Archive | September, 2021

Local Rapid Recovery Plans

A new program of the MA Department of Housing & Community Development’s (DHCD) is the Local Rapid Recovery Planning Program. It was created to help downtown/village center business districts recover more quickly from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. DHCD funded consultants to work with participating communities to help with create these plans by early October 2021. In Franklin County, the following Local Rapid Recovery Plans were created:

Downtown Greenfield, City of Greenfield

Turners Falls, Town of Montague

Northfield Main Street Corridor, Town of Northfield

Sunderland Village Center, Town of Sunderland

Village of Shelburne Falls, Towns of Buckland and Shelburne working jointly

Resources & Recordings from Municipal Cybersecurity Workshop Series Available

Thanks to funding from the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council, the FRCOG is offering a series of free cybersecurity & IT workshops.

This series is intended to assist Franklin County municipalities in taking immediate actions to address IT and cybersecurity needs and will also help guide the formation, policy, and procedures of regionalized IT and cybersecurity solutions. The workshops are conducted by Novus Insight (https://novusinsight.com/).

Links to all workshop materials (including recordings, slides, and handouts) can be found here: https://frcog.org/cybersecurity-for-municipalities-workshop-series-fall-2021/

There is still space in upcoming workshops — registration information is on the page linked above.

Questions? Contact Amanda Doster at adoster@frcog.org or 413.774. 3167 x120

Local Mask Mandates

Below is the state of indoor mask orders from Franklin County Local Boards of Health

  • Ashfield — mask mandate
  • Bernardston — recommendation
  • Buckland — mask mandate
  • Charlemont — mask mandate
  • Colrain — mask mandate as of 9/27
  • Conway — mask mandate
  • Gill —  mask mandate
  • Greenfield —  mask mandate
  • Heath —  mask mandate
  • Leyden —  mask mandate
  • Rowe — mask mandate
  • Shelburne —  mask mandate
  • Sunderland — mask mandate

Contact Phoebe Walker to update this list : walker@frcog.org

For face covering signs: https://frcog.org/new-face-covering-signs-available/

Flu Clinics

The flu season is beginning! Everyone six months of age or older needs a flu vaccine. When most of us are vaccinated, we build community immunity that protects the elderly, children, and those with compromised immune systems from the terrible effects of influenza.  During the current coronavirus pandemic, flu vaccination is all the more important for staying healthy and conserving needed health care services.  For information on prevention, symptoms, and treatment of influenza, visit www.flu.gov

The Cooperative Public Health Service (CPHS) is offering influenza vaccines (with no insurance co-pay) to area residents at regularly scheduled wellness clinics throughout the region. 

Where and When are Flu Clinics Happening?

  • 10/30: North County Flu Clinic: 10 AM – 1 PM, Pioneer Valley Regional School (indoors in gym). Kids injectable (ages 6 months and older) and mist (2-18 yo),  standard adult dose, and some high-dose (65+ yo) vaccines will be available. Bring your insurance card! Click here to pre-register.
  • All local chain pharmacies have flu vaccinations as well.

What to expect:  

A COVID self-screen is required of everyone attending.  Face masks and physical distancing as possible are required.  Local public health, public safety, fire and EMS, along with other community leaders and volunteers including members of the Franklin County/Western Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps are staffing these clinics.

What kind of vaccine is available?

Both injectable and flu mist formulas for kids will be available this year.  Senior High-Dose formulas will be available at most clinics for those over age 65.  Visit this page regularly for updates and any changes and contact Lisa White, RN, Regional Public Health Nurse of FRCOG, at 413-774-3167 x 156 for any special needs. We are exploring offering COVID boosters when they are approved by the state.

 Volunteering  at  Flu  Clinics

We have a long history of providing flu clinics to the region! This year most volunteers are from the Medical Reserve Corps and local emergency dispensing site planning groups. To join the MRC, visit www.wmmrc.org 

If you are a registered volunteer who will work as a scribe, vaccinator, or registration helper, you need to register for the COLOR software. Do that by filling out THIS FORM.

Pictured: the team for a 2018 flu vaccination clinic held at Deerfield Elementary including CPHS staff, Medical Reserve Corps, Greenfield Community College nursing students, public health leaders, public safety, EMS and community volunteers

Contact Lisa White, RN, Regional Public Health Nurse of FRCOG, at 413-774-3167 x 156 for updated schedule and more information or visit this page regularly.

Other  Clinics will be posted here as we get information on them. 

For more information on the CPHS, click here.