKearney, R.S.
Public Health Director
Franklin Health Department
Franklin Board of Health
Bruce Hunchard, Chair
Paul Cheli
Donald Ranieri, Jr.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Happy Birthday, Franklin Matters!
I was busy this week and almost forgot to celebrate a birthday. Two years ago this past Monday, the first post was generated here at Franklin Matters. The archives for Nov 9, 2007 contain:
- How not to spend Community Preservation Act dollar...
- Amesbury rejects "under" ride
- Franklin: Grand Opening
- Franklin: Holiday Bazaar
- Franklin: Center Commons building brickwork
- Local Scenes from Steve's 2 Cents
- Where in Franklin?
- Franklin Election 2007
- Franklin Override 2007
- Where in Franklin? Summary
In the News - fire, school money
Homeowner puts out deck fire
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As I read this, it would seem this money will go to pay off some of the existing debt incurred on the building.
Franklin gets money for school building
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Let's honor our veterans today
On this Veterans Day, let's thank them for their service. Their service allows us to live the life we have here in Franklin.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
In the News - lock cars
Not for the first time, nor likely for this last time, common sense should say why take a chance, lock it up.
Area police warn residents to lock cars
Monday, November 9, 2009
FM #48 - Election 2009
This is #48 in the series of internet radio or podcasts for Franklin Matters. In this session we review the results of the Town Election and go inside the high school field house to hear Town Clerk Debbie Pellegri announce the results.
Time: 7 minutes, 37 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
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The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with permission.
Time: 7 minutes, 37 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
Music intro
My intro
This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters is number 48 in the series.
The Franklin election of 2009 has come and gone.
We have a new Town Council with 6 incumbents (Whalen, Mason, Vallee, Pfeffer, McGann and Zollo) and three newcomers (Powderly, Jones and Kelly).
The School Committee has five incumbents (Cafasso, Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach and Trahan) along with two new members (Douglas and Glynn).
Bruce Hunchard returns on the Board of Health.
Padula, Halligan and Carroll were elected to the Planning Board.
Chris Feeley easily took his write-in campaign for the Board of Assessors and saved the Town Council from having to appoint someone.
Only 16.4% of the registered voters bothered to cast their ballots. This is less than the prior two town elections and continues the trend in the wrong direction.
I will have more to share on the totals and what I read into them. For this session, we'll take you into the Franklin High School field house to hear Town Clerk, Debbie Pellegri announce the results for the election.
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This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with permission.
Walgreens continues to make progress
Walgreens has its sign up now. The exterior of the building is being finished. Landscaping is underway. Not to long now before it opens for business.
Sign up for the RMV driver license renewal reminders
One could quibble about the RMV's driver's license renewal reminder program in that you have to sign up to make it effect. But then technically that is following a good "opt in" practice.
The Registry of Motor Vehicles offers an online service that will remind drivers 30 days before their driver’s license is due to expire.
Residents who sign up for the service can choose a reminder by phone, email or text and there is no additional cost to the public.
The new service replaces the mail reminder program that was discontinued earlier this year as a cost-saving measure.
The new reminder service is provided by the RMV in collaboration with Sendza, Inc. and is sponsored by local businesses. Any information you provide is protected by a strict privacy policy.
Drivers are encouraged to sign up for the program. For more information visit www.mass.gov/rmv.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Fall in Franklin
something about the redness
of the leaves, the white fence
and the morning sunlight
Fall in Franklin: something about the redness the white fence and the sunlight m, originally uploaded by shersteve.
What is a sherku?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
In the News - Gov Patrick visits Franklin, casino night
Gov Patrick visited Jefferson Elementary School yesterday
and hold the date for the FEF Casino Night, Nov 20th
Patrick visits Franklin school, says he supports local aid
Franklin honors 90-year-old vets
and hold the date for the FEF Casino Night, Nov 20th
Franklin Education Foundation plans Casino Night
In the News - event canceled
This was posted to the Milford Daily News website on Friday and refers to the event Saturday.
Franklin resident Steve Sherlock announced the Laid Off Camp he helped organize for tomorrow is canceled.
Designed to help unemployed people from Massachusetts and Rhode Island brush up on interview techniques, making contacts and using the Internet to find jobs, the camp was canceled due to slow registration.
"We only achieved one third of the required registrations for this non-profit, all-volunteer event to break even," Sherlock wrote in an email late last night. Anyone who already registered will have their money refunded, he added.
He and the four other co-organizers will likely establish a similar camp next year. The event was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the Living Waters Church in North Attleborough.
For more information, visit http://laidoffcampprovidence.blogspot.com/.
Tomorrow's Laid Off Camp canceled
H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Update
At the time of this writing it is probable that many reading this update will have had a family member with influenza-like illness or knows someone who has. As predicted at the end of last summer, the H1N1 has returned with a vengeance. Although this illness for the most part has remained relatively mild, a larger segment of the population has become ill, with a recent spike in school absenteeism noted throughout the Commonwealth.
It was hoped that by now we would have been well on our way toward achieving our goal of vaccinating a large percentage of our community with the H1N1 vaccine. Due to the unprecedented demand for the seasonal flu vaccine, coupled with the simultaneous production of the H1N1 vaccine, the vaccine manufacturers have simply not been able to distribute the H1N1 vaccine as quickly as expected.
The Franklin Health Department and the Board of Health remain committed to providing the H1N1 influenza vaccine to all Franklin residents who wish to receive it. As previously stated, the Health Department in conjunction with our medical volunteers will hold public H1N1 clinics as soon as enough vaccine is made available to do so. At the present time the Health Department has received only a small fraction of our requested doses.
In accordance with the guidelines mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, our initial allocation of vaccine will be provided to healthcare workers with direct patient contact such as nurses and paramedics, pregnant women and children 6 months to 9 years of age. As more vaccine is made available, we will begin vaccinating children aged 10 to 25. Our focus on young children is important because two doses of vaccine spaced approximately three weeks apart is required for children 9 and under.
All public flu clinics will be advertised in the Milford Daily News and will be posted on the Town of Franklin Website. Clinic information will also be broadcast on Franklin’s local cable television station and will be posted on the MassPro Flu website as well.
These are certainly difficult and frightening times for parents of young children, for those who may have a compromised immune system for one reason or another and for couples starting a family. Your concern and frustration is understandable and fully acknowledged. We ask for your patience and your understanding as we prepare to institute our vaccination plan in the coming weeks.
We encourage anyone with questions to contact the Health Department or members of the Board of Health at 508-520-4905, or via our dedicated influenza email at H1N1flu@franklin.ma.us
Respectfully,
David E. McKearney, R.S.
Public Health Director
Franklin Health Department
Franklin Board of Health
This can be found on the Franklin website
2009 Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection
2009 Fall Curbside Yard Waste Collection will occur the following Saturdays:
How to Prepare:
This was posted on the Town website here
- November 7
- November 21
- December 5
How to Prepare:
- Yard waste: Place in paper bags, trash barrels or other container.
- Brush shall not be more than 4 feet in length and 6-inches in diameter and bundled.
- DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS.
- Place at curbside before 7:00 AM in the morning.
This was posted on the Town website here
Friday, November 6, 2009
In the News - event canceled, rings come home
The article is a good one but came too late to help us drive attendance for the event. The event has been canceled. The team will re-group and likely try something early in 2010.
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Local resident helps sponsor Laid Off Camp tomorrow
from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff
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Rings come full circle
Thursday, November 5, 2009
LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence - EVENT CANCELED
Date: Saturday, November 07, 2009 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)
Location:
Living Waters Church
15 John L Dietsch Blvd
North Attleboro, MA 02763
For more information click here: http://laidoffcampprovidence.blogspot.com/
Regretfully, the event has been canceled. We only achieved one third of the required registrations for this non-profit, all-volunteer event to break even.
The Team will gather information on what we learned during this process and likely attempt to create an event sometime early in 2010.
Your registration fee will be refunded in full to the credit card you used to register.
Thank you for your interest.
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As long as readership continues to grow, and I continue to learn and have fun doing this, you can count on more years of Franklin Matters!
Thank you for reading, commenting, and sending emails. All your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Photo credit: Two Candles in the Dark by photos8.com