PEABODY — The city has taken a lead position on a regional campaign to rally residents and businesses toward widespread vaccination, ensuring a responsible reopening of local economies this summer.
“Getting vaccinated against COVID is the fastest way to end this pandemic once and for all,” said Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. of Peabody, the lead municipality of the Safe Summer campaign.
“Balanced with smart public health guidance and policy, we can have a summer on the North Shore that we missed out on last year — coming back together at our restaurants for live music and the in-person activities that bring us joy.”
The coalition includes 10 North Shore communities: Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, Hamilton, Marblehead, Nahant, Newburyport, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. It aims to provide consistent and clear public health guidance regarding vaccination and COVID-safe behaviors throughout the region.
Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said that well over 50 percent of Swampscott residents are fully vaccinated, but his concern is reaching those “pockets of risk” in areas where vaccination has been slow.
“We all want to get back to community and be able to enjoy summer on the North Shore,” he said. “This is one of the greatest spots in the world in summer, but if you can’t get a chop suey sandwich at Salem Willows or walk down Lynn (Shore) Drive, that’s not summer. By broadening the scope of vaccinations, we can get back to normal so much sooner.”
Marblehead Public Health Director Andrew Petty said a regional approach is the best way to get everyone vaccinated.
“We’ve been working with other communities all along to get people vaccinated,” he said. “It’s not a one-community issue. What’s good for us is good for everyone.”
Petty said approximately 10,000 of Marblehead’s 19,306 residents are fully vaccinated with another 3,492 partially vaccinated.
Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, who chairs the coalition, agreed.
“We need a regional approach to public health education and community building, to ensure that every resident who wants a vaccine can get one, and that those who are unsure about vaccination are provided with accurate information to make the best possible decision for themselves, their families, and their community,” she said.
The Safe Summer 10-week campaign includes partnerships with local businesses to encourage responsible reopening through vaccination. The coalition plans to implement an aggressive social media, print and public space marketing campaign to motivate residents to get vaccinated so they can safely return to their favorite summer activities.
A partnership with Mass General Brigham’s Community Messenger program has been established to provide multilingual vaccination information. Materials will be distributed to local healthcare providers, houses of worship, nonprofit organizations and other service providers.
New ambassador programs in Peabody and Salem will pay residents to conduct vaccination outreach in neighborhoods that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.
As of May 6, 46 percent of residents in the coalition’s 10 communities have been fully vaccinated, while 60 percent have received one dose. The coalition will track community vaccination progress weekly to identify and respond to areas with the greatest need.
Peabody Health Director Sharon Cameron said the coalition will also be looking for important input from businesses, adding that “we will be speaking to businesses about ways they can help us promote the benefits of vaccination to our residents.”
Coalition spokesperson Emilee Regan said the program is being funded through a repurposed grant that was received prior to the pandemic.
“Grant funding for the campaign was originally provided to the 10 communities by the Department of Public Health in 2020 to support a shared visiting-nurses program for new mothers,” Regan said. “The pandemic prevented that program from moving forward, and the local boards of health chose to reallocate the funding to ensure more robust outreach and communications that will encourage vaccine uptake and COVID-safe behaviors in the spring of 2021.”
“Sharon (Cameron) is a rock star,” said Fitzgerald, who was the chief of staff for former Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfati. “I remember interviewing her with the mayor when she was hired. She was a star then.
“There are a lot of bright lights on the North Shore and she likes to fly under the radar, but her ability to lead at a time when the position has never been this important has been brilliant.”
