Effective immediately, during open hours, Library and Elder Affairs staff will be available by phone to assist those of ages 65 and older to book their appointments. In order to have a successful booking, people must have a checklist of things at the ready:
- Name
- Birthdate
- Address (if experiencing homelessness, we can put in a temporary address or street intersection or other general description)
- Phone number (preferably mobile)
- Email address (if they have one)
- Insurance information
- And a sense of upcoming schedule in order to pick the best date and time
The Library and Elder Affairs departments encourage those who need assistance to call their local branch during open hours: (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, at 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm). Saturday hours include: Central Library 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; East Forest Park, Forest Park, East Springfield, Indian Orchard, Mason Square and Sixteen Acres 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Please note that Brightwood and Pine Point will not be open on Saturdays. All library branches, with the exception of Pine Point, will be taking phone calls during their open hours. The contact information for the library branches are below:
East Forest Park Branch: 413-263-6836
Forest Park Branch: 413-263-6843
East Springfield Branch: 413-263-6840
Brightwood Branch: 413-263-6805
Central Library 413-263-6828 ext. 215
Indian Orchard Branch: 413-263-6846
Mason Square Branch: 413-263-6853
Sixteen Acres Branch: 413-263-6858
Seniors can also contact the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with the necessary information ready. The City respectfully ask callers to be prepared to leave a message with their name and phone number so that a staff member can call the resident back in case there is no immediate availability. The contact information for the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center is below:
Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center: 413-787-6785
Mayor Sarno states, “Besides speaking with Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito about getting a vaccine site right here in Springfield, which I am very thankful for. I also spoke to them about more accessibility and assistance on signing up for the vaccination, which they are currently working on. In the meantime, Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris and I moved forwarded with our Springfield Library Director Molly Fogarty and Elder Affairs Director Sandy Federico to not wait but to establish our own assistance system to help our senior citizens signup and trouble-shoot any issues they may have right now. I am very thankful to Helen and her dedicated team for this initiative. My administration will continue to move aggressively to aid all our residents as we will defeat this COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.”
HHS Commissioner Caulton-Harris stated, “The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched the resources of the Public Health infrastructure nationwide and here in the City of Springfield. It is critical that we work collaboratively to meet the needs of our residents especially our seniors. I am grateful to the Departments of Elder Affairs and the Library system for their critical role in helping to make vaccine help available to one of our most underserved populations.”
It is important that patrons understand librarians are not able to give medical advice and are only capable of helping everyone understand the online forms and book the appointments. Please call your medical provider if you have any specific questions about vaccines before calling the libraries or elder affair.
The Springfield City Library is determined to help as many seniors as possible with appointment booking in an effort to help lower the devastating effects of COVID-19.
Founded in 1857, the Springfield City Library provides over 800,000 free print, physical, and digit www.springfieldlibrary.org