The city of Brockton is working diligently to vaccinate its residents against the coronavirus, but leaders say they need more help from the state.
Right now, the city is vaccinating people at a cafeteria at Brockton High School. But with Brockton transitioning to a hybrid learning model for some students this spring, they'll be forced to slowly transition that vaccination operation nearby to a former convention center that's also being used as a testing facility.
Still, Mayor Robert Sullivan said a state-run mass vaccination site would tremendously help in vaccinating the city's roughly 100,000 residents. That's why he's written a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker asking for such a site.
"Brockton is the only city in Plymouth County," Sullivan said. "And I know geographically when you look at the map, Foxborough — Gillette Stadium — looks close to Brockton. But it's really not ... we're not a wealthy community. We're a beautiful community of hardworking people, but transportation is an issue. Internet registration is an issue as well. So, I'm hopeful that the state will have a state-designated site in Brockton in the near future. But at the same time, I can't rely on that. So we're working diligently and utilizing city assets to get the shots in people's arms."
Sullivan says along with access, supplies are also an issue. He says the city's board of health requests vaccine doses from the state, which then dispenses them to the board for distribution within the community. Last week, Brockton's board of health requested 3,000 doses. They only received 200.
"I understand there's a shortage," Sullivan said. "I'm thankful that we're getting vaccines in persons' arms. I just hope and pray that that number increases and we can really magnify our efforts."
We also heard from Valerie Roberson, president of Roxbury Community College, about the state-run vaccination site that opened on her campus at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.
Segments:
Valerie Roberson - 2:14
Robert Sullivan - 11:57
