State Adds to Franklin-Based Emergency Facilities

Above, State Rep. Steve Ultrino (D Malden), Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, Dr. Robbie Goldstein (cutting the 'ribbon'), Fire Chief McLaughlin, State Rep. Jeff Roy (D-Franklin), and Kerin Milesky.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) hosted a ribbon-cutting and tour of its new state-of-the-art emergency supply warehouse on Forge Park Drive.  The facility houses Massachusetts’s public health stockpile and allows the state to support safe and effective health care during emergencies. 

The facility has actually been operational since July, but DPH decided to schedule a ribbon-cutting event because September is National Preparedness Month.   The DPH Warehouse is adjacent to – and, in fact, directly connected to – the warehouse for Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA),  the state agency responsible for preparing Massachusetts to withstand, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.

In that regard, one official quipped, "that must mean that Franklin is the emergency preparedness hub of the Commonwealth!"

At one time, the Massachusetts National Guard was headquartered in neaerby Milford but it officially moved to Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford in 2012

Speakers at the event included:

> Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, State Secretary of Health and Human Services

> Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of Public Health

> Kerin Milesky, Director, DPH Preparedness & Emergency Management

> And, Representative Jeffrey Roy, who lauded the state's choice of location.
Franklin  fire and police officials also attended the event. 

The 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art emergency supply warehouse houses the Commonwealth’s public health stockpile, including more than 21 million individual items, ranging from personal protective equipment to diagnostics, medical equipment, and key supplies, strengthening the state’s ability to sustain and support safe and effective health care during emergencies.