Massachusetts spent nearly $400K to review vaccine records in state shelters, report says
BOSTON (TND) — Massachusetts has spent nearly $400,000 on “vaccine record reviews” for migrants and other individuals staying in its emergency shelters, according to a state report obtained by the Boston Herald.
The findings came as part of a biweekly report on the shelter system released by state finance officials. The document reportedly disclosed the state has spent $381,000 since September 2023 on immunization review expenses alone.
Vaccination status has become an important metric to state officials looking to keep shelters safe and healthy. The state's Department of Public Health has taken it upon itself to host “catch-up” vaccination events to inoculate migrant families, the Boston Herald reported. The clinics have reportedly distributed over 4,000 vaccinations since January.
Total spending on the state’s “emergency housing assistance program” has exceeded $591 million, the report reads. Gov. Maura Healy reportedly expects to spend an additional $932 million this year and an additional $915 million the year after.
The state legislature has reportedly given the governor over $826 million this year to fund the shelter program.
Massachusetts residents are growing uneasy with the state’s handling of its migrant crisis. One town earlier this month expressed apprehension about hosting migrant families in a former state prison.
READ MORE | Mass. teachers vent about 'trying time' of accommodating migrant students, docs show
“This is our first time housing families that I’m aware of," Norfolk Select Board Member Anita Mecklenburg told The National Desk (TND). “We have just a queue of people eager to help and eager to be supportive, and there’s some anxiety as well, which is fair. We don’t have a lot of information, and when things are uncertain, it is an anxious time.”
A 26-year-old Haitian man arrested for alleged aggravated rape of a 15-year-old in a Massachusetts migrant shelter was indicted by a grand jury last week. He is currently being held without bail and will be arraigned in Plymouth County Superior Court later this year.
Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7zZqroqeeYsSwvsudZqaZo6iupLTUrJytrKNiwLGxza1kp52Rp7m6eZNpZ6RlpKR6s7HVopywZaaWsKS1zZ5kq52TpL%2Blv4yipWarpJbBpnnSoZylrJWnwG6%2BxKmmq6xdqK66v4ygpq%2BdoqO8s3nMmqyrmV2dsqK4xLJknqWVp7SmusKyZKGnpai2r7OMmqqsoaOprq%2BvxGanq6eXp66uedGinqGsXam8br%2FHnqOtnaJiuqqz0ZqlratdnrqutcarmK2hn6M%3D