www.plainvillecitizen.com
Volume 20, Number 14
Thursday, April 8, 2021
COVID-19 VACCINATIONS
Towns reaching out to the homebound
Quinnipiac River cleanup begins (The following was taken from Mike Roberts’ Woods ‘N’ Water column, which appears in the Record-Journal.) By the late 1950s, the Quinnipiac River water seemed to be tainted and started to lose favor as a recreation spot. Soon it was forgotten and eventually turned into
nothing but a carrier for pol- Various forms of aquatic life in the river even disapluted water from buildings along the river. peared. It looked like nobody gave a damn what happed to the river. The state even stopped stocking the Quinnipiac River with trout because tests showed the water too polluted for the fish to survive.
Back then, the Quinnipiac Gorge Trail was nothing more than an abandoned railroad bed turning into a dirt trail that saw some vehiSee River, A21
tion clinic or mass vaccination site.
Local health officials have begun COVID-19 vaccine outreach to the homebound and have set up clinics in underserved areas.
There has been some criticism from suburban and rural health officials about potential misuse of the program.
The activity is a shift from the Wallingford Health Department’s efforts to provide public vaccination clinics at the Wallingford Senior Center. The intent is to focus on underserved and underinsured populations, after large scale vaccination providers, such as Hartford HealthCare, and pharmacies began offering the vaccine in town. “We started [Tuesday, March 30] and it went quite well,” said Wallingford Health Director Stephen Civitelli. “At this point we are working with the Wallingford Fire Department.” The state designated the Wallingford Health Department as a homebound coordinator for town residents who are physically unable to go to a vaccina-
“The criteria set forth by the state program is clearly defined when registering,” Civitelli said. “As we complete more homebound vaccinations we will be able to establish if there are flaws in the registration process.” Maura Esposito, executive director of the Chesprocott Health District, is surprised at the numbers of people who have signed up for homebound vaccination. As an early member of the panel tasked with implementing outreach to the homebound, Esposito would like to see more providers involved in the undertaking. “It’s very time consuming,” Esposito said. “Last week we had five people and it took four hours.” See Vaccinations, A15
R239419
In lieu of the annual Spring River Cleanup, the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association is holding a month-long event in which volunteers can clean in and around the Quinnipiac River and Meriden’s Hanover Pond at their own pace and on whatever date and time works for them. Email qrwainfo@att.net to lend a hand. Record-Journal file photo
By Mary Ellen Godin Record-Journal staff