To the Editor:
I would like to commend all of the health professionals who participated in planning and carrying out recent the H1N1 flu vaccinations in schools and daycare centers in Bayonne. Working from Nov. 30 through Dec. 11, the healthcare personnel vaccinated about 3,000 students. I would like to thank the Bayonne Health Division; the Bayonne Visiting Nurse Association; the Horizon Health Center; the Women’s Health Center; the Board of Education; and two volunteers, Carol Campion and Sandra Fernandez, who just graduated from a clinical medical assistants’ program, for administering the vaccinations.
The planning for the vaccination program began last summer. I would like to thank Health Officer Richard Censullo, Dr. Martin Levine, City Clinic Nurse Mary Rabbitt, and City Clinic Nurse Kathy Folger for their hard work on this program. During school days, the nurses began their work at 6:15 a.m., loading supplies and making preparations for each clinic with the help of Tom Olsen of the Board of Education Transportation Division. The nurses reported to me that they were very impressed by the students of Bayonne, notably the students at Bayonne High School. The nurses described the high school students as “very responsible” and “grateful” for the H1N1 program. The health professionals vaccinated 545 Bayonne High School students in two hours – a remarkable achievement.
Since the H1N1 flu has been hitting young people especially hard, it was vitally important to offer the parents of Bayonne’s students the opportunity for their children to be vaccinated.
On Dec. 30, we will be making the H1N1 vaccine available to other parts of the population. I am sure that our health professionals will continue to do a great job.
MARK A. SMITH
Mayor