Codman Closes Its Offsite COVID-19 Testing Facility

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Russell Auditorium in Dorchester

Russell Auditorium on Talbot Ave in Dorchester

Since cases of COVID-19 feel dramatically in the aftermath of the Delta and Omicron variants, visits at Codman’s offsite COVID-19 testing facility at Russell Auditorium (70 Talbot Ave., Dorchester) decreased, too. The site closed on Thursday, March 31 at noon.

Patients and community members looking for a COVID-19 test can visit Codman’s Urgent Care department Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 12:30 pm by appointment. We will accept walk-ins if the schedule allows. Below, see the timeline of Russell Auditorium’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Codman’s Offsite Testing Site Opens

Codman opened Russell Auditorium as a COVID-19 testing site in November of 2020 when COVID-19 cases were spiking, and there was still not yet a vaccine. The new offsite facility provided a place where patients and staff could be tested quickly, easily, and conveniently in a socially distanced setting, while freeing up the health center to deliver the primary care and other services that patients and community need.

Planning and launching an offsite testing quickly was a challenge. Clinical staff needed to create protocols. Human Resources needed to staff the facility in an extremely tight labor market. Building Services staff had to make all the physical accommodations to turn a function hall into a medical facility. Communications needed to quickly get the word out to patients and community members about the new site.

Russell quickly became an invaluable community resource where people could go when they were sick, travelling, needed testing for school and work, and more. The numbers in the below chart show the value of the resource.

Russell Auditorium Closes then Re-Opens

In late June of 2020, COVID-19 rates were declining. People were starting to shed their masks and get together, and the pandemic seemed to be receding in our rear-view mirror. Testing demand declined sharply to the point that we closed  Russell Auditorium for COVID-19 testing and moved it back to Urgent Care.

Enter the Delta variant, which became the dominant strain of COVID-19 in August 2020. The Health Center started to become full with people seeking out testing, so Codman re-opened Russell Auditorium for COVID-19 testing.

Russell Becomes Community Testing and Vaccination Center

By late December of 2020, the FDA had approved a vaccination for COVID-19, and Codman partnered with Boston Medical Center to open high-volume COVID-19 vaccination site, also at Russell Auditorium, and the building became a COVID-19 testing and vaccination facility.

Throughout 2020 and the first few months of 2021, the community came to see Russell Auditorium as the go-to site for COVID-19 testing and vaccines. Demand for vaccinations gradually decreased as people got their shots, and many additional sites opened up to provide more. In February, 2022, BMC closed its vaccination site and Codman followed the next month and closed its testing site there.

As valuable as the Russell Auditorium has been in addressing COVID-19, we hope that pandemic infections do not increase enough to necessitate a need to open the site again.

Codman Welcomes New Chief Human Resources Officer

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In March 2022, Codman welcomed Pierre Lubin as our Chief Human Resources Officer. Lubin is a seasoned HR professional with 20 years of HR experience. Prior to joining, he was the VP of HR & Culture at Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) and was there for more than 5 years.

Lubin holds a Bachelor of science degree in business administration from Salem State University and earned his Senior Certified HR Professional from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). The certification represents applied learning in strategic planning, leading HR functions, fostering influence in the community, analyzing performance metrics, and aligning HR strategies with organizational goals.

During his free time, he enjoys spending time with his partner, his family, and his 4-year-old cat named Meeko. He also enjoys cooking and trying out new cuisines throughout the state. He is an ABCD Board Member at their Everett location where he volunteers as a tax advisor assisting low-income individuals with their tax filings. He also volunteers with ABCD’s Youth Service Mentor Program at the organization’s Boston branch.

Lubin is looking forward to improving the lives of Codman employees, patients, and community through his collaborative leadership style.

Boston is Prepared Launch is Result of Groundbreaking Partnership

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In a groundbreaking partnership with three other health centers and four local organizations, Codman created BostonisPrEPared.com to promote the availability of PrEP, a medication that helps prevent HIV. The partnership marks the first time in Boston that health centers have combined resources to promote HIV prevention options in Boston.

PrEP was first approved in 2012 as a medication that, when taken correctly, can reduce a person’s chance of contracting HIV by up to 99%. While its existence has contributed greatly to the decline in new HIV diagnosis rates in cities across America, its uptake has been slower than expected in Boston. To encourage more PrEP usage the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and some other organizations awarded grants to several health centers and agencies to promote PrEP usage.

The campaign was created after HIV leaders at Codman Square Health Center realized that health centers and agencies could make more of a public health impact if we pooled our resources with each other to promote the availability of PrEP.  The campaign was designed with input from consumers and the collaborating organizations and coordination with MDPH.

The campaign features beautiful photos of several community members who talk about why they take PrEP. It also features a community member who is HIV positive who talks about what keeping up with his medication means to him. The photos were used in ads for BostonisPrEPared.com and posted on buses, train stations, billboards, and even wrapped subway cars.

Participating Health Centers

  • Codman Square Health Center
  • DotHouse Health
  • Harbor Health
  • Mattapan Community Health Center
  • East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center

Participating local agencies

  • New England AIDS Education and Training Center
  • Justice Resource Institute
  • Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC)

 

 

 

 

Renee Crichlow

Dr. Crichlow, CMO, Speaks on Boston Public Radio

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Dr. Renee Crichlow, Codman’s Chief Medical Officer, joined the team in February of 2020. Dr. Crichlow was quickly recognized in Boston media as an expert in medicine, health policy, and health equity. She has has been a guest on Boston Public Radio three times since she started her tenure at Codman

 

May 2021: Vaccine Hesitancy Among Parents

August 2021: Back to School Safety

Setpember 2021: Health Care Workers’ Vaccination Rates

January 2022: COVID-19 Rates and Health Care Worker Burnout