Lynn public-health staff use Public Health Week to showcase grants, outreach and new accessibility tool

Lynn’s public-health division used its April 14 Board of Health meeting to celebrate Public Health Week, present student artwork and highlight a suite of programs and grants designed to expand access, harm reduction and community outreach.

The meeting opened with certificates for three local student art winners whose work will be turned into stickers and pins for city events. Staff then demonstrated Boost Lingo, an interpretation and captioning tool the division is testing to provide on-demand captions and ASL interpretation for meetings and city events.

Nick Alonso, the city’s community transportation grant coordinator, said the division secured a second round of MassDOT funding worth $100,000 to expand transportation options for low-income seniors and people with disabilities and to coordinate routes with the senior center and other providers. "Transportation is the key word there ... we're looking to improve transportation options for low-income seniors and disabled populations in Lynn," Alonso said.

Abdel, comm team program administrator, described a pilot non‑emergency care team that responds to wellness checks, conflict-resolution calls, syringe collection and mental-health first aid. Abdel said the triage number is staffed 24/7 though response teams operate on scheduled hours during the pilot.

Candace McCclary, substance‑use coordinator, reviewed youth prevention grants, syringe‑compliance reporting for pharmacies and opioid-abatement spending. Candace said the division distributed a $250,000 NOA for community grants and has expanded naloxone access via five city cabinets and a community wellness vending machine stocked with harm‑reduction supplies.

Epidemiologist Irini presented recent case counts for reportable diseases and vaccination clinic totals, while Kit Diaz, lead public-health nurse, described the Northshore mothers visiting program (about 200 visit requests since Feb. 2025), stroke-awareness outreach and vaccine-ambassador plans. Grant specialist Manny Gerrio highlighted heat-resilience efforts that will install water-filling stations at city parks and cultural dance workshops funded by the Mass Cultural Council.

Norris, health access officer, framed the work as coordinated grant strategy and partnership development across clinical and social determinants of health. The division also introduced an internship program and detailed summer youth employment slots funded with opioid-abatement money.

The American Red Cross’s Kim Lopez spoke about local blood-donation needs and the Red Cross’s efforts to diversify donors to better match patient needs (sickle cell, Latino, LGBTQ+ outreach); staff discussed partnering on additional local drives.

Why it matters: The presentations show the public-health division's broad approach — from accessibility and transportation to harm reduction and maternal services — and how grant funding is being used to scale services in Lynn.

What’s next: Staff will continue pilot tests of Boost Lingo, expand the comm team hours if funding permits and coordinate with partners on heat-resilience installations, vaccination outreach and future grant applications. The board will review permit-language updates related to retail enforcement at a future meeting.

Representative quotes: "We are soft launching Boost Lingo tonight here at our Board of Health meeting," said Lisa (public-health staff). "Transportation is the key word there ... we're looking to improve transportation options for low-income seniors and disabled populations in Lynn," said Nick Alonso. "We are now requiring reporting from all of the pharmacies in the city of Lynn that sell syringes," said Candace McCclary.

Meeting close: The board shared materials that will form the basis of a vote next month and set the next meeting for May 5.