Upham’s Corner Health Center & Conservatory Lab Charter School partner to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics for students and families
Conveniently located next door to the Conservatory Lab Charter School’s Upper School on Columbia Road in Dorchester, Upham’s Corner Health Center hosted a series of COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the school’s students and families.
Additionally, Dr. Paul Geltman, Upham’s Chief Medical Officer and pediatrician for over 30 years, joined Principal Nicole Mack and other professionals in the school’s Child Vaccine Town Hall Panel. An important resource session for families, experts provided information about COVID-19, discussed the safety of the Pfizer vaccine for children, and answered questions from parents.
Vaccination sessions held at both the Lower and Upper Schools enabled students ages 5 and older to receive vaccinations within the comfort of their own school environment. Goody bags, coloring pages and crayons, music playing in the background, and teachers and staff nearby all helped to provide a welcoming environment, especially for those students who were a little nervous about getting a vaccination shot.
Upham’s clinical staff, including nurses and support services staff, took their time with students, talking and engagement with them while gently administering the important doses. Plus, unvaccinated parents were welcome to stop by and get their vaccination doses while staff members in need of booster doses were also supported.
As students, teachers, and staff routinely deal with testing, distancing, and other safety protocols in their classrooms and throughout the building, these COVID-19 vaccinations for the student community are an important step in enabling the school to focus on the learning environment. According to Principal Mack:
“During one of my most difficult years as an educator, Upham’s Corner Health Center has become a pillar of support during the pandemic. Not only has Upham’s given us access to any of their onsite efforts over the past two years, but they have walked hand-in-hand with us to inform our community about vaccinations.”
Providing holistic and community-based care is an important part of the Upham’s Corner Health Center’s mission and commitment to working with neighborhood partners. Chief Executive Officer Jay Trivedi notes:
“We’re pleased to be able partner with our neighbor, the Conservatory School, in order to help our young friends with their vaccinations and be a reliable health care resource for their families during this difficult time. We look forward to our continued relationship with the school and collaborating with more community partners to make our neighborhood a better place for all.”
Organizations
Conservatory Lab Charter School empowers a diverse range of children as scholars, artists, and leaders through a unique and rigorous academic and music education, while it enriches the larger community through performance, service, and collaboration. As a laboratory school, it develops and disseminates innovative educational approaches that will positively impact children in other schools and programs.
Founded in 1971, Upham’s Corner Health Center offers high-quality, affordable primary health care and elder care to the residents of North Dorchester and its surrounding neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts. Services include medical, dental, pediatric, elder, vision, and urgent care, home health care and Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to the residents of North Dorchester and its surrounding neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts.
