A message from Health Director Frank Singleton, MSPH, MPA

Welcome to the City of Lowell Health Department. Our mission is to preserve and maintain the City’s public health standards to both promote and to protect the health and wellness of the people within Lowell: residents, workers and visitors.

We strive to fulfill our mission through a wide range of public health programs that serve to target the prevention of communicable and chronic disease, environmental health and code enforcement as well as emergency preparedness and emergency medical response.  The Department provides school nursing services to some 16,000 school children, utilizes public health nurses to promote immunization and to respond to reportable diseases of public health concern and manages the City contract with the City’s Ambulance provider, Trinity EMS. Housing inspections, retail food service, noise, refuse and public nuisance enforcement and education are also provided. Prevention of youth access to tobacco and the handling of workplace complaints on smoking are also the responsibility of the Lowell Health Department.   For a detailed view of the Lowell Health Dept, click on the link  below to watch our streaming video created by Lowell Telecommunications (LTC)!

click here for the LTC Steaming Video of The Lowell Health Department!

We have not received any seasonal flu vaccine.  Please check back here in the future or scroll down for small availability elsewhere. 

Free H1N1 Flu Clinics in Lowell for February.  Only two more left!

The following applies to all clinics....

• No residency required
• No appointment needed
• No Pre-registration
• Ample supply available

The following applies as well to clinics vaccinating children

• No nasal spray available
• You must know the date of your childs first shot to receive  a second.
• There must be a minimum of 21 days between the first and second shot

The H1N1 Dates are as follows......

1.  Wednesday, February 3, 2010 from 3:30PM to 6:30PM.  This includes children and everyone 6 months or older, adults as well. (H1N1)  This will be the last opportunity  for children to be vaccinated at a public clinic in Lowell at this time. 

Held at Saints Medical Center

1 Hospital Drive Lowell

1st Floor Conference Room

2. Friday, February 5, 2010 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM.  This is an adult only ages 18 and older.  (H1N1)  Please note that the article in the Lowell Sun was a misprint as there will be no pediatric nurses to provide vaccine for children.  Sorry for any confusion. 

Held at Lowell Senior Center

276 Broadway St Lowell

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In addition, The Tewksbury board of Health is also having an H1N1 Flu clinic open to Lowell residents.  The information is as follows.......

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

4:00PM to 6:00PM

John F Ryan School--Cafeteria at 135 Pleasant Street Tewksbury Mass....

Lowell residents can also be vaccinated at this clinic.  It is for everyone 1 years of age and older.  If this is your childs second dose, you must bring documentation of the first dose with you.  There are limited supplies available.  For further information please call Tewksbury Health Department directly at 978-640-4470 or 978-640-4473. 

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Kmart at Sears Essentials has SEASONAL FLU SHOTS available.

For adults 18 and over only.  The Kmart Pharmacy in Sears Essentials has seasonal flu shots.  There is no cost for anyone who has Medicare Part B, and a $25.00 charge for all others.  The address is 10 Main Street, Stadium Plaza route 38-Tewksbury Mass.  Please call Tim Chin to make an appointment at 978-858-0750. Monday to Friday.

Walgreen's at Route 110 and Plain Street has H1N1 vaccine.

Walgreen's at Route 110 and Plain Street in Lowell has received H1N1 vaccine and will provide it to all ages 12 and up.  If you have Medicare part B or MassHealth, there is no cost to you so please bring your insurance cards.  For all others, there will be an $18.00 charge.  Please call the pharmacy directly at 978-453-8216 for any questions.

Flu Season is not over! The H1N1 Pandemic is still looming over us!

 Seasonal flu usually peaks in January or February.  This new strain of flu, commonly called the "swine flu or H1N1”, arrived in Lowell in April of 2009.  We continued to see cases over the summer, which is very uncommon for the seasonal flu, but not unusual for a pandemic.  The second wave started in November and we are just seeing the end of it now.  We expect a third wave of illness in the spring.  

Please remember it is not too late to vaccinate, as a matter of fact, it is very important to vaccinate now to prevent larger outbreaks in the spring. 

For up to date information on the H1N1 please visit the Mass Department of Public Health's web page at http://mass.gov or click HERE to follow a more direct link. 

 

Protect yourself and the people around you from the flu!

• * Wash your hands often.
• * Avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes.
• * Use cough etiquette by coughing into your elbow or sleeve.
• * If you get sick  --STAY HOME!

Take a moment to visit these web pages for some eye opening video.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/handstogether/

Proper cough etiquette at http://www.coughsafe.com/media.html

Danielle L. Savoie at the C.W. Morey Elementary school finds unique way to teach kindergarten students the importance of coughing in your sleeve by reading daily a poem she wrote and singing a song.  Click here for the poem and here for the song! 

City of Lowell working together to bring opioid overdose awareness to the community!

Over the past ten years opioid overdoses have increased significantly in Massachusetts. Opioids include heroin and prescription drugs such as oxycodone (oxycontin), fentanyl, hydrocodone, codeine, and methadone. In response to this growing problem, the Department of Public Health has implemented a number of projects to reduce the number of overdoses.  The City of Lowell is working together on the MDPH MassCALL2 grant to educate community members of the risk.  Following are several links to see what we are up to.  Including a poem  "Sensation of Temptation" written by Lyndsey Brinson, a student at Lowell High School after attending our October 28th event "The Clear and Present Danger", consequences of prescription drug abuse.  In a letter to Headmaster Samaras Lyndsey wrote "In Lowell, drugs are a serious problem and it is affecting the people around me on a daily basis.  I wrote this poem so you would know that we were listening".  Click on "Sensation of Temptation" link below for poem. 

For further information from Health and Human Services click here!

See the MassCALL2 working group contact list click here!

See the moving poem by Lyndsey Brinson click here!

Where do you go for support if a loved one is abusing opioid's?

Learn2cope is a support group started by a parent who found herself asking the very same question.  An amazing resource for families struggling with opioid abuse in hopes of preventing a fatal overdose.  Visit, www.learn2cope.org  for more information and become part of a community of people who know just how you feel!

What's in your medicine cabinet?

Help protect the people we love and the environment we live in by disposing your unwanted medication properly. Old medications expire and are often forgotten. These medications remain in medicine cabinets, drawers or on counter tops where anyone, including children, can take them.  Teens report that the most common place they get drugs is from home or family members.  Disposing of unwanted medication by flushing it down the toilet can find its way into water supplies.  Drug residues have been found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes and in some community drinking water supplies.  On October 15th we had the first unwanted medication disposal and it went great.  A lot of medications were turned in.  On January 5th we had our second we tripled the amount of medications turned in.  Thank you to everyone who brought in medication!  

Watch here for a future date for another dropoff coming within the next couple of months.

In additional the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility holds a monthly drop off for Sharps (no medication can be accepted here) on every 4th Saturday of the month.  This program is combined with the monthly motor oil and mercury thermometer drop off.  The address is 451 First St. Blvd (route 110) in Lowell and is held from 8:00 AM to Noon.

 Do You think you Have Bed Bugs?

• Do not panic.  Visit Health Inspections Division for easy to follow instructions on getting rid of the pesty bugs.  Note, they do not carry any disease!