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Maplewood health officer warns about heat risks, lists cooling centers, summer‑meals and other services
Summary
Health Officer Candace Davenport outlined heat‑safety steps after recent extreme heat, named cooling‑center locations and times, described the free summer‑meals program and community food access hours, and announced upcoming pediatric screenings and vaccinations.
At the July 7 meeting Candace Davenport, Maplewood’s health officer, delivered the Board of Health's monthly report and urged residents to recognize signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, check on vulnerable neighbors and use town cooling centers during extreme heat.
Davenport said cooling options include the Maplewood Library (51 Baker Street), the Hilton branch library (1688 Springfield Avenue) and the Maplewood Police Department (1618 Springfield Avenue) when library hours end. She stressed that suspected heat‑related emergencies are life‑threatening and residents should dial 911 for heat stroke.
She also detailed food‑access programs: a free summer meals program running through Aug. 14 offering breakfast (9–10 a.m.) and lunch (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.) at 129 Boyden Avenue, and the Community Food Access Plus distribution on Mondays (3–6 p.m.) and Thursdays (1–4 p.m.) at the same address. Davenport reported 48 households were served at a recent distribution and thanked UCC for assistance.
The health officer announced county pediatric asthma screenings and mobile health‑van dates, a pre‑school vaccination clinic to be held at the township location before school starts, and free adult screenings (blood pressure, hemoglobin, cholesterol, glucose) on July 16 in partnership with Zufaul Health. She also described an uptick in animal‑control calls involving bats and reminded residents to bat‑proof homes and vaccinate pets.
Committee members asked how the town will reach residents affected by recent federal immigration‑policy changes; Davenport described website updates, translated flyers and door‑to‑door canvassing as outreach options and said staff would coordinate targeted distribution through community partners.
