Weekly Update - April 9, 2021 - Nashua, NH
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Weekly Update - April 9, 2021
Dear Community Partners,
As the chief public health strategist for the Greater Nashua Public Health Region (GNPHR), the Nashua Division
of Public Health and Community Services (DPHCS) will continue to send weekly updates to inform our
community on the current status of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, the response efforts by the City of
Nashua and Greater Nashua Public Health Network (GNPHN), and any additional updates related to the health
and safety of our community.
COVID-19 Data Update
We continue to experience substantial community level transmission of COVID-19 in the City of Nashua.
Substantial community level transmission is determined by three metrics established in conjunction
with the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When any one of the metrics exceeds the set threshold, a
community is designated as "RED" or substantial. Currently we are exceeding the thresholds set on one
metric: new infections per 100k.
Total Cases: All confirmed or probable
COVID-19 cases, either active or recovered.
Active Case: A case that is currently sick or
in isolation due to COVID-19.
New Infections per 100k: Number of new
cases within 14 days standardized by
population size to compare across groups.
This shows how quickly disease is occurring
in the community or the incidence of
disease.
7-Day Total Test Positivity Rate: Number
of PCR and Antigen tests that are positive
compared to the number of PCR and
Antigen tests that are negative over the
past 7 days. A rising positivity rate
indicates a rising number of infections in
the community.
Public health officials are strongly urging
everyone to stay home if you are sick
(except to get medical care), avoid social
gatherings, maintain physical distancing of
six feet or more, wear face coverings, and
wash your hands frequently.
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Continue in New Hampshire - #1 in Nation!
New Hampshire is takes the lead as number one in the country in distributing its allocated COVID-19
vaccines. As of April 6th, New Hampshire has received 843,385 doses of vaccine and administered
796,674 of them, or 94.46%.
If you are still looking to get your COVID-19 vaccine, the Nashua DPHCS / Greater Nashua Public Health
Network is proud to announce that we will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on Wednesday, April
14th from 9am to 4pm in Merrimack, NH offering the single dose Janssen vaccine (Johnson &
Johnson). The only requirements for this clinic are people who are 18+ and reside in New Hampshire.
Sign up by clicking the button below!
REGISTER FOR A VACCINE APPOINTMENT HERE
Please note:
This clinic is appointment only and there is no plus one options – you must sign up
Since this is a single dose vaccine, this clinic is for first dose appointments ONLY
You must be 18+ and live in New Hampshire
Bring your ID (ex. Driver’s license, Passport, Non-Driver's ID) with you on the day of your
appointment
Dress according to the weather…it might rain and you may be standing outside for a brief period
If you have already scheduled a vaccination appointment through the state website (VINI), but
want to attend this clinic, you just need to cancel your appointment previously made through
VINI.
Individuals who are not able to attend our clinic or are 16/17 years old can register and schedule a
vaccination appointment with the State of NH online at www.vaccines.nh.gov or by calling 2-1-1. We
are encouraging all of our community members to be patient as they schedule an appointment.
After vaccination, it is important for everyone to continue to be vigilant and practice public health
recommendations in order for us to end this pandemic and keep our residents healthy and safe. At this
time, continue to practice the following:
Stay home if you are sick, except to seek medical attention
Cover your mouth and nose by wearing mask in public settings
Stay at least six feet away from people who do not live in your household
Avoid large crowds and poorly ventilated places
Wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol in between
If your organization interested in hosting a closed vaccination clinic for staff and clients
OR your organization anticipates having extra vaccine:
email Patty Crooker at crookerp@nashuanh.gov for further discussion.
Public Health Week in Greater Nashua was a Success!
For the tenth year in a row, the Nashua DPHCS, along with its many community partners, participated
in National Public Health Week. This year's theme, "Building Bridges to Better Health”, had the goal of
building connections to make our communities a healthier and safer place for all. In the midst of the most challenging public health crisis of our lifetimes, it's more important than ever to celebrate the efforts of public health, and that is exactly what we did. During National Public Health Week, the Nashua DPHCS and collaborating partners raised awareness of public health, promoted healthy behaviors with a walking challenge, and, of course, had fun! We celebrated the power of prevention, advocated for healthy and fair policies, shared strategies for successful partnerships, and championed the role of a strong public health system. Public Health Week in Greater Nashua was kicked off on Monday, April 5th by the City of Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess, accompanied by the Director of Nashua DPHCS, Bobbie D. Bagley. Mayor Donchess read a proclamation declaring April 5 to 11, 2021 as Greater Nashua Public Health Week and Director Bagley closed out with remarks. We encourage our community to watch the recorded video here! On Monday, we also joined our Community Partner, Lamprey Health Care, to celebrate their award of $3M through the American Recovery Plan from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lamprey provides health care to many low-income individuals and many uninsured clients. These funds are vital to continuing the mission of this great community health care center. A mobile health unit was purchased with Cares Act funds. Thank you for being a committed partner to Public Health! To keep the celebration going, on Wednesday, April 7th, we recognized the hard work and contributions of Nashua DPHCS Staff during Public Health Staff Appreciation Day. We invited our community partners to join us at the Nashua City Hall Steps at 11 AM as Mayor Jim Donchess hosted a recognition ceremony. This was a great event and we are so thankful for all of our dedicated Public Health Staff and Community Partners! Check out the recorded ceremony to the right. Throughout the rest of the week we: hosted outreach tables at various community organizations, including our regional YMCAs, Greater Nashua Mental Health, United Way of Greater Nashua, Nashua PAL, Revive Recovery, Harbor Care, Adult Learning Center, Revive Recovery, and the Nashua Public Library; promoted public health education along with activities and virtual events on our website; posted daily social media content; and sent a press release to local media outlets to showcase the work conducted by Nashua DPHCS during the pandemic. Join us for more fun next year from April 4 to 10, 2022 as we continue the celebration!
2021 NH Governor's Conference on Volunteerism
Volunteer NH is continuing to take COVID-19 safety precautions and will once again host a virtual
Governor's Conference on Volunteerism. This free, online event will be held from Tuesday, May 11 to
Friday, May 14, 2021. his year, they are proud to offer a series of 20 Zoom sessions over 3 days, plus a
trivia contest to close out the conference on day 4! This years conference theme is 'Moving Forward
Together: Embracing Change'.
REGISTER HERE
Nashua Rotary Donates 4,000 Face Masks to Public Health!
Rotary Club (Nashua West) is part of
the Million Mask Challenge, and has
been distributing surgical face masks
around the Rotary district.
This week DPHCS received 4,000
surgical face masks that we will be
sharing with our clients at the weekly
COVID-19 testing clinics.
Thank you Nashua Rotary for helping
us provide the community with
needed face masks to be protected
from COVID-19 spread.
At right, Director Bobbie Bagley
receives the generous donation!
Video Series: NH Public Health
Lead Public Service Announcements
All children are at risk for lead poisoning. Get
your child tested for lead at their 1 year check-up
and again at 2. It’s easy, convenient, reliable, and
covered by insurance.
You’ll get the results before you leave. We also
offer free child blood level testing! For more
information, visit our website.
Check it out by clicking the video on the right!
Get Tested during STD Awareness Month
April is STD Awareness Month and April 11 to 17 is STD Awareness Week. If you are sexually active, or
planning to be, getting tested is one of the most important steps you can take to protect the health of
you and your partner. The ONLY way to know for sure if you or someone else has a Sexually
Transmitted Disease (STD), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), or Hepatitis C (HCV) is to get tested.
Get Yourself Tested is a campaign encouraging young people to get tested and treated for STDs and HIV
to protect their health and that of their partners. STDs affect people of all ages, yet these diseases take
a particularly heavy toll on young people. False assumptions about STDs (how they’re spread,
prevented, and treated) are everywhere, and it can be especially hard for people to get the facts.
Making sure that you have the correct information about STD prevention and testing has never been
more important!
Know The Facts
STDs impact young people the hardest. In the U.S., half of all new STDs are in people under 25
years old.
If you are sexually active, you can lower your risk of getting an STD by using a latex condom the
right way from start to finish every time you have sex.
Almost all STDs that can be spread via condomless vaginal sex can also be spread through oral
and anal sex without a condom.
You can’t tell if someone has an STD just by looking at them. Many STDs don’t cause any
symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to get tested.
Even if you use birth control, you should still think about STD prevention. Birth control methods
like the pill, patch, ring, and IUD are very effective at preventing pregnancy, but they do not
protect against STDs and HIV.
Get Yourself Tested
STD tests are quick, simple, and usually painless. For example, rapid HIV tests can provide results
from just a swab inside the mouth in only 20 minutes.
Not all medical checkups include STD testing. Unless you ask to be tested, you can’t assume you
have been. Ask your medical provider which STDs you should be tested for.
Talk to your partner about when you were last tested and suggest getting tested together. And if
you have an STD, tell your partner. These conversations may seem hard to have, but open
communication with your partner is essential to staying healthy and stopping the spread of
STDs. These conversations may also bring you closer together. Here are some tips to help you
start the conversation.
If you test positive for an STD, work with your doctor to get the correct treatment
We offer weekly testing clinics here in Nashua, available to people in the Greater Nashua Region!
Our Mobile Outreach Clinics are held on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Nashua Public
Library Front Plaza (2 Court St., Nashua) and the First and Third Friday of the month from 1:30 p.m. to
3:30 p.m. at Laton House (28 Railroad Sq., Nashua). We also have weekly clinics at Lamprey Health Care
(22 Prospect St., Nashua) Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
Learn More about STDs Here
EQUITY CORNER: My name is Evenson Pierre and I am from the
beautiful island of Puerto Rico where I was born
Meet Evenson Pierre and raised. While my native language is Spanish, I
NEW Community Health Worker! understand and speak Haitian creole because my
parents are Haitian. I have been living in the
United States since 2011 and I must admit that
the transition from Puerto Rico to the United
States was not the easiest one. The language,
culture, and even the weather was very shocking
in my early years here. Consequently, I relate well
to families transitioning to life in the U.S. and how
unsettling it can be. I received help and
mentorship in order to settle into life here and I
hope to “pay it forward” by providing these same
things to new members of our community.
My prior job experience has sharpened the
characteristics and skills that will help me thrive
as a Community Health Worker.
Before joining DPHCS, I worked as Student Success Coach for City Year in an elementary school and as a
Community Health Worker for a community clinic. As a Student Success Coach and socio-emotional
coordinator, I worked very closely with diverse students that needed extra support in and out of the
classroom by planning tutoring sessions, providing small group and one-to-one literacy and math
tutoring, and facilitating sessions for small groups of students on building social-emotional learning
skills. As a Community Health Worker, I worked under the clinic case managers; my role was to provide
patients with food, clothes, and State resources such as SNAP and Medicaid as well referrals to
Southern New Hampshire Services, NH Legal Aid, and referrals for children developmental disabilities.
I am also a student currently, pursuing a major in psychology with a minor in communications. I don’t
know what the future will bring, but I want to work with the community to breach the gap of
inequalities and social injustice in our health system and society.
Be 'Flood Ready' this Spring!
Spring is the time of year when many things change - including the weather. Temperatures can swing
back and forth, sunny days may be followed by a week of stormy weather, and sometimes extreme
weather changes can occur even within the same day. When severe weather hits unexpectedly, the risk
of weather-related injury increases. In New England, it is important for us to prepare for storms and
floods as if you know in advance they are coming, because in the spring, they very likely will. Planning
ahead just makes sense!
In New Hampshire, we prepare for spring flooding. Floods are the most common natural disaster in the
U.S. and occur when there is a temporary overflow of water on dry land. Floods result from rain, snow,
storms, or overflows of water systems, and can sometimes develop very quickly.
Floods are a public health priority because entering or failing to evacuate flooded areas can lead to
injury or death. It is NEVER safe to drive or walk into flood waters. Anyone in a flood warning should
find shelter immediately because just 6 inches of moving water can knock a person down, and 1 foot of
moving water can sweep a vehicle away. To be prepared, homeowners should also obtain flood
insurance, as floods are not covered in homeowner’s policies.
Additional Resources
Nashua COVID-19 Hotline: 603-589-3456
Upcoming Events
New Hampshire COVID-19 Website
Harbor Care COVID-19 Testing Clinic
April 12, 3 - 6 p.m.
(45 High St., Nashua)
By Appointment: 603-821-7788
Nashua COVID-19 Website
DPHCS COVID-19 Testing Clinic
April 13, 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Elm Street Parking Garage
Greater Nashua Data By Appointment: Register Here
Dashboard
SSANA
April 12, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Between Temple St. & Cottage St., Nashua
CDC COVID-19 Website
(English) SSANA
April 14, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
29 Temple St., Nashua
CDC COVID-19 Website (Spanish) STD/HIV/HCV Testing
April 15, 5 - 7 p.m.
Lamprey Health Care (22 Prospect St., Nashua)
By Appointment: Register Here
Vaccination Information
PLEASE NOTE: COVID-19 vaccines are NOT offered at
our mobile immunization clinics listed in this section.
For information about getting vaccinated against
COVID-19, please visit vaccines.nh.gov or call 2-1-1.
Food Resources
(English)
Full DPHCS Mobile Outreach Schedule
Food Resources (Spanish)
Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services
Greater Nashua Public Health Network
www.NashuaNH.gov/DPHCS
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