Council on Aging plans October senior expo, vaccination clinics and seeks larger human services funding

The Nantucket Council on Aging spent substantial meeting time on plans for a senior expo, community vaccination clinics and next year’s human services funding priorities.

Jericho told the council the group is forming a workgroup to plan the fall Senior Expo and that the committee has proposed October 18 as the target date but has not confirmed the school venue; members agreed someone should email the superintendent to confirm availability. “That was my question for Laura…is it just her name appearing on the screen?” a member asked; Laura replied she was present but had no substantive update on venue confirmation.

Jericho outlined vaccination planning for the upcoming respiratory season, saying the town expects to support vaccine clinics similar to last year and to expand availability. He said the town hopes to lower the vaccination‑eligibility age to 60 for clinics, run at least one large public clinic and one to two medium satellite clinics, and coordinate with health department staff. He also noted the merchant Stop & Shop has previously run satellite clinics under state arrangements and “is probably gonna do 3 or 4 clinics” this season offering flu and COVID vaccines; the council asked that dates and which vaccines are being offered be included in the senior center newsletter so seniors can prepare.

On human services funding, Jericho reported the comprehensive needs assessment has about 520 responses (the target was 380) and that the results will guide grant priorities and the town’s human services budget request. He said, based on inflation since 2018, the town’s human services pool (originally $650,000 in 2018) has effectively declined by about 24–25 percent and that the administration is considering increasing total human services funding to roughly $825,000 while keeping a $175,000 allocation for substance misuse.

Jericho also updated the council on personnel: Rocky Miramantes, the director of health and human services, is working remotely while the town runs a hiring process to fill the on‑site director position; the search attracted rapid interest this time and the hire may arrive from off‑island with town housing assistance.

Council members directed staff to confirm the expo date with the school before providing a budget to NCEA and asked that vaccination clinic dates and vaccine types be posted in the newsletter and social channels. The council did not make final budget decisions during the meeting; the items remain under preparation for next fiscal year planning.